OK, that is fairly new to me. 3000ft is just inside CAS.
As a relatively unexperienced IR flyer, it still catches me how rapidly the workload goes up when transiting from enroute to arrival/approach.
It does not take much to get into the situation where you’re behind the aircraft. I had my moment a while ago when flying solo to Antwerp in IMC. Unreliable autopilot so hand flying…
I was expecting radar vectors, but got a “cleared for the approach, contact Antwerpen tower…”, meaning I had to fly the full procedure. I was too high and too fast and already close to the IAF.
I got the situation under control by slowing the aircraft down (this will buy you time) and initially use the G430 for situational awareness. What I learned from it:
- Don’t hesitate to ask. Whether it is the expected approach, the next frequency or an assigned waypoint which is not on your route.
- Prepare very early. Cruising in sunshine VMC on Top makes you lazy. That is the time to already look at the expected approach, figure out what your taxi clearance will be, etc.
- Brief the approach. If you are alone: Brief it to yourself.
- Use checklists. I mostly fly Diesel (FADEC), but sometimes rent a PA28. That is tricky because carb heat, mixture, etc are not in my routine. The checklist will help me to remember essential things, like to put mixture rich for the approach.
- Buy time by slowing down the aircraft, ask for delaying vectors, or fly a hold.
I was expecting radar vectors, but got a “cleared for the approach, contact Antwerpen tower…”, meaning I had to fly the full procedure. I was too high and too fast and already close to the IAF.
Generally the full procedure will give you far more time than vectors ie if you were too high and fast for the procedure, you must have been too high and fast for a vectored approach no?
Generally the full procedure will give you far more time than vectors ie if you were too high and fast for the procedure, you must have been too high and fast for a vectored approach no?
I got the descent clearance very late, with a couple of radio handovers (Amsterdam radar → Brussels radar → Brussels approach). I remember telling ATC that Antwerp was my destination as I was kept high. I then got a “cleared for the approach” 2nm before the IAF and at 5000ft (approach alt is 2000ft). I got rid of my altitude on the outbound leg to the ILS glide path.
Thinking about it: should I have used the hold over ANT (the IAF) to descent to 2000ft before starting the approach?
Was the descent while outbound OK? If so, that seems fine. If it was rushed and meant you felt you were not ready for the approach then perhaps a hold would have been better.
The controller mentioned leaving CAS as a prompt for a service request?
The AIP has:
A pilot shall determine the appropriate service for the various phases and conditions of flight and request that service from the controller. If a pilot fails to request a service, the controller should normally ask the pilot to specify the service required, apart from the following circumstances:(…)">
Whether a request for Traffic or Deconfliction service would be helpful needs to be assessed given the short transition from OCAS to Tower, although commercial ops would request a Deconfliction while transiting OCAS.
You get the same in e.g. France, departing St Yan LFLN on a weekend. Nobody in the tower. Eurocontrol filed IFR flight, sure, but you need the VFR maps etc until you manage to get the IFR clearance from some controller.
We were considering an IFR departure from Macon (LFLM), which is non-towered, a couple of weeks ago and I asked the local pilot how he gets his clearance….he calls Lyon on the phone and gets an “be airborne by time” clearance…like the US
To intercept a LOC so close is not easy with the APR mode, you are to close to give the AP time to get on track (or the AP is to slow). I get nearly the same problem here:
next time I use the HDG or GPSS mode to establish and then switch to APR/NAV mode.
@lenthamen, I always calculate my descent with 500Ft/m to my destination. For example FL130 to 156ft I need 26 Minutes, plus some more minutes for the higher speed. So I request a descent 35 Minutes before I reach the destination! ATC maybe think, you only must set the AP to a 2.000ft/m descent like a 737. When you are reaching your destination to high, it is not only a ATC failure. I don´t wan´t to burn altitude, I like to transform it into speed and distance. But a IMC singelhand IFR approach it is always a challange!
>next time I use the HDG or GPSS mode to establish and then switch to APR/NAV mode.
Might that not be system dependent?
Some autopilots may not intercept a LOC unless it is an intercept. And you get a separate version of that behaviour on the GS.
>ATC maybe think, you only must set the AP to a 2.000ft/m descent like a 737
It is far from unusual to get left high and fast by ATC. I think a lot of the time they have forgotten, simply… I got an almost impossible one into Caen not long ago. Just made it down before the GS intercept, at 1500fpm.
All of it is really system and aircraft dependent. The G1000 only has NAV mode – no GPSS. And descend to FLXXX at 2500fpm or greater is common. I think controllers often don’t think that 500fpm is normal for some types particularly if they are Approach controllers in CAT-heavy zones.
Funnily, I now have to fly into Biggin next week. A timely thread!
