Approach Clearance

Theres little thats more essential to an instrument pilot than the approach clearance. We controllers issue them all day long. I fully expect much of my frequency time to be spent issuing approach clearances for either training flights or weather-related needs.

tkarmer

Tuesday, August 01, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Instrument approach clearances, essential for pilots in bad weather, are fundamentally composed of four elements, summarized by the "PTAC" acronym: Position, Turn, Altitude, and Clearance.
**Position** provides an estimated distance to a point on the approach, while **Turn** directs pilots via an Initial Approach Fix (IAF) with turn constraints or provides radar vectors to final with precise intercept angles relative to an "approach gate."
**Altitude** instructions are critical for maintaining obstacle clearance and traffic separation, ensuring pilots remain at assigned altitudes until safely established on the approach segment.
The final **Clearance** specifies the approach type, relevant runway (if not ambiguous), and any circling instructions, explicitly using "straight-in" to preclude procedure turns if desired, or "cleared approach" for broad pilot authorization.

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There’s little that’s more essential to an instrument pilot than the approach clearance. We controllers issue them all day long. I fully expect much of my frequency time to be spent issuing approach clearances for either training flights or weather-related needs.

Routine or not, an approach can have a lot of nuances. Its sole purpose is to safely get an aircraft from the air to the ground in bad weather. The pilot is busy managing everything to fly that approach. My job as a radar controller is to make your job as successful and effortless as possible. After all, you’re the one in the soup, not me….