Approach Plates 101

History by day .com

Interesting title, but, I always said I would blog about the good, bad, and the ugly. Yesterday, I flew a quick hop to shed some rust on my stick and rudder skills along with GPS/Auto Pilot buttonology.  What I'm trying to say is what I am about to share should clearly fall in the ugly category.

Lets start at the beginning. Since my bride was headed to the beach I decided to finally get in the air, it's been a month. I did a very detailed preflight and fuel sump before climbing aboard. I decided to mount my typical front/panel view video camera and would also add in my iPad screen capture video of my approach.

I ran into what I thought was an issue back in April while shooting two approaches into Ocean City. I did not get vertical guidance on the RNAV GPS RWY 2 approach. Even after briefing the plate the light did not come on that it's an LNAV approach. I'm not sure if it's rust or being complacent, I think a mix of both. Why do I think that, because I didn't go dig to find an answer that day. 

Fast forward to the RNAV GPS RWY 14 approach I shot yesterday. This time as soon as I got home I opened up my Stec 60-2 Pilots manual and the OXB RNAV RWY 14 approach plate to work through this mental blockade.

Lets take a look at the chart I created after reading through approach plates 101 and the above noted information. I have a WAAS enabled GPS (Garmin 480)so I can shoot LPV and LNAV/VNAV and expect vertical guidance. On an LNAV approach, the pilot flies the final approach lateral course, but does not receive vertical guidance for a controlled descent to the runway.

Wow, did I brain fart. I'm not sure why, I totally briefed the plate, knew what the approach was, and yet expected something different. Obviously I need to get my butt in the air much more often and work at being proficient like I used to be. As with any acquired skill; If you don't use it, you  will lose it. That is a true statement especially when it comes to instrument flight.

The positive takeaway is my stick and rudder skills are still sharp and the buttonology was there.

I'm back in the air on Friday for a flight across the Delaware Bay to Millville NJ - KMIV. My long time friend and flying buddy, Vince, is getting married!