Fly the Sim
Thanks very much for the October 2013 “Simplified Circling” article by Dog Brenneman. He mentioned that “we just don’t get a lot of circling practice.”
I’ve been regularly flying the Redbird FMX motion simulator to practice circle-to-land maneuvers. I set the ceiling so that tight altitude control is required and adjust visibility, rain, day/night and wind choices to increase the challenge.
Readback: February 2014
Key Takeaways:
- Flight simulators are highly beneficial for practicing complex maneuvers like circling approaches, but Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs) still require the actual circling approach and landing to be performed in an aircraft per FAA Instrument PTS regulations.
- Circling approaches are inherently challenging, with specific chart interpretations (e.g., new circling icons, "NA at night" restrictions due to unlit obstacle penetrations) and techniques (like the "20-second rule of thumb" for base turns) that pilots must master.
- Pilots should be aware of specific approach restrictions (e.g., "NA at night" for obstacle clearance) and potential avionics eccentricities, such as certain Garmin WAAS navigators removing approaches if a Vertical Descent Angle (VDA) is not published, a known issue slated for a future software fix.
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