Paradoxical Minimums

Monday, December 19, 2022 at 10:58 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

While ILS and RNAV (GPS) approaches to runway 30R at KBJC share a similar initial ground track, their missed approach procedures and associated minimums diverge significantly.
A key distinction is the ILS missed approach's conditional higher climb gradient requirement (240 ft/NM); not meeting this dramatically increases the ILS Decision Altitude (DA) and visibility, whereas the GPS approach maintains lower DAs without this specific constraint.
The ILS missed approach's ground track is highly susceptible to wind due to reliance on heading legs and VOR radials, potentially leading to safety concerns near terrain, contrasting with the more predictable, GPS-based track.

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Rocky Mountain Metro (KBJC, “Metro”) is an active general aviation airport located about 21 NM west of Denver International Airport (KDEN) and just outside of the westernmost north-south border of Denver Class B airspace. While the elevation of Metro is 5673 feet MSL, about 10 miles to the west, the Rocky Mountains reach altitudes of 10,000 feet MSL and higher. The airspace around Metro has several airports, some with gliding and parachuting activities. Periodically the air traffic around Metro is heavy not only because of events but because aircraft typically fly the North-South corridor between the Rockies on the west and the Denver Class B on the east side.

But … They’re the Same