COMMUNICATIONS:
Pilot
118.75 Concord clearance Cessna 1407U East Ramp IFR CCR to APC
Cessna 172/U ready to copy.
ATC--Cessna 1407U clearance on request.
Concord ground Cessna 1407UEast Ramp taxi with (ATIS)
ATC--Cessna 07U taxi to (runway) Cessna 1407U clearance...
07U ready to copy
ATC--Cessna 1407U is cleared to Napa airport via Buchanan 7 departure, Skaggs transition direct. Climb and maintain 3000. Departure 119.9 and Squawk 4531. Advise this frequency when ready.
07U read back... Cessna 1407Uis cleared to Napa airport via Buchanan 7 departure, Skaggs transition direct. Climb and maintain 3000. Departure 119.9 Squawk 4531. Will advise when ready.
07U ready 07U monitor tower07U
ATC--07U is cleared for takeoff (runway)--07U contact Travis Approach on 119.9
ATC--07U to 119.9Travis Approach Cessna 14
07U Out of (altitude) for 3000
ATC--07U report the VOR for radar identification
07U will report the VOR
ATC--07U VOR 07U ident
ATC--07U radar contact over the Concord VOR 07U say altitude
07U level at 3000
ATC--07U contact Oakland Center on 127.8
07U to 127.8
Oakland Center Cessna 1407U level at 3000
ATC--07U roger that
ATC--Cessna 07U is cleared for the approach maintain 3000 until crossing the VOR
Cessna 07U cleared for approach will maintain 3000 until crossing VOR.
ATC--07U advise intentions after approach.
07U will execute missed approach in VFR conditions. Will then proceed VFR to CCR.
ATC--07U contact Napa tower on 118.7
07U to 118.7
Napa tower Cessna 1407U inbound
ATC--07U report the VOR
07U will report the VOR
07U VOR
ATC--07U report missed
07U will report missed.
07U missed approach
ATC--07U contact Center 127.8
07U to 127.8
Oakland center Cessna 1407U executing published missed.
Canceling IFR but will accept advisories while holding at VOR
07U squawk ...etc.
Another CCR to APC Lesson
ITEM: The procedure turn is no longer allowed at Napa for the VOR approach. Vectors only.
I just ran through this with a beginning IFR student today. I'll run through the 'lesson' since the situation is unique. You asked about using the DME to locate a VDP. Shouldn't be hard to find a 2-mile final VDP or a one or three mile DME distance to make the down-wind turn. My 'student' is in the process of buying a Cutlass and wanted to fly. He has passed the IFR written without ever having a lesson. Did so, just to get it out of the way.
I agreed to take him up and do a couple of visual approaches for the purpose of letting him become familiar with procedures and to see just where the procedures take you. If you are familiar with my web site, you know that I tape record all ground and flight training. I also usually walk through this on the ground but did not this time because it was supposed to be all-visual and I would take the radio load.
Before I take a student up, I go over the route and plates in terms of flight direction, altitudes, radio frequencies and procedures. We agreed that I would do all the radio work. We made a nav/com chart for both #'s 1 and 2 radios. Included all frequencies and radials. Napa has a VDP so I explained its purpose.
Using the area chart I went through the DP for Concord, CA and the VOR 6 approach to Napa, CA. I went over the expected clearance with him and together we wrote it out. The clearance came as expected and I read it back. We departed and things were as planned except they changed approaches on us.
Good student lesson since I had insisted that he take out all the plates for both our departure and arrival airports. Good lesson, since we had prepared the VOR-6 approach. We studied the LOC-36 We got several vectors for spacing and was set up for arrival to localizer 36 close in and high. Faster traffic was following. FAF was at 1800 and we were vectored in at 4000. We had no chance of making it from that altitude and distance and not enough time to get established and pick up our FAF radial.
FAF was off a VOR radial and we were not only high but also late in making contact with tower. In the clouds several minutes. (My fault...this approach requires a rapid descent and I let the student let down at about 700 fpm which was not fast enough. I missed the time too.)
Tower had given us an option for straight in to 36 or a downwind to 24. I now wonder if approach told tower that we were high. When we broke out we were too high for 36 so I told tower we would take the downwind to 24 and make a short approach to clear airport for next aircraft inbound. Less than .2 actual but enjoyed by student. Lunch break gave time to go over what we had done and let student rest.
Spent an hour going over our return trip. Return as IFR required that we do a pop-up to ZOA. Used area chart to plan route and set up. At CCR we would use the LDA 19 approach. CCR usually uses 32 for noise abatement so I explained the circling altitude and the absence of a VDP. I also showed how the timing for the approach used the end of the runway for our MAP meant that an approach carried for the full time could make a landing somewhere between difficult and impossible. Recently, airport had an aircraft run off the end of 19 because tower did not change runways.
Using the chart I went over with the student how we could develop both a straight-in and circling VDP. The time for the approach was 2:16. The circling altitude was 580 and the MDA for the straight in was 380. This particular circling is usually done before reaching the airport but can be done when beyond the airport just as easily.
We departed Napa and did an IFR pop-up request to Concord. I just told the ZOA controller that we were off Napa en route Concord and wanted to follow Victor 108 doing our own navigation. After a brief altitude hold at 2000 we were set free to 3000 and handed off to Travis Approach. I indicated that we wanted to do our own nav and we were cleared for the approach and told to report procedure turn inbound. I reported leaving altitudes until we were handed off to the tower. Student flew via V-108 visually, tracked to the NDB and turned outbound on the localizer, did the procedure turn and tracked the localizer down to 380'. I remembered to report procedure turn inbound and FAF.
To make VDP (Visual Downwind Point) (Visual Descent Point)
Use the 2:16 time and add or subtract the first to digits of the MDA for each approach as appropriate. 580' rounded into time = 60 seconds or one-minute. 2:16 - one minute means that VDP (used to turn downwind before reaching the airport is done at 1:16. If crossing the airport allows the circling approach you would turn downwind at 3:16 using the same 580' as before but adding the minute. The VDP for the straight in would use 380' rounded in time to 40 seconds. Take 40(30) seconds off of 2:16. Close enough!
Student came away from lesson on a 'high'. I had to help him with headings, altitude, and tracking the localizer but for first time was a good lesson. He now has a tape so give him an idea of how to do the following things:
Use a DP chart to anticipate a clearance
Use plates to make a frequency chart including both DME and NDB
Use DP chart to fly routes
Use an area chart to fly routes
Use FROM radials only as means of positioning
Add to taxiing checklist the IFR instrument checks
Make a pop-up IFR departure
Make a tower en route departure
See how actual 'focuses' your attention
Compare VOR and Localizer tracking sensitivity
Radio procedures for clearances, vectors, own-nav approach,
Get the ATIS early
Get behind the airplane on an approach
Forget to time the approach and miss a fix report
Breaking out of the weather makes everything better.
Better to prepare all approaches to airport
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