17
votes
Accepted
What happened to Widereøe flight WF0597?
Your screenshot shows the path for flight WF9480. Flightradar24 shows 2 occurrences of such flight one on the 5th August and one on the 6th August, both are training flights for landing practice. From ...
- 32.4k
16
votes
Can I circle to a different runway if cleared for an instrument approach without circling minimums?
The only minimums that apply to any approach are those printed on the plate. Doing anything else is being a test pilot. Minimums are charted based on obstacle clearance, descent gradient, distance ...
- 23.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Is it OK to make an approach without any straight-in segment at all?
If the aircraft has not established a stabilised approach, a go around is required. According to EUROCONTROL's Skybrary, a stabilised approach is defined as:
Their Approach-and-landing Accident ...
- 15.7k
11
votes
Accepted
Does the pilot have to fly the entire published missed approach procedure if the circling approach is abandoned just prior to touchdown?
Assuming that you're asking about the US, then according to the Instrument Procedures Handbook p.4-41 (emphasis mine):
If the aircraft initiates a missed approach at a point other than the
missed ...
- 71.6k
9
votes
Can I circle to a different runway if cleared for an instrument approach without circling minimums?
Intro
This is a bit of an odd situation, but they have a good reason for doing what they did.
First of all, each instrument approach is designed to be a stand-alone procedure, and the designers ...
- 58.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Why do VOR A, B charts only have circle-to-land minimums, while VOR X,Y,Z charts have straight approach minimums too?
Yes, that is the difference. From the FAA's Instrument Procedures Handbook, Chapter 4:
Straight-In Procedures
When two or more straight-in approaches with the same type of guidance exist for a runway,...
- 13.5k
8
votes
Accepted
Although there are straight and circling minimums in the VOR Z chart, why separate VOR A chart created containing only the circle-to-land minimum?
The only relevant difference I can see is
DME required.
for the VOR Z approach. The VOR A does not have such a requirement. This allows aircraft without DME to fly the VOR approach.
Note how the ...
- 54.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Does a circling approach require "one continuous descent to land"?
The wording you quoted from the AIM, "until continuously in a position," does not make sense to me. It is ungrammatical and therefore unintelligible.
The wording at 91.175 is better:
no ...
- 13.5k
7
votes
I live near an airport and this morning a plane was circling the town 6 times
Sounds like someone was doing a touch-and-go landing. This is usually done when learning to fly an aircraft, to be able to practice a number of landings in a short time window. If there is a flight ...
- 171
7
votes
Accepted
How to communicate a circling approach over CTAF?
"Overflying the field at [whatever] MSL to enter the left downwind for runway 18"
is what I would call at a nontowered field. It's also the phraseology that tower controllers have used when ...
- 23.1k
7
votes
Is it allowed to fly a right traffic pattern when a left traffic pattern is published (IFR)?
This is a somewhat tricky situation. The FAA has issued multiple legal interpretations that IFR traffic are bound by the same rules for traffic pattern direction as VFR traffic, even when circling: ...
- 6,105
6
votes
Accepted
Why is the VFR traffic pattern area at some airports different from its IFR circling approach area?
It looks like you have a few different questions here. As a caveat, I know nothing about Half Moon Bay so these are (educated) guesses to some extent. Someone with personal experience at KHAF could ...
- 71.6k
5
votes
Does a circling approach require "one continuous descent to land"?
I don't see how to even make it a continuous descent in many cases.
Say you are flying ILS runway 36 circle to land runway 18, with minima 700 ft and you break out of clouds at 800 ft. So now you have ...
- 56.2k
5
votes
Is it allowed to fly a right traffic pattern when a left traffic pattern is published (IFR)?
Yes, it is legal to circle north under IFR using "right" hand traffic and land on Runway 25.
"Left traffic" refers to VFR traffic. Traffic patterns are generally flown at 1000' AGL. IFR aircraft don'...
- 37.5k
5
votes
Can I circle to a different runway if cleared for an instrument approach without circling minimums?
In this scenario, you do in fact have two legal options -- although you must decide if they are safe.
First, you can cancel IFR when you break out on the approach and switch to SVFR (this was ...
- 16.7k
5
votes
What are the guidelines to execute a missed approach during circling?
Flying a missed approach while circling can require some judgement, as the procedures are designed to originate at the missed approach point. Going missed while circling can mean starting the ...
- 6,105
5
votes
How is the VOR-A approach at KVCB meant to be flown?
IFR flying can be quite dangerous, particularly when transitioning from the airport to the enroute structure and vice-versa. This "answer" should be taken as a discussion more than a ...
- 13.5k
4
votes
What are the guidelines to execute a missed approach during circling?
This is what ICAO specifies
If visual reference is lost while circling to land from an instrument approach, the missed approach specified for that particular procedure shall be followed. The ...
- 28.4k
4
votes
Does the pilot have to fly the entire published missed approach procedure if the circling approach is abandoned just prior to touchdown?
In the Center environment, when I clear you for an instrument approach, I'm protecting the missed approach, and I expect you to fly it if you cannot land safely, whatever your reason.
Realistically, ...
- 1,514
3
votes
Accepted
Why are there no straight-in landing minimums (only circle-to-land) for this VOR approach at Adana?
I believe it is because there is a 591ft obstacle between MAPt and threshold. I have quoted the MOC from ICAO DOC 8168 Volume II for each of the different segments of the approach.
Initial segment (...
- 46
3
votes
Which US airport has the lowest circling MDH?
I'm going to partially answer this question. According to TERPS Section 2-7-1(b),
the minimum ROC in the circling approach OEA is 300 feet. Adjustments
must be applied as specified in paragraph 3-2-2....
- 8,532
2
votes
Why is a straight-in approach not allowed to RWY 07 at Cluj (LRCL)?
What is shown on that approach isn't that a straight-in approach to the runway isn't allowed, but rather that there are no straight-in minimums published for that approach.
Why they didn't publish ...
- 49.8k
2
votes
Accepted
What are the specific side step minimums for an approach?
KSFO has sidestep minima for ILS/LOC 28R to 28L but not from ILS/LOC 28L to 28R. It also has a sidestep from ILS/LOC 19L to 19R but no ILS at all for 19R itself. The latter is probably the more ...
- 27.6k
2
votes
How is the VOR-A approach at KVCB meant to be flown?
CFR 91.126 is a general rule that establishes the default of left turns in the VFR traffic pattern, unless right turns are specified. It is intended to provide safety and consistency in the flow of ...
- 24.9k
1
vote
What are "CIRCLING CATS"?
A circling approach is one where you line up on one runway for the approach through the clouds, but once you break out of the clouds you circle around and land on a different runway due to winds. ...
- 24.9k
1
vote
What's the most commonly used circling approach procedure in the US National Airspace System?
This is not information you are likely to find anywhere mostly because its not really recorded by anyone but individual pilots and there is no regulation (that I know of) to report these statistics ...
- 100k
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