This is been brewing for years. A preliminary LPV IAP plate has been circulating for at least 3 years; they got various planes to confirm they can fly it, because the CAA said it’s not possible, etc.
Time will tell…
What does this note for the proposed approach to RWY20 mean in reality for SEP GA? Are our aircraft “certified”?
1. Non standard final approach
gradient at 5.3° 9.3%
Procedure only valid for aircraft
certified to carry out approaches
at 5.3°.
Sounds a bit like LC.
London City?
That’s a different scenario because they are all (?) AOC operators, and their ops manual will lay down what they are allowed to fly.
Whereas is there any light GA plane whose POH specifies the steepest approach?
As it happens 5.3 degrees is trivial in any piston plane, and it was even tested in certain bizjets without any problems.
Does it make much difference to minima. If I remember correctly the NDB minima are quite high
It will probably knock-off the best part of 300ft for the 20 approach. I suspect 02 will present minimal improvement, if any. A hill is a hill, regardless of the flavour of approach.
Peter wrote:
London City?That’s a different scenario because they are all (?) AOC operators, and their ops manual will lay down what they are allowed to fly.
Whereas is there any light GA plane whose POH specifies the steepest approach?
As it happens 5.3 degrees is trivial in any piston plane, and it was even tested in certain bizjets without any problems.
I mentioned LC because you can take an Aztec in but you require a certificate for pilot and plane all available from Oxford. I am guessing that is the last thing KA would require as it is essentially a GA airport that wants to encourage traffic :-). Of course the CAA may have a different view when it comes to certification.
My point was that there is no such thing as "certified to carry out approaches at 5.3° " for any GA plane I know of. This is a commuter turboprop / jet type of thing – because they are a lot more slippery and many can’t fly such a glideslope.
Hopefully this is just a piece of nonsense for light GA and was put there to stop somebody trying it with a Lear or whatever which actually can’t do it.
I don’t think that it’s just a turboprop/jet type of thing. Several heavier MEPs I have flown struggle somewhat down steep slopes. Yes, it’s possible, but you have to hang out all the washing, including full flap, to control speed even into Chambery and Annecy, which are around 4.5° from memory.
I would expect 5.3° to be possible but not to be “trivial” in a C421 or PA31.