Course Reversals

The good news about this plan was the VOR/DME procedure we wanted to fly into Winter Haven used LAL as an initial approach fix. The middling news was we were doing this at 2700 feet msl, 700 feet above the minimum crossing altitude at LAL, to stay above KLALs Class D, which tops out at 2600. So Id need to carefully pull the plug after crossing LAL to ensure I could get down to the MDA before getting too close to the airport. But the hold at LAL coming off the miss at VDF had us going the opposite direction, and we were trying to do this on our own, using published procedures.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Thursday, June 16, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

The Epic E1000 captures the spirit of Flying's Innovation Award. Glenn Watson

Key Takeaways:

The article highlights a training scenario where attempting to transition from a published missed approach to a subsequent instrument approach revealed incompatibilities in published procedures and "not authorized" segments, underscoring challenges in self-navigation without Air Traffic Control (ATC) intervention.
It emphasizes that while ATC typically simplifies transitions with vectors in real-world IFR, pilots must remain proficient in understanding and executing all types of published course reversal maneuvers.
The various course reversal methods discussed include standard procedure turns (e.g., 45/180 turns), holds-in-lieu-of-procedure-turns, teardrop patterns, and complex DME arcs, all of which are essential for instrument flight proficiency.

See a mistake? Contact us.

There I was, bouncing along on the miss from Vandenberg, err, Tampa (Fla.) Executive, KVDF. My instructor and I were flying the published miss after a practice ILS to KVDF’s Runway 23, which was to a hold over the Lakeland (LAL) Vortac. We wanted to enter the published hold, then do the VOR/DME A into KGIF, Winter Haven, Fla.’s, Gilbert Field. Those approach procedures are reproduced below, with enlarged excerpts.

The good news about this plan was the VOR/DME procedure we wanted to fly into Winter Haven used LAL as an initial approach fix. The middling news was we were doing this at 2700 feet msl, 700 feet above the minimum crossing altitude at LAL, to stay above KLAL’s Class D, which tops out at 2600. So I’d need to carefully pull the plug after crossing LAL to ensure I could get down to the MDA before getting too close to the airport. But the hold at LAL coming off the miss at VDF had us going the opposite direction, and we were trying to do this on our own, using published procedures.