Tale of Two Approaches

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Monday, August 15, 2022 at 09:13 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

San Luis County Regional Airport (KSBP) features unique, separately charted ILS and LOC approaches to Runway 11, indicating significant procedural differences heavily influenced by surrounding mountainous terrain.
Key operational considerations at KSBP include non-standard alternate minimums and the requirement for the tower to be open for ILS/LOC approaches to be valid as alternates, unlike RNAV approaches.
The terrain profoundly affects KSBP's approach design, dictating restrictions like no circling north of Runway 11-29 and significantly different missed approach procedures for the ILS (requiring a southerly heading) and LOC (allowing an earlier turn) to clear obstacles.

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According to recent FAA statistics, there are approximately 1292 “plain vanilla” ILS approaches that are designed to Cat I minimums—usually a DH of 200 feet AGL and visibility of ½ SM. This excludes Cat II and III and Cat I ILS approaches requiring Special Authorization. Most ILS Cat I approaches also provide minimums for a LOC approach designed to an MDH. Usually, Circling Minimums, also designed to an MDH, are provided.

While there are 1349 approaches with LOC minimums, we can conclude that roughly 57 approaches are LOC only. Excluded are Localizer Directional Aid (LDA) approaches and other LOC-BC, LOC/DME, LOC/DME BC approaches.