I wondered about these SIC comments so I asked a long experienced bizjet pilot with many TRs including Lear. His comments:
The SIC should absolutely be allowed to fly the aircraft – but from the RH seat.
I usually fly alternate sectors with my co pilot – but I am always in the LH seat.
The exception to this is if we’re going somewhere tricky (ie. short runway etc.) or if the weather is challenging – strong crosswind etc.
I have never heard of a PNF limitation.
Anyone incapable of handling the aircraft in ‘normal’ conditions, has no business being in the RH seat.
That’s right.
Another lesson is that a circling approach doesn’t have to be a circling traffic pattern. They were not really mentally prepared.
Snoopy wrote:
Another lesson is that a circling approach doesn’t have to be a circling traffic pattern.
Agreed, but this is something you learn in basic IFR training. Frankly, it’s beyond me how these two guys got into the cockpit of an airplane – any airplane.
Indeed. They were behind the aircraft and hadn’t actually planned the arrival. Basic stuff but can be fatal if you get it this wrong.
172driver wrote:
Agreed, but this is something you learn in basic IFR training.
Nothing I was taught. This was new for me.
Dimme wrote:
Nothing I was taught. This was new for me.
But circling approaches are far more common in the US.
Maybe 1/3 of my flights to Le Touquet are ILS13 and circling to 31, and similarly at many other places, so I have not found them rare. Only biggest airports have an ILS to both ends of the main runway.
Usually it is blindly obvious that is what you will get (METAR, ATIS, etc) but in this case things started to really unravel because they were not expecting it.
I was referring to a circling approach to a completely different runway. I wouldn’t call that circling, more like “use this ILS but break off and land over there doing a visual approach”.
Circling the way I was taught is always to the opposite side of the runway. I’m not saying I’m right, I have my doubts about a lot of things, I’m just contradicting the statement “this is something you learn in basic IFR training”.
Perhaps an ME/IR profile but don’t all IR checkrides include a go around into a circle to land as part of the profile, usually on the approach to the diversion.
I expect you have to circle to land in cross/opposite runways when the ILS runway exceeds crosswind/tailwind limits
