Are You Established?

Debates are a mainstay of hangar-flying discussions. Those debates can become particularly compelling and energized when the weather is below minimums or the wind is sending small structures and the occasional passerby tumbling across the ramp. Youll often hear conflicting statements from different pilots, many even beginning, Well, the examiner on my last checkride said…

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Many pilots mistakenly define "established" as simply "course alive" or having "positive course guidance," often overlooking the Pilot/Controller Glossary's crucial requirement to be "stable or fixed" on a route.
While FAR 91.181(a) dictates operating "along the centerline," inherent navigation system tolerances complicate this; the most concrete, measurable standard for being established comes from ICAO, specifying within half full-scale deflection for ILS/VOR or 5 degrees for NDB.
The article synthesizes these sources into a comprehensive definition: being stable or fixed, with a continuous display of navigational data showing no more than half-scale deflection for ILS/VOR or five degrees off the required bearing for an NDB, of the centerline of an ATS route.

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Debates are a mainstay of hangar-flying discussions. Those debates can become particularly compelling and energized when the weather is below minimums or the wind is sending small structures and the occasional passerby tumbling across the ramp. You’ll often hear conflicting statements from different pilots, many even beginning, “Well, the examiner on my last checkride said…”

One common debate is what constitutes being “established” on a final approach course. This is important because being established often allows you to do something important, like, well, descend for a landing.