Before the advent of GPS approaches, most civilian approach control facilities provided Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) approaches, usually as a back-up to pilot-nav approaches. Many are now gone but some airports still have them. In Florida, only two civilian airports have ASR approaches: Key West and Tallahassee, at opposite ends of the state. However, there are seven military airports with ASR approaches.
If you are lucky enough to have an ASR approach near by and have never flown one, consider trying it during the next IPC or on your own with a safety pilot. There are two issues to consider. Because of the current lack of ASR approaches, many CFIIs are not familiar with them, but the good news is that the controllers will provide the information to fly the approach. Also, because the approach is labor intensive, it is best to call the controlling approach control facility to find out when they might be able to provide a practice ASR approach. However, don’t be surprised if you get a time very early in the morning or late at night when traffic is low. Do keep in mind that controllers need to practice the approaches for currency purposes, so they’ll probably try to be as accommodating as traffic will allow.
