Landing After Instrument Approach to Non-Towered Airport

[Pieces]

Something like this? EDIT: I think I misunderstood your intentions, but I'm still not sure what you are trying to accomplish. I don't see any reason to overfly the field. I'll leave this first screenshot in, so you can see what I thought you meant.

Screenshot_2013-10-22-08-23-15.jpg (195.21 KiB) Viewed 2920 times

If you need to join the pattern on a downwind, I would do something more like this:

Screenshot_2013-10-22-08-28-49.jpg (194.07 KiB) Viewed 2920 times

[Mark Hargrove]

Your first diagram is what I had in my mind. I also considered (and certainly wouldn't rule out) your second diagram.

I'm getting ready to make a tutorial video for this rating, and like always, I'm doing a bunch of homework/research before I start. When I flew this rating a year or so ago, I just made a right-base entry from RIGLI and landed normally for a 'pass'. For the tutorial, I actually read through the materials on the training site and in this document (http://training.pilotedge.net/object/no ... aches.html) it specifically says (towards the end of the write-up) :

...assuming we do have the field in sight, we circle to land on the runway of our choice. If the weather is VFR, then standard VFR pattern entry techniques would be used, overflying the field 500ft above traffic pattern altitude, then circling for a 45 degree downwind entry. If it's poor weather, do whatever you need to do to become aligned with the runway of your choice.

...thus my current focus on overflying the field.

Bottom line, what I'm trying to sort out is what is legal to do and what is safe to do when shooting the approach in VMC at an airport that often has lots of GA traffic (and in PE world, half-dozen or more helicopter drones all around the airfield).

Once I get the termination of the approach sorted out, I still have to work out what CTAF calls to make (do you say your intention to overfly if that's what you're going to do? do you call overhead ? do you call as you extend away from the airport? do you call as you descend down to pattern altitude? certainly, you call on the 45 inbound and then make normal calls at downwind, base, and final -- it's the maneuvers before we get to the 'normal' calls that I'm unsure about.

Then I get to consider what to do in a lost comms situation landing at a non-towered airport in VMC -- I don't even want to think about that yet. Never ran into it in real life, and don't remember a thing about that situation if it came up during my instrument training 30 years ago.

-M.

[Pieces]

Can someone else provide an opinion here? I suspect the comment about flying overhead is a misprint in the rating. I just don't see any reason to do it

[Keith Smith]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. That material was written in 2005 when my knowledge about that particular topic was theoretical in nature. I just assumed that if you were shooting it in VFR conditions, you transition to a 'perfect' VFR entry...and that would be one way of doing it. Practically speaking, I wouldn't do that. I'll update the content.

[Keith Smith]

Updated it to read:

...assuming we do have the field in sight, we circle to land on the runway of our choice. If the weather is VFR, then we would make an effort to enter the pattern in a fashion that is compatible with other VFR traffic in the area. Options include entering on a right base for runway 22, or maneuvering west of the field to enter a downwind for runway 22. If the wind conditions are not known, it is possible to cross overhead the field above pattern altitude and then maneuver for the appropriate pattern entry. If the weather is below VFR minimums, then by definition, there shouldn't be any traffic in the pattern and you can maneuver as needed to become aligned with the runway of your choice.

[Keith Smith]

Mark, I do have an I7 cockpit video recorded, but not edited. I do plan to ensure there are cockpit videos for every flight. The tutorial would still be welcome, though, as they tend to go into more detail than the cockpit video alone.

Regarding flying the approach in VFR conditions with a busy pattern, the prudent thing to do would be to descend no lower than pattern altitude during the approach (despite the circling minimums allowing you to go lower) and enter the pattern much like any other VFR arrival.

This is basically what happens at towered airports when you shoot an approach to a runway other than the one in use in VMC. Tower will fit you as best as possible, but at some point, they pull you off the approach and you enter the pattern to fit in with other traffic.

You cannot easily practice true circling at minimums in VMC with other traffic in the pattern. About the only time you can do it is when the field is IMC.

[Mark Hargrove]

Excellent!

Keith -- you might also, when you get the chance, update the little chart snippet and the altitudes in the text. The MEA for the feeder from SXC to RIGLI has been raised to 3400 and the MEA for the inbound leg after the PT has been raised to 2300 (which makes sense, given the mountain peaks at 2135 and 2150 near the airfield!)

I've attached a new screenshot which matches the dimensions of the one already on the page.

rigli.png (25.51 KiB) Viewed 2904 times

-M.