Some days you’re an ace and other days even the basics elude you. Know what you can do and what you shouldn’t do to make a landing from an approach that goes wrong.
Save a Botched Approach
I remember a few years ago I watched my captain try vainly to intercept the localizer. He had a good intercept angle, but the needle just wouldnt come in. Interestingly enough, though, my HSI showed a completely different-and more reasonable-picture.
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots must recognize and address botched approaches, which can stem from incorrect setup (e.g., wrong course, loaded approach) or difficulties in execution, aiming to fix them to Performance Standards (PTS) or initiate a missed approach.
- Rigorous cross-checks between avionics, HSI, and approach charts are crucial to prevent setup errors, including subtly misconfigured parallel runway approaches, and pilots should not hesitate to ask ATC for help.
- When hand-flying, employ small, continuous, and aggressive control inputs to maintain precise needle centering, mirroring autopilot precision, rather than making large, infrequent corrections.
- Establish objective limits (e.g., time at full-scale deflection) beyond which an approach is deemed unsalvageable, and commit to executing a missed approach for safety, even if the error originated from ATC.
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