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) presents several significant deviations from typical standardized ILS procedures, challenging pilot expectations.
• Key oddities include mandatory cold-temperature altitude corrections, an unusually high Decision Altitude (DA) compared to its localizer-only counterpart, and a conditional, ATC-authorized lower glideslope intercept.
• The approach chart also contains a critical error, incorrectly depicting the missed approach course on the far side of the runway, despite the DA being reached miles before it, highlighting the need for pilots to deeply understand chart implications.

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