ILS Approaches and Air Speed Control
Posted by Jeffrey on October 27th, 2009
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The other day we were flying into Los Angeles, LAX, airport. It was hazy and visibility was probably five miles and overcast. We were coming in on the SADDE 6 arrival from the north, we were on the downwind leg and approach control asked us to keep our speed up since there was a “heavy” on the straight-in approach to ILS 24R as well. It was the first officer’s leg.
Usually this kind of set-up doesn’t pose a problem. If you get a good intercept angle on the ILS, no more than a 45°, your speed is on target, and the winds are close to being down the runway, you can keep your speed up and accommodate the controller’s request with no problem. Today though we had a right quarterly tailwind and things were going to get worse before they got better.
So we are on the base leg and approach gives us a heading, tells us we are cleared for the approach, and instructs us to call tower.
The autopilot is on and what happens, we blow through the localizer. Our ground speed was too fast for the autopilot to pick up the localizer and track it inbound. Luckily we were far enough out that it wasn’t an issue and there was no conflict with any other traffic in the area. The first officer made the necessary corrections to get us aligned with the localizer to continue a normal approach and we landed safely.
It could have gone a lot worse, so on the ground, safely parked, we talked about what we should have done differently.
- We shouldn’t have let ATC rush us. – As pilots, we like to help out as much as we can, but there comes a time when WE have to control the tempo and maintain control of our airplane. Yeah, there was an airplane breathing down our tail, but if we would have had to do a missed approach or go-around, then we would have been the inconvenienced airplane, not the airplane behind us. Remember, you have the power to tell ATC that you are unable to comply and they will then make the necessary adjustments.
- We should have slowed down earlier. – With experience, we learn how to precisely control our airplane under different circumstances. By learning how to take in the big picture, we can make adjustments to our flight path and airspeed to avoid things like overshooting the localizer. Besides, slowing down the airplane gives us more time to think.
- We could have briefed different scenarios and discussed the possible problems with a right quarterly tailwind. – Though we did a thorough approach briefing descending out of 18,000 feet, there was no way to anticipate what was going to happen. But, experience should have alerted me to some of the possibilities. The important thing is to keep the communication open WHILE things are happening and adjust earlier. For instance, we could have told ATC what speed we were going to fly or we could have asked for a different heading to intercept the localizer.
The CRJ200 is a fast, fun jet but like anything in aviation you have to be thinking about the next two things…ALWAYS!
When you don’t, you find yourself hanging off the proverbial tail, i.e., you are behind the airplane, and that is never a good place to be.
If you ever find yourself behind and you need to get caught up, slow down both yourself and your airplane and use the non-flying pilot (NFP) as much as possible. Fly the airplane. Get the gear and flaps out and monitor your progress. Remember, slowing down the airplane gives you time to think and act.
To Your Flying Success…
Jeffrey
PS – Here are two books you need to pickup:
- Jeppesen Instrument Procedures Guide - Provides detailed coverage of instrument charts and procedures including IFR takeoff, departure, enroute, arrival, approach, and landing operations and is based on based on the FAA-H-8260-1, Instrument Procedures Handbook but easier to read.
- Turbojet Systems Made Easy DVD - If you’re preparing for airline interview or system test and haven’t flown “heavy iron” lately, you really need this course!
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