As an active instrument instructor, I frequently see confusion in my customers about making the transition from an approach to the missed-approach procedure using a GPS. Even many pilots with a great deal of instrument time don’t demonstrate mastery of a GPS navigator’s “suspend” mode, or know how vital its proper use is to safely executing a missed approach.
Basically, a GPS navigator in normal operation always is navigating to the next fix. But when it arrives at a missed approach point, it doesn’t know what to do: sequence to the destination airport, to the holding fix or do something else? So, it goes into suspend mode. Of course, there’s more to it than that, so let’s review how the GPS suspend function protects you, and how you must use it to assure a safe “missed.”
