My First ILS to minimums

[dirtdr]

Got a neat video this weekend and thought I'd share.

My first "real" ILS to minimums

Approach lights at 2:02
Minimum altitude at 2:03

1968 Cessna 310N
CYEG runway 30

https://youtu.be/WdbUoXDi1Dc?t=1m50s

[Black_Tusk]

Half scale off on the LOC, breaking out well left of the runway edge... seems a bit unstable, no? In my opinion a go around was in order.

[Jimmy2]

Yikes.

[digits_]

I'd say staying within flight test limits on your first solo ILS to minima is pretty good. Half a dot deflection would obviously have been better, but let's be realistic. Consistently flying the ILS within half a dot takes practice. Especially if you only do it once in a blue moon.

So I'd say good job!

[Cat Driver]

Well from looking at that video there is no way in hell I would not have landed from that arrival.

To go around just because you are slightly off center line means you are opening yourself to maybe not seeing anything on the next approach.

The intent of an instrument approach is to land if you can safely see the landing area....he did and he did.

And so would I have.

[Chuck Finley]

That didn't look half bad for his first one. Especially if hand bombed!

Nicely equipped 310 too!

[CpnCrunch]

Also, he was going at 150kt right down to short final. If anyone else can do better, please post a youtube video before criticising!

PS, what was the reason for 150kt?

[dirtdr]

Also, he was going at 150kt right down to short final. If anyone else can do better, please post a youtube video before criticising!

PS, what was the reason for 150kt?

I like to keep a lot of energy in case I go missed.

So my procedure is to clean up as little as possible on the way down.

15 flaps on the way in once I'm under 180. This usually gets me 150 with the same power setting.
Gear down once intercepting the glideslope. No power change and 150mph and 500'/min down. If I need to go around, it's just full power, gear up and I'm into my best rate of climb of 125ish with no trim changes or manhandling the yoke. Once climbing then I take out all the flaps and have room to trim back if needed

Now I have lots of energy if I go missed. If I have all my flaps out, and 115mph, I am pretty busy to get climbing again in the event of a missed approach.

If I didn't have 10,000ft runway in front of me, I likely would have slowed her down a bit more on the way down.

I dump full flaps upon sight of the runway. In this case I touched down 1500feet down a 10,000ft runway. A little longer than I would have liked, but...

[dirtdr]

That didn't look half bad for his first one. Especially if hand bombed!

Nicely equipped 310 too!

All hand bombed. Next on the list is a reliable autopilot

[confusedalot]

First time, pretty good. On or very close to the centreline.

[Taxivasion]

Also, he was going at 150kt right down to short final. If anyone else can do better, please post a youtube video before criticising!

PS, what was the reason for 150kt?

I like to keep a lot of energy in case I go missed.

So my procedure is to clean up as little as possible on the way down.

15 flaps on the way in once I'm under 180. This usually gets me 150 with the same power setting.
Gear down once intercepting the glideslope. No power change and 150mph and 500'/min down. If I need to go around, it's just full power, gear up and I'm into my best rate of climb of 125ish with no trim changes or manhandling the yoke. Once climbing then I take out all the flaps and have room to trim back if needed

Now I have lots of energy if I go missed. If I have all my flaps out, and 115mph, I am pretty busy to get climbing again in the event of a missed approach.

If I didn't have 10,000ft runway in front of me, I likely would have slowed her down a bit more on the way down.

I dump full flaps upon sight of the runway. In this case I touched down 1500feet down a 10,000ft runway. A little longer than I would have liked, but...

[Cat Driver]

Good job, it was safe and that is what matters.


How many of you remember the good old days when we could get GCA at civilian airports?

That sure took a lot of the work out of flying the approach and the landing.

Hell while I am asking questions how many here remember Radio Range approaches?

[Big Pistons Forever]

The ASI in a 310 N is marked in MPH. 150 Mph = 130 knots, a pretty reasonable speed for a long runway for an approach you know is going to be close.

While ideally you break out right on the center line I would agree with Cat Driver that continuing the approach was not unreasonable. The good news was the adjustment to position the aircraft on the centerline was gentle and smooth. This is definitely the time when you don't want to be cranking it around.

The even better news is that precision approaches where you break out right at minimums are not that common. I would guess that over my whole career I have flown less than a dozen ILS like that one. Either it is a no hoper and you know you are going around or you break out a bit above minimums.

Re PAR's. It was a sad day when the PAR at Comox was decommissioned. I always tried to get one when I went there. The PAR controllers sure were good

[CpnCrunch]

The glass panel seems to be showing 150. Is that in mph too?

[dirtdr]

The glass panel seems to be showing 150. Is that in mph too?

Yup

[SnotRocket]

+ 1

[Schooner69A]

CAT: I'll see your Radio Range Approach and raise you an Aural Null Approach. (;>0)

(I can hear it now: "The Olde Phartes are reminiscing again...")

[Cat Driver]

Do you use a hand operated loop antenna or go with a newer one with a BFO selection?

[Zaibatsu]

How about an old loop with no sense antenna? Watch out for reverse bearings!


I thought that was really good for a hand-bombed approach. How many of you have flown from the marker to DH by hand? Disconnecting the autopilot when the trim and power is all set isn't quite the same.

Personally, I've only done it in the sim. I did better but I'm not convinced it wasn't fluke or that the sim is 100% representative of real conditions.

One thing I noticed you did which is perhaps why you were half scale was holding attitude and heading as you got close. This is the best thing to do rather than chasing the ever more sensitive loc and gs as you get closer. You got the approach lights and then corrected visually, exactly how you're supposed to.

If you have a flight director in your EFIS capable of displaying approach guidance, it would make it even better.

[Black_Tusk]

How many of you have flown from the marker to DH by hand?

I'm going to gather that many have. Fly a piston twin, B1900, Metro etc up north? ILS's, LPV's to minimums in winter every day with no flight director, A/P and on steam guages (well maybe the B1900 and Metro may have F/Ds).