Looks Can Be Deceiving

One of the best things about an ILS is that you know what youre going to get. The boundaries of TERPS criteria mean they all work pretty much the same: You fly a published altitude to intercept a glideslope, ease down through the amorphous ether toward terra firma and either land or miss.Except for when that is so, so not the case. Take a look at the ILS Runway 16R into Reno/Tahoe (KRNO). On first glance, this is a simple ILS with the primary complication being some obvious terrain in the area. Terrain like that always warrants a close reading of the chart and its notes, usually to find the non-standard climb required if you must fly the missed. Thats not an issue in this case, but there are four other oddities to contend with-one of which is an outright error on the chart.

Key Takeaways:

• The ILS Runway 16R into Reno/Tahoe (KRNO) is highlighted as an exceptionally non-standard approach, featuring multiple unusual complexities despite the typical uniformity of ILS procedures.
• Key anomalies include a "Cold-Temperature Restricted" designation requiring pilot-applied altitude corrections, an unusually high ILS Decision Altitude (DA) compared to the localizer-only approach, and a significantly lower ATC-authorized glideslope intercept.
• A critical charting error is also identified, where the missed approach course is incorrectly depicted in the plan view on the opposite side of the airport from where the missed approach would normally begin.

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