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Hocus Focus in Vermont

Tucked in a seam between the Green and Taconic Mountains, with the Adirondacks just to the west across the Champlain Valley, Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport (KRUT) serves a variety of aircraft from biz jets to homebuilts. The appeal of Vermont scenery and skiing tempts vacationers into Rutland despite the surrounding hills.

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Key Takeaways:

  • Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport (KRUT) is situated in challenging mountainous terrain, leading to complex and demanding instrument approach procedures.
  • The LOC Z Rwy 19 approach at KRUT offers lower minimums but crucially requires a significantly steeper missed approach climb gradient (300 feet/NM) compared to LOC Y due to nearby obstructions.
  • The missed approach path for KRUT involves climbing over a mountain ridge, making it highly susceptible to dangerous and unpredictable winds, including downdrafts, which can severely compromise climb performance.
  • Pilots, especially those in light aircraft, are strongly cautioned against attempting instrument approaches at KRUT in windy, low-visibility conditions due to the substantial safety risks associated with terrain and maintaining the required climb gradient during a missed approach.
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Tucked in a seam between the Green and Taconic Mountains, with the Adirondacks just to the west across the Champlain Valley, Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport (KRUT) serves a variety of aircraft from biz jets to homebuilts. The appeal of Vermont scenery and skiing tempts vacationers into Rutland despite the surrounding hills.

You have your choice of six approaches: four instrument approaches from the north facing into the cul-de-sac valley, and two “drop-ins” from the south that leave you over 2300 feet above the runway at MDA. The southern approaches are not available at night, although there are red obstruction lights on surrounding mountain ridges for VFR arrivals.

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