Featuring Bob Nardiello -
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Bob Nardiello:
"Let me talk about a few
additional tips that can lead to a more successful ILS.
Turning onto the final, remember that at this point you need to be thinking
about landing the airplane. As you turn onto the final approach course - the
localizer in this case - you need to be thinking about dropping the landing
gear if you have not done so already. A good place to do that is at glide
slope intercept, but certainly not beyond glide slope intercept.
As you are going down the glide
slope, you want that landing gear down, and you want your airplane
configured for landing. That means if the airplane requires fuel pump -fuel
pump on. It means flaps at approach, if they are not there already. So,
planning and knowing what is going to happen next makes things work a lot
more smoothly.
As you are coming down the
glide slope, half way down the glide slope is not a good time to be looking
at your approach plate, trying to determine what DA is, what decision
altitude is in your case for this approach. You should know this already.
You should be thinking about what kind of approach lighting system you are
looking for. You should know this as well, and you should be prepared to
look for that approach lighting system through the windshield of your
airplane.
Now, another place that has
caused problems, and I see it with students periodically, is at DA. At this
point, assuming an approach to minimums, and assuming you have the approach
lights runway environment in sight, you are going to be transitioning to
visual conditions, and you are going to be landing the airplane visually. It
is important to remember that decision altitude in this case occurs
approximately a half a mile from the runway threshold. So, assuming your
airplane is trimmed properly, no action is necessary relative to the power
when you reach decision altitude. Don't upset the airplane. Let it continue
down the glide slope to the runway."
Next week's tip: Preparing for
takeoff
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