Chart Wise: Tucson (KTUS) VOR or TACAN Rwy 12

Essential knowledge decodes stepdowns, radar requirements, and missed approach segment.

Jason Blair

Wednesday, March 04, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

There are a variety of great things to do once on the ground in Tucson, Arizona. [Credit: Tucson Airport Authority]

Key Takeaways:

The VOR or TACAN RWY 12 approach in Tucson is a nonprecision approach usable by general aviation pilots via VOR or military aircraft via TACAN (UHF VOR/DME).
Pilots navigate through several mandatory altitude stepdowns defined by DME distances, with entry options including a course reversal or radar vectors/GPS to an initial approach fix.
The missed approach point is at 2.4 DME (not zero), and the procedure involves an initial climb, a right turn, intercepting a radial, and flying to a holding waypoint.
A Visual Descent Point (VDP) at 3.5 DME is crucial for initiating a stabilized visual descent to the runway once the environment is in sight.

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Headed to Tucson, Arizona, for some warmer winter weather? To see nearby national parks or even to visit the Pima Air & Space Museum? If you fly in yourself, you might just use the VOR or TACAN RWY 12 for an approach.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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