The Best of a Bad Approach
Preparation can improve the precision of a non-precision approach.

Letter designators such as VOR-A or NDB-B or if the descent angle is steeper than normal are indicative that only a circling approach is authorized. If making a non-precision approach that has a steep approach angle you had best configure the flaps to get the desired rate of descent. Any descent rate over 700 fpm is not in the normal range.

Clearance for the approach should include distance to FAF and allow you to descend to intermediate segment altitude. If you feel that you are being vectored in at too high an altitude or too close word your request according to your needs. Watch out for dumb mistakes. Use the checklist. Don't descend until you know where you are. Know the visual descent point and pre-plan one of your own. (Use the first two digits of the MDA as seconds subtracted from total approach time to set time reaching VDP for normal landing approach.)

Essential to any non precision approach is that the glide path be stabilized. A stabilized approach means that you have several constants established. Power is a constant. Trim is a constant. Airspeed is a constant. Altitude is a constant. These constants are maintained by constant reference to the instruments and a constant light touch on the controls. The pilot knows the power, attitude, trim, attitude and airspeed required for any pitch change to another. All changes are pre-planned and smoothly accomplished. This is practiced and perfected by practice and repetition in VFR conditions. Never fly an instrument procedure others than an ILS at night to an unfamiliar airport with an unfamiliar missed approach procedure.

IFR Go-arounds
Take all the training you need to get rid of any inefficiency or poor techniques. Unless you have begun your landing descent at a valid visual descent point (VDP) with the required visual references you must make a go-around. Primary to any go-around is the immediate application of all available power. You do not have full power unless you take off carburetor heat. Do NOT look into the cockpit. Keep your eyes outside. Hold heading with rudder. Lock your elbow against the door and fly level holding heading. Lose altitude if you must, the aircraft will fly and accelerate better in ground effect. On reaching climb speed as determined by sound or a quick glance. Remove flaps only if necessary for climb. Initiate a climb.

If you do not have the runway at MDA/DH, you may not be where you should be. In this case you cannot afford to lose altitude. Leave the plane in a landing configuration if it is able to climb reasonably well. Practice making full ‘dirty' go-arounds at altitude. Also practice getting a better climb after you are well into the go-around.

Don't press a touchdown that is going to be long on a short runway. When there are strong cross winds expect to make your go-around early in the approach when your needles have trouble finding center.

Go-around Essentials
Flight visibility is the governing factor in Part 91 instrument approaches. The reported ground visibility is a factor only in that the FAA may call your 'flight visibility into question. One way to improve your preparation for the missed is to incorporate your missed approach configuration of gear, flaps, and airspeed into your approach configuration.

The use of an autopilot-coupled approach presents a problem if the missed approach is not also coupled to the autopilot. I have had pilots have real difficulty with the missed because of the transition from autopilot into a hand flown missed.

When things go wrong on an approach the best option, as in other landings, is to go-around as required by the missed approach procedure. This is recognized as a very correct --command decision. The decision is followed by the number one priority of flying the airplane. You do this by applying full power, cleaning up the configuration at a climb attitude.

The decision altitude or minimum descent altitude is the height above touchdown elevation and not the runway threshold. The importance of flying a clean approach is that you will be executing the missed approach in protected airspace. The accident record of missed approaches is that only about five related fatal accidents occur per year. Considering all the missed approaches made this is a very good record.

You are in protected airspace that extends for 15 miles with a 40' to 1' terrain clearance plane, which requires a climb rate of 253 fpm. Do not make any turns until reaching the specified plate altitude. Turning too soon can be just as fatal as turning too late. Breaking off an approach requires that you climb straight to the missed approach and follow the published turn procedure.

If you are flying the circle to land approach, the missed approach procedure requires that you circle back to the runway with the missed approach procedure. You are not obligated to then fly to your alternate. The purpose of the alternate is to advise ATC what to expect if radio failure should occur.

Don't try to hard to succeed on an approach. Pushing your luck and skill is the road to failure. Making the missed approach means that weather was below minimums, not that you were a failure as an instrument pilot.

Failure to initiate the approach in a timely manner statistically kills far more pilots than does the missed. The worst killer is the second approach made because the pilot saw the runway in passing.

--Don't second guess the go-around. Do it!
--Use full power
--Hold heading and altitude until reaching climb speed and afterwards.
--Climb with flaps if you can.
--Clean up plane.

Straight-in Approach
The tower is not responsible for any traffic separation until that traffic is on the ground but arriving traffic must be far enough out to allow surface traffic to clear the runway before touchdown. There is no ATC separation by the tower while you are in the air even though you may be talking to the tower. There is a hazard associated with the straight-in approach. Aircraft viewed directly from the rear are difficult to see since there is no relative motion. Motion is the first thing the eye sees. An airplane both in front of you and lower is even more difficult to detect. Use the radio.

The straight in approach is so called because it does not use a course reversal to become established on final course. Radar vectors can be used to bring you so as to intercept the final approach course. A no procedure turn (NoPT) transition is possible when the feeder route has both direction and altitude for an easy intercept and descent. An approved transition must have a minimum altitude, distance and heading. Approaching from a hold is allowed when the inbound leg is aligned with the final approach course. May be prohibited by note. The DME arc is a curve route to intercept the final approach course. NoPT is required but DME is.   Per the FAA legal interpretation, unless cleared otherwise by ATC, intercept the arc at an IAF.

Straight-in minimums are not published or available when the final approach course is not within 30 degrees of the runway centerline OR a normal rate of descent cannot be used from the MDA to the runway. When the approach plate has a number as part of its title then the runway is within 30 degrees and the straight-in is authorized and the minimums are published. Any time you fly such an approach with a crosswind component corrected by your heading, the airport will not be over the nose of the airplane.

At many airports the approach to the runway on the chart may require either a downwind landing or a circling approach. Lower minimums will apply to the downwind landing. You will need to adjust your airspeed to get the desired ground speed caused by the tailwind. If the tailwind is only 10 kts it will double your landing distance.

Localizer Approaches
--No different than when first used in 1930
--Two focused directional antennas at 90 and 150 Hz
--Signals overlap from departure end of runway down centerline for about 18 miles.
--Aircraft receiver compares amplitude (power) of signals to get 1 to 1 ratio existing only on centerline.
--Blue or shaded side of approach is always to the right.
--Back courses reverse sensing of ILS requiring pilot to fly away from needle unless reversal built-in.
--6 degree course accuracy to threshold.
--OBS should be set to approach course as a reference heading only. (disconnected).
--Back course ILS is non precision localizer approach.
--Localizer directional approach (LDA) flies like a localizer approach but can bring you in to runway from 30 degree angle.
--Some LDAs have glide slope.
--Simplified directional facility (SDF) approaches uses poor quality antenna with course width of 6 to 12 degrees.
--Use approach chart to obtain reference descent rate in fpm.
--Bracket this rate to get and keep correct slope
--Your primary pitch instrument for straight and level at the MDA is the altimeter (the one with the numbers).
--A clearance to the ILS approach is likewise a clearance for the localizer but with higher minimums.
--An ILS/localizer approach has two FAF's only one of which is timed. The interception point of altitude with glide slope is the FAF for the ILS.
--You cannot fly the Localizer if you have flown the ILS to below the MDA for the localizer.
--The LOC (localizer) only and VOR approaches look pretty much the same as an ILS except that they don't have the "go up/go down" glideslope needle, just a "go right/go left" needle.
-- The VOR and localizer are on independent circuits. They require independent checkout.

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