Circling, And Missing

Runway layouts can make it easy to get confused or forget the missed approach course when circling to land.

Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 08:00 AM ET

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There's an airport out there somewhere in the haze, but the runway layout can be confusing when there are multiple choices, offsets, parallels and intersections.

Key Takeaways:

Executing a missed approach from a circling maneuver is complex and often misunderstood, differing significantly from a straight-in missed approach.
When going missed while circling, pilots must first climb and turn toward the intended landing runway, then intercept the published missed approach course for the instrument procedure that was initially flown.
Circling approaches are challenging, requiring a difficult transition from instrument flight to visual maneuvering, keen situational awareness, and precise execution under potentially demanding conditions.
Proficiency in circling approaches and their unique missed approach procedures necessitates thorough pre-flight planning, detailed study of airport diagrams, and consistent practical experience.

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Tell me how to go missed from a circling approach,” the designated pilot examiner (DPE) asked the pilot during the oral portion of their checkride. The applicant didn’t know the answer, so the frustrated DPE asked a CFI standing nearby, who worked at the flight school, and got the same answer: “Huh?”

After the increasingly frustrated DPE asked the third unlucky nearby pilot, also a CFI, who said he didn’t know either, the DPE got angry that no one in the whole wide world seemed to know how to execute a missed approach while circling to land.