Im either lucky or I dont fly enough: In more than 30 years of flying airplanes for personal transportation, Ive had to execute a for-real missed approach in IMC exactly twice. On both occasions, weather was the main culprit. At least thats my excuse. Both flights ended after a successful ILS approach. Of course, those two occasions dont include the trips I delayed or didnt make for weather-related reasons. 288
Miss Opportunity Approaches
Im either lucky or I dont fly enough: In more than 30 years of flying airplanes for personal transportation, Ive had to execute a for-real missed approach in IMC exactly twice. On both occasions, weather was the main culprit. At least thats my excuse. Both flights ended after a successful ILS approach. Of course, those two occasions dont include the trips I delayed or didnt make for weather-related reasons. In more than one instance, Ive waited out weather but still arrived at my destination before I had to be there. Theres no real secret to this kind of reliable personal-airplane use. Its a fairly simple matter of planning, keeping open as many options as possible, knowing what the options are and then-when its necessary-making the decision to execute the appropriate plan.
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots should always plan for a missed approach, preparing a clear Plan B well in advance and communicating intentions to ATC, rather than being surprised.
- If an approach is missed, avoid repeating the same procedure unless the specific error is identified and can be corrected; instead, consider alternative approaches or airports.
- Successful IFR flying relies on knowing weather trends, keeping multiple options open, and making proactive decisions for approaches and potential diversions.
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