Joining the Approach

Editorial Staff

Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has introduced expanded options for RNAV-equipped aircraft to join approaches, allowing direct clearances to intermediate fixes (IF) and step-down fixes on both conventional and RNAV procedures.
New explicit guidance and controller phraseology clarify when a procedure turn (PT) is mandatory or not required, aiming to reduce confusion for pilots and controllers, particularly with "straight-in" clearances.
Additional changes include renaming certain ILS approaches to "LOC" to reduce ambiguity, new phraseology for "glideslope unusable," and specific ATC guidance for handling procedures that incorporate RF (Radius to Fix) legs.

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Controller guidance for getting an aircraft onto an approach was a hot topic at a recent Air Traffic Procedures Advisory Committee meeting of various organizations of pilots and airlines.

Previously, there were two basic ways to join an approach, 1) Fly the full procedure starting from a charted route, feeder route, or Initial Approach Fix (IAF); or, 2) Get vectored to the final approach course.