I've got a better oops then that Dan. This morning I was doing some approaches
with my instructor. We went to Anderson Indiana (AID) and shot a couple of
ILS's and a VOR-A. They were fine. I requested the GPS 36 back at Indianapolis
Terry and was cleared direct to the airport. So I just flew direct to the
airport... The problem was that that is all I did, fly direct to the airport...
I didn't set anything else up for the approach ! ! ! I really don't know what
the hell I was thinking but as we got close to Terry my instructor said "are you
set up for the approach?" I realized what I had done but it was too late. My
instructor said "just take off the foggles and look". I did and there was the
runway about 1000 feet below me. Needless to say I had to slip all the way to
the runway. At least I greased the landing (not a big conciliation). My
instructor didn't know what to say except to point out that I was so far behind
the plane that if we were a minimums I never would have been able to make the
approach. I really didn't know what to say except for I'll do better next
time. All I could do on the ride hope is get a good laugh from my stupidity. I
have had so much on my mind that I probably shouldn't have been flying. Not IFR
any way's.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA

Dan Luke wrote:

Another one of those things I guess I should have been ready for sneaked up
on me this morning.

We were going from BFM to EET (Shelby County Airport, Alabaster, Alabama)
and the ceiling was right at minimums for the RNAV 33 approach, and below
minimums for the VOR-A. Naturally, I wanted the RNAV 33.

There's no ATIS at EET, so no particular approach was being advertised. When
Montgomery approach handed us off to Birmingham, BHM approach told me to
expect the VOR-A. I asked him "...any chance we can do the RNAV 33?"

"Nope. It's not in my airspace. You should have asked Montgomery for that
one. Standy by and I'll see if they'll take you back."

We got handed back to MGM, but by the time MGM was ready for us, we were
right on top of the IAF (IXUSE) and 1,900' high. Not a serious problem,
really, because by then I had slowed to 90 kts, but it made the first part
of the approach more rushed than it needed to be. Nevertheless, we made it
in just under the cloud deck

The interesting thing is BHM's comment that I "...should have asked
Montgomery for that one." How was I to know that? BHM is named on plates as
the approach facility for EET. There's no ATIS at EET. What should I have
done to find out that BHM couldn't give me the RNAV 33 approach?
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM