Chart Wise: Unusual Approaches to Mountainous Airports

Approaches to mountainous airports can present special challenges because of the inability to create a straightforward procedure due to sharply rising terrain. The LDA DME-1 approach to Runway 18 at Lake Tahoe Airport features many unusual aspects that pilots unaccustomed to flying in the mountains may have rarely, if ever, experienced. Have a look at the chart below and consider how you would plan for this unusual mountain arrival.

Chart courtesy of Jeppesen