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Keeping Track of Your Altitude

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots frequently misinterpret step-down altitudes on approach charts, sometimes selecting dangerously low altitudes; double-checking with both plan and profile views is recommended.
  • Incorrect use of modern navigation systems, like zoomed-out moving maps, can lead to premature descents or inaccurate lateral guidance; pilots should use high-resolution GPS data for fixes and CDI/HSI for primary course guidance.
  • Inefficient descent techniques, such as "dive and drive," are discouraged; pilots should calculate and maintain stable descent rates and utilize a precise three-step leveling-off procedure for safety.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Few things are more important than being at the right altitude on an instrument approach. In the abstract that sounds easy, but in practice I often see pilots make mistakes in this most unforgiving aspect of instrument flight.

Most of my flying is in aircraft with moving maps, as part of either a GPS or a glass cockpit, so my observations are biased by what I see in these airplanes. Oddly, I recall fewer issues in airplanes equipped with just a VOR receiver and a DME receiver; watching a DME count down is unambiguous, resulting in fewer mistakes.

Max Trescott

Max Trescott is the host of the Aviation News Talk podcast, which focuses on GA and safety. He’s the author of Max Trescott’s G1000 and Perspective Glass Cockpit Handbook and another book on the G3000. He was inducted into NAFI’s Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2026 and earned the 2008 National CFI of the Year.

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