Looking for some "cool" instrument approaches in the SE

bigred177

bigred177

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bigred
I know that an ILS is an ILS and a VOR is a VOR but every now and then one pops up that is more "fun" than others. Wondering if anyone knows of any cool, different, scenic, challenging approaches within about a 350 mile radius of KGTR. Only limitation is that it has to be at a towered airfield. HI procedures not excluded :).
 
ILS to 5 and/or 23 at KTRI is pretty if it's VMC , with the mountains and lake/river, and flying the ILS 23 I think you'll see Bristol Motor Speedway. KROA probably outside of 350 but the LDA 06 is pretty wild w/ the offset LOC.
 
Not many cool approaches in the SE but...
PAR rwy 7 Troy AL
Copter VOR rwy 36 Dothan AL
PAR rwy 4/22 KNBG LA
GPS A into 1A5 Macon County NC
 
That GPS A would be fun since it's mostly watching the plane do its magic and I could peek outside every now and then, but it's untowered :'(
 
bigred177 said:
That GPS A would be fun since it's mostly watching the plane do its magic and I could peek outside every now and then, but it's untowered :'(
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Oh, forgot. Why tower only? AF regs?
 
Yea, my "flying club" gets grumpy if we go to NTAs. Haha. I also think we might be a little fast for that Copter VOR. If I read that plate right, it says to slow to 70kts on final. We have lots of flap, but not that much.
 
bigred177 said:
Yea, my "flying club" gets grumpy if we go to NTAs. Haha. I also think we might be a little fast for that Copter VOR. If I read that plate right, it says to slow to 70kts on final. We have lots of flap, but not that much.
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Yeah, that's what's cool about it. 70kts and 5.2 degrees in an airplane. :)
 
A practice ILS 19 at Eglin AFB. Can't touch down but they might work you in for an approach. Just about everything in the USAF inventory, mostly fighters, there in the Test Wing, plus the F-35s there. Then slide over to Tyndall and catch some F-22s.
 
bigred177 said:
Yea, my "flying club" gets grumpy if we go to NTAs. Haha. I also think we might be a little fast for that Copter VOR. If I read that plate right, it says to slow to 70kts on final. We have lots of flap, but not that much.
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Wow. That sure cuts out a lot of airports. Did somebody do something stupid at an uncontrolled airport once? If your looking something different to do take @Velocity173 advice and go do some Radar Approaches, especially PAR's. It's interesting to be listening to a voice instead of looking at the needles to stay on course and glidepath. It'll be a little challenging at first.
 
Too many close calls with guys not squawking or talking. Radar approaches are fun. I try to get one from KNMM as often as possible. It's all fun and games until your IP makes a no gyros approach and makes you fly off the standbys cross cockpit. Haha. The full procedure NDBs are fun too, when they're working.
 
bigred177 said:
Too many close calls with guys not squawking or talking. Radar approaches are fun. I try to get one from KNMM as often as possible. It's all fun and games until your IP makes a no gyros approach and makes you fly off the standbys cross cockpit. Haha. The full procedure NDBs are fun too, when they're working.
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Lol! T-38 IPs used to request no gyro for training. Usually I didn't let a student final controller do that unless they're close to sign off. No one benefits if both students are completely overwhelmed.
 
It's easy on our side, shut up and do as you're told. I'd hate to do it as a controller.
 
bigred177 said:
Too many close calls with guys not squawking or talking. Radar approaches are fun. I try to get one from KNMM as often as possible. It's all fun and games until your IP makes a no gyros approach and makes you fly off the standbys cross cockpit. Haha. The full procedure NDBs are fun too, when they're working.
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Sounds like you've done it all. Try this. Get over the tops, turn off your radios and transponder, fly left triangles with one minute legs and see if someone comes up and escorts you down. Does Meridian let you land or do a touch and go?
 
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bigred177 said:
It's easy on our side, shut up and do as you're told. I'd hate to do it as a controller.
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Ain't no thang. Unless the GCA trailer is right next to the runway. They have bailout alarms. Really not much good, but it does give you time to open the door and see what's about to take you out.
 
KNMM won't, but KMEI will. I've thought about trying that, just to see if they'd actually notice and follow the procedure. My bet is I would be flying triangles for a while.
 
I like the ILS approaches into KCHA. If I remember right, on vectors they will take you around the west side along Lookout mountain. It's been a while so I don't remember it exactly, but I do remember liking the view.
 
bigred177 said:
It's easy on our side, shut up and do as you're told. I'd hate to do it as a controller.
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It's fairly easy on the ATC side once you're qualified. It's a simple position and the first you train on in a radar facility. Student jet pilots and some helo (Army :() guys will make you work though. Because they do them so often, Navy / Marine fighters fly them like they're on rails. For a 60 year old system, it can be very accurate in the right hands.
 
That area is beautiful. We have a low level up there we go to often. Looking forward to doing it.
 
bigred177 said:
That area is beautiful. We have a low level up there we go to often. Looking forward to doing it.
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T-1s, T-6s run VR1056 in my back yard all the time...well, not as much as they used to. I think they hit CHA for gas.
 
bigred177 said:
It's easy on our side, shut up and do as you're told. I'd hate to do it as a controller.
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As an USAF controller PARs were easy to run, surveillance approaches even easier. Surveillance approaches from what I understand are not as available as they once were. And even PARs have gone away at most AF bases.
 
Cooter said:
I like the ILS approaches into KCHA. If I remember right, on vectors they will take you around the west side along Lookout mountain. It's been a while so I don't remember it exactly, but I do remember liking the view.
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The ILS to (5?) takes you right over Chickamauga National Park, and the opposite end (23?) you get a nice view of the TN River.
 
Velocity173 said:
Lol! T-38 IPs used to request no gyro for training. Usually I didn't let a student final controller do that unless they're close to sign off. No one benefits if both students are completely overwhelmed.
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Probably one of the fastest PARs is the simulated engine out right after TO (heavy on fuel), no flaps, on T-38s at pilot training bases. Think they came down final around 190 knots. On course on glidepath cleared to land lol! Very quick.
 
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mscard88 said:
As an USAF controller PARs were easy to run, surveillance approaches even easier. Surveillance approaches from what I understand are not as available as they once were. And even PARs have gone away at most AF bases.
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<---- signed off in '95 with a flawless no-gyro surveillance approach with recommended altitudes, and that on a GPN 62. ;)

"this will be a no gyro surveillance approach using PAR azimuth. Mileages will be from touchdown with recommended altitudes provided for each mile on final. Missed approach point one mile. Make half-standard rate turns."

By the time you said all that you've lost at least a mile on a T-38.

With close to 1,000 PAR approaches to my name and with the welcome addition to an ILS to both runways, thank the good lord above that I've ran my last PAR.
 
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mscard88 said:
Probably one of the fastest PARs is the simulated engine out right after TO (heavy on fuel) on T-38s at pilot training bases. Think they came down final around 190 knots. On course on glidepath cleared to land lol! Very quick.
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No flap would likely be a faster calculated speed, but the pilots will probably carry extra knots on the sim single engine (especially in summer) so that in reality they would be pretty close. Either way it's fast.
 
Cooter said:
No flap would likely be a faster calculated speed, but the pilots will probably carry extra knots on the sim single engine (especially in summer) so that in reality they would be pretty close. Either way it's fast.
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You are correct! Also no flaps, in addition to everything else I wrote. Forgot about the flaps, course it's been many moons since I ran PARs.
 
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mscard88 said:
Probably one of the fastest PARs is the simulated engine out right after TO (heavy on fuel) on T-38s at pilot training bases. Think they came down final around 190 knots. On course on glidepath cleared to land lol! Very quick.
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They just took off, they're already almost out of gas.:p
 
Timbeck2 said:
<---- signed off in '95 with a flawless no-gyro surveillance approach with recommended altitudes, and that on a GPN 62. ;)

With close to 1,000 PAR approaches to my name and with the welcome addition to an ILS to both runways, thank the good lord above that I've ran my last PAR.
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LOL c'mon they were fun!
 
The first 10 years were fun. Then they decided to go single scope, single seven and with back-to-back PAR approaches for a couple of hours without a break = no longer fun.
 
If you can get PCT to clear you for it either the DME into Martin State or Wallops Island (the only two of the kind in the country) is fun.
You can also probe one of the military fields in the area and see if anybody is willing to give you a PAR/GCA approach.
 
Timbeck2 said:
The first 10 years were fun. Then they decided to go single scope, single seven and with back-to-back PAR approaches for a couple of hours without a break = no longer fun.
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Well, now that would suck at a busy airfield. Inefficient too. We had 3 scopes, sometimes all running at once. :)
 
We had two as well but the GPN-22 we had kept breaking and they finally said, "screw it, we'll get by on one." They should put that thing in the Smithsonian.
 
Timbeck2 said:
The first 10 years were fun. Then they decided to go single scope, single seven and with back-to-back PAR approaches for a couple of hours without a break = no longer fun.
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Yeah. Ya can only say "on the top line, on the bottom line" so many times before the novelty wears off
 
Timbeck2 said:
The first 10 years were fun. Then they decided to go single scope, single seven and with back-to-back PAR approaches for a couple of hours without a break = no longer fun.
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At Columbus once I was in the head taking a dump and the WS comes in, hollers at me that I got a run, get out here. Crap (excuse the pun) I hadn't even finished the front page of the paper!
 
Timbeck2 said:
The first 10 years were fun. Then they decided to go single scope, single seven and with back-to-back PAR approaches for a couple of hours without a break = no longer fun.
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True, they did get old if ya couldn't switch to approach, departure, or somewhere else.
 
Check RNAV 34 into KECP, Panama City Beach. It's not a T configuration, it's a curving path out over the bay swinging around from SW to NW. It's pretty if you can see, unusual if you can't, and don't get distracted by the continuous curve and miss the IAF. Did that in the clag, couldn't figure out why I was high and fast. Finally noticed the gear was still up . . . It was a pretty landing anyway, I just had to work hard for it.
 
Hank S said:
Check RNAV 34 into KECP, Panama City Beach. It's not a T configuration, it's a curving path out over the bay swinging around from SW to NW. It's pretty if you can see, unusual if you can't, and don't get distracted by the continuous curve and miss the IAF. Did that in the clag, couldn't figure out why I was high and fast. Finally noticed the gear was still up . . . It was a pretty landing anyway, I just had to work hard for it.
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http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1702/10416R34.PDF

Looks more like an arrival. Reminds me of the Sound Arrival into HPN, sorta like that. Very scenic and fun.
 
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you could do the back course at KABY
https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/1702/pdf/00008LBC22.PDF

RNAV to 26 at KFTY goes over midtown Atlanta
https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/1702/pdf/00745R26.PDF

Then the RNAV to 17 KAVL, its pretty scenic
https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/1702/pdf/05061R17.PDF

I find the approach into KRHP to be a bear if you dont get slowed down in time. Its not towered but worth trying.
https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/1702/pdf/09527R8.PDF

The Visual 3 at KHXD could be fun,
https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/1702/pdf/05709BROADCREEK_VIS3.PDF
 
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