360 in IMC for separation...

lenthamen wrote:

I always considered 360s a VFR thing. Except during training I never did one while flying IFR.
Are 360s a legitimate way to separate IFR traffic? There might be some issues like disorientation or gyro errors?

In both these cases I assume that radar separation was used. The controller asked you to maneuver in such as way that separation would be maintained — or possibly restored in the case of the helicopters. I guess that a 360 was the maneuver that would have the least impact on your flight.

We had to do it once, when approaching Glasgow in IMC and they tried to re-establish a coordinated traffic flow after a landing accident and runway was clear again for the approaches. Before we had to fly two holdings and the third was shortend with the 360.

Making a 360 takes 2 minutes. A turn in the hold is 4 minutes. Could that be the reason a 360 was requested and not a hold?

We had talked about this before. The opinion back then was that in IMC you don’t do a 360. I think that came up in the thread about my own approach into EDDH Hamburg a while ago.

Isn’t the usual way to restore, maintain separation to provide vectors in combination with climb/descend instructions? That keeps everyone within the limits of standard turns.

I think the no 360 is due to limitations in old gyroscopic instruments. I am not sure it is still applicable. On FR24 and similar you frequently see planes doing 360s in lieu of holds

Aviathor wrote:

old gyroscopic instruments

The “old gyroscopic instruments” most likely being the semicircular canals of the inner ear, and yes, they’re still in use and their limitations still apply, last time I checked

I thought we all flew on A/P?

Dave_Phillips wrote:

I thought we all flew on A/P?

You know some of us here don’t have an ATPL (=autopilot license), so we’re expected to retain some handflying skills in IMC and therefore need to practice from time to time