Blast from the Past

Approaches like the KOWD LOC RWY 35 were once common, but they’re almost retro today. Nonetheless, they still exist and we should know how to fly them.

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Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 05:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Norwood Memorial Airport's LOC RWY 35 is a "retro approach," relying on traditional ground-based navaids like the Outer Marker (OM) and Locator Outer Marker (LOM), with the LOM remaining crucial for establishing Minimum Safe Altitudes (MSAs) despite the widespread use of GPS.
The article details the specific equipment (ADF/DME or GPS) and intricate flying procedures required for the LOC 35, while also exploring charting complexities like the multi-purpose "WHYBE" fix and the nuanced altitude requirements (MEAs/MOCAs) for hybrid VOR/GPS airways.
In contrast, the RNAV (GPS) RWY 35 approach offers a modern alternative with significant advantages, including lower minimums when utilizing WAAS-capable navigators and streamlined procedural segments.

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Norwood Memorial Airport (KOWD) is a public airport in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, approximately 15 miles southwest of Boston Logan International Airport. The Boston Class B starts at 3000 feet MSL over Norwood.

From 1942 to 1945, Norwood served as a Naval Outlying Landing Field of Naval Air Station Squantum. (The NAS closed in 1953.) This historical significance as a training field for aspiring naval aviators with its two 4000-foot runways, is a testament to its rich past. A year after the end of the Second World War, the U.S. Department of War gave the airport to the town of Norwood, which renamed it Norwood Memorial Airport in memory of Norwood residents killed during WWII.