On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 23:06:02 GMT, "Gary Drescher"
wrote:

If you're vectored onto the approach course and cleared for the approach,
how close to the FAF do you have to be to consider yourself on a published
part of the course and thus permitted to descend to the charted intercept
altitude?

There are several issues here. But they are pretty well covered, in my
opinion, in the AIM.

In the instance of being vectored onto the final approach course by ATC,
ATC should clear you for the approach only after you are established; or
give you an altitude to maintain until established.

If you are receiving vectors to final, (and ATC has certain requirements at
their end in order to allow that), then you can descend when you are
established (an admittedly somewhat fuzzy term, but I would interpret it as
not more than 1/2 scale deflection and moving to center) on the localizer.

If you are just receiving vectors on a random route, then you cannot
descend until you are on a "hard, black line". However, in the situation
being discussed, if it is not the specific "radar vectors to final" or a
radar approach, then the AIM states that: "For this purpose, the procedure
turn of a published IAP shall *NOT* be considered a segment of that IAP
until the aircraft reaches the initial fix or navigation facility upon
which the procedure turn is predicated."

In the latter case, ATC's clearance should be to maintain a certain
altitude until reaching that fix. If it is not worded that way, you must
maintain the last assigned altitude until reaching (but I would clarify
with ATC if I had any questions).


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)