Frankenstein Flight Approach

The RNAV (GPS) approach makes this a non-issue for pilots with GPS. This approach uses the Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) concept centered on TOPSY. Any arrival on a bearing to TOPSY from 326 degrees counterclockwise to 145 degrees simply crosses TOPSY at 2000 feet and continues inbound. In most of that area they can descend to 2000 feet 30 miles out, with a small segment over the Atlantic at 2100 feet. Cant be terrain out there; must be airspace.

jwanwest

Thursday, October 20, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The ILS Z approach at Wilmington (KILM) was designed as a hybrid to combine the RNAV approach's Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) for a procedure-turn-free arrival with the precision of an ILS, especially useful when ATC vectors are unavailable.
This approach includes advanced features such as RVR 1800 authorization for lower visibility landings with flight director/autopilot/HUD and Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) minimums for backup navigation.
Despite its benefits and hybrid nature, the ILS Z approach only provides straight-in minimums and does not include published localizer-only or circling minimums.
The perplexing omission of these standard minimums is due to a simple bureaucratic oversight, where the specific requests were not checked off during the approach's initial paperwork submission.

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Regulations often have some statutory morasses that defeat common sense. Yet, sometimes, there’s a blow for the common man and reason wins out—at least partially.

This Plus That

Take the ILS Z Rwy 24 approach into Wilmington, NC (KILM). It’s a hybrid of two other approaches: the ILS or LOC Y Rwy 24 and the RNAV (GPS) Rwy 24. It was requested because the original ILS’s only IAF is the LOM/FAF and has a mandatory procedure turn.