Tale of Two Approaches

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Monday, August 15, 2022 at 09:13 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

San Luis County Regional Airport (KSBP) uniquely features separate ILS and LOC approach charts for Runway 11, which leads to significant procedural differences, most notably in their missed approach segments and varying alternate minimums based on ATC tower status.
Due to mountainous terrain, KSBP has high Minimum Sector Altitudes (MSAs), specific circling restrictions, and requires dual VOR receivers (or GPS) to achieve lower minimums on the LOC approach.
As a Minimum Operational Network (MON) airport, KSBP provides essential ground-based approach alternatives for GPS outages, but pilots must be aware of its part-time ATC services, including Class D airspace reverting to Class G when the tower is closed.

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According to recent FAA statistics, there are approximately 1292 “plain vanilla” ILS approaches that are designed to Cat I minimums—usually a DH of 200 feet AGL and visibility of ½ SM. This excludes Cat II and III and Cat I ILS approaches requiring Special Authorization. Most ILS Cat I approaches also provide minimums for a LOC approach designed to an MDH. Usually, Circling Minimums, also designed to an MDH, are provided.

While there are 1349 approaches with LOC minimums, we can conclude that roughly 57 approaches are LOC only. Excluded are Localizer Directional Aid (LDA) approaches and other LOC-BC, LOC/DME, LOC/DME BC approaches.