No U-turns Allowed

One of the things I enjoy about doing instrument instruction in the radar shadow of mountains is that students have to fly the occasional procedure turn. Radar vectors make this skill practically arcane for pilots over much of the U.S., so to actually see it needed in practice is eye-opening.But its not just over the bumpy land where you might need or want a PT, and thats what makes the ILS or LOC Rwy 18 at La Crosse, Wisc., interesting. An IFR reader sent a query our way as to how someone arriving from the south would get turned around on this approach without vectors. There is no PT charted.

Key Takeaways:

• The article highlights the importance of understanding instrument approach procedures, like procedure turns (PTs), especially in areas where radar vectors are not always available.
• It uses the ILS or LOC Rwy 18 approach at La Crosse, Wisc., as a case study to demonstrate how pilots without GPS or DME, arriving from the south, would navigate an approach without a charted PT or radar vectors.
• The solution for non-GPS/DME equipped aircraft involves navigating far north to the ELANE Initial Approach Fix (IAF) using VORs, potentially requiring a significant detour or creative off-route navigation tactics.
• The article emphasizes the need for pilots to "play the what-if game" and think creatively about navigational workarounds for various scenarios, without solely relying on conventional methods or declaring emergencies.

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