The plate says it’s an option. Your GPS software and database are up-to-date. Yet that new LP approach refuses to load. That could be a plus if you like vertical guidance.
Stalking the Elusive LP
With the advent of WAAS, the FAA developed approaches that provided vertical guidance while offering the lateral accuracy that previously was only available with an ILS or localizer approach. It was named LPV for Localizer Performance with Vertical and now sports decision heights as low as 200 feet.
Key Takeaways:
- LP (Localizer Performance) approaches utilize WAAS to offer tighter lateral guidance than LNAV, potentially allowing lower Minimum Descent Altitudes (MDAs) for runways that cannot support LPV.
- Flying LP approaches requires specific software upgrades for the WAAS GPS navigator and explicit authorization in the aircraft's flight manual supplement.
- A notable drawback of LP approaches is the loss of advisory vertical guidance, which may be available with LNAV minimums, in exchange for a potentially lower MDA.
- The practical availability of LP approaches was significantly delayed due to navigation database providers lacking the necessary coding support for their inclusion.
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