We all know how to fly a missed approach. We probably did a handful of them on our instrument checkrides, and when we’re out practicing approaches, even in a sim, we most often go missed. We may not be flying a full missed approach procedure as published, but we still have to reconfigure the airplane and climb away. When we’re practicing, we know how the approach will terminate: by going around at the missed approach point. It’s what we expect when practicing.
When you prepare to fly a for-real instrument approach, part of your briefing is the missed approach procedure. Then you fly the approach, almost always breaking out well above minimums and landing. That’s what we’ve come to expect. But what if you get to the missed approach point (MAP) and do not have the runway environment in sight? Are you really ready to fly the missed approach procedure without having to refer back to the approach chart? How can you fly this critical maneuver precisely? What are your expectations?
