Circle to Land

[JustinWheat]

Ok so at my destination airport kgcn I was told to expect the ils for runway 3 circle to land 21. Now given the metar it was few at 900 and broken at 1500 with rain and mist. Not the exact conditions but close enough. The airport was definitely ifr conditions. Now I figured the controller told me to circle to land because of the winds. I think they were coming from 230 degrees. My question is why would execute this in ifr conditions? It definitely raised my blood pressure executing the maneuver. But why not just fly the ils when the conditions are bad enough? I could understand circle to land in Vfr conditions but in ifr??? I would just like some explanations on this procedure. Thanks.

[Ryan Geckler]

Don't think of an instrument approach to a runway as it being the runway that you'll have to land on. Remember, an instrument approach is designed to get to you a point to where you can transition to a visual landing.

[JustinWheat]

So I understand it may not be your final runway to land on. What I guess I'm not understanding is how come circle to land in ifr conditions? Isn't that dangerous when being so low to the ground?

[Ryan Geckler]

That's why there is circling minimums

Take a look at the ILS 3 chart: http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1213/05381ILD3.PDF

See at the bottom part where it says "Circling"? Those are your minimums to be able to perform a safe circle to land.

[Keith Smith]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaVs2fDaClU, 4:28 min mark. GPS RWY 5 circle 23 at Saratoga Springs. Pancake breakfast cancelled. FAIL.

[Keith Smith]

And then there's the Pilot Training program, the I7 rating, SNA to AVX. See this related article on circling and non-precision approaches: http://training.pilotedge.net/object/no ... aches.html

EWR will often run ILS apps to 22L circle to 29 if it's howling out of the west and it's above circling mins.

[Orest Skrypuch]

... and MDW, ILS 31C, CTL 22L is de rigeur.


Justin,

You are free to request what works best for you, and ATC will usually accomodate. A Circle to Land IFR procedure is probably the most difficult and dangerous maneuver that we are qualified to fly.

I am comfortable flying down to minimums, and have flown (real) misses many a time. BUT ITRW, I would choose most anything else over performing a CTL -- in significant conditions. As a minimum I would look to 1000ft/3nm (VFR) conditions to execute a CTL, that is typical airline and 135 ops. If I didn't have that, and there was no other approach, then my first choice would be to divert.

But, with comfy ceilings (2000ft), a CTL is not a biggie.

And, then of course -- there are CTLs, and then there are CTLs. Being 35* offset to the runway makes it a CTL with circling minimums only, I'm not so worried about that. But a full 180* reversal of course, to an opposite runway, in unfamiliar and hilly terrain -- that is a CTL to be more concerned about.

On PE, not a bad thing to practice them all, you can't come to real grief.

* Orest