Finish The Job

Elaine Kauh

Monday, January 23, 2023 at 03:23 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article details a challenging night IFR arrival at Lexington (KLEX) for a no-GPS aircraft, complicated by a closed main runway (4/22), an inoperative glideslope (reducing ILS 22 to LOC 22), and marginal VFR weather conditions.
Extensive NOTAMs and airport congestion necessitated meticulous planning of ground-based instrument procedures, including understanding unavailable touchdown zone lights for potential approaches.
Alternate airport selection proved complex, revealing that the filed alternate (Frankfort, KFFT) had "Alternate NA" for its primary LOC approach, underscoring the importance of detailed alternate minimum checks and a viable personal backup (Louisville, KSDF).
The pilot demonstrated adaptability by adjusting to an assigned LOC 22 approach and circling to land on Runway 27 after their preferred ILS 4 was denied, successfully executing the procedure in the dark with the aid of an EFB for final checks.

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The second leg of your Tennessee-to-Kentucky journey (see January IFR) is going more smoothly than the first, but there are yet some tough decisions to make before parking for the night at Lexington, Kentucky. There’s the matter of working around a busy airport with a runway closure in marginal VFR weather. Oh, and it’ll be dark when you arrive, adding more complexity to this single-engine solo trip.

Lots of NOTAMs