Everything You Need to Know about RNAV GPS Approaches

Friday, September 07, 2018 at 09:00 PM ET

Verified

Relevant Discussion: AIM 1-1-17 through 1-1-20, 1-2-1 through 1-2-3, 5-1-16, 5-3-4, 5-4-5 through 5-4-7, P/C Glossary, OpSpec C052, FAA-H-8083-16, AC 20-138, AC 90-97, AC 90-100, AC 90-101, AC 90-105, AC 90-107, AC 90-108, TSO-C161, TSO-C162, TSO-C196, FAA Order 8260.19 Garmin

Key Takeaways:

RNAV GPS approaches are now common, with various types offering different levels of lateral and vertical guidance depending on aircraft equipment like WAAS or baro-VNAV.
Approaches range from non-precision LNAV (lateral guidance only) to those with approved vertical guidance (APV) like LNAV/VNAV and LP, which improve precision and often utilize WAAS.
LPV approaches provide the lowest minimums and are operationally equivalent to an ILS, offering highly precise lateral and vertical guidance with increasing sensitivity, and require WAAS-certified receivers.

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RNAV GPS (aRea NAVigation) stand-alone instrument approaches have become commonplace as GPS and the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) hit the mainstream.