Chart Wise: Borrego Valley RNAV (GPS) Rwy 26

Southern California airport offers desert views on approach.

Jason Blair

Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 08:48 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

[Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The GPS approach to Borrego Valley Airport Runway 26 is complex due to rising terrain on three sides, requiring precise adherence to the course.
It is an older LNAV non-precision approach, lacking a glideslope and necessitating a series of specific step-down descents.
Unlike many approaches, this procedure requires multiple course changes, including a crucial turn at the Final Approach Fix (FAF) to align with the runway.
Both the circling approach for Runway 8 and the missed approach procedure involve unique and potentially counter-intuitive maneuvers that demand careful attention.

See a mistake? Contact us.

A trip to the nearby Salton Sea, a hike in Slot Canyon, or a rare chance to visit the desert wildflower displays, if you time it right, might take you to this airport in Borrego Springs, California, with one singular GPS approach to Runway 26.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.