Approach speeds for ILS

CJ

I've got to respectfully disagree with you.

I teach my instrument students to fly approaches at 100 KIAS for most
single-engine bug-smashers because it's a lot easier to stay on course
when going faster, the cross wind has less effect, you don't hold up
traffic as much and, for any ILS equipped runway, you've got far more
runway available than you need, even if you up the speed to 120 KIAS.

On the other hand, having looked at too many accidents where the
pilots broke out at 200-300 feet up and started making changes to the
airplane configuration right then, including reducing power, and wound
up sticking the airplane into the approach lights (often in rain at
night where the refraction through the rain on the windshield caused
them to think they were high, despite having glideslope info on the
panel) I also empahsize that the pilot should not change ANYTHING
until crossing the runway threshold. The power setting, configuration
and speed were working just fine to stay on glide slope all the way
down, why change anything just because you are transitioning to
visual. In fact, that's the worst possible time to pull the power or
add flaps or what have you, as, if the wx is really crappy, you may
very well fly into a bit of scud that is below 200 feet and have to
make a go around...it's best to still have that energey so you can
zoom climb away from the ground. Plus, at 200 feet AGL, you aren't to
the runway, yet. So, leave everything as it is and take some time to
look around...you've got lots of time, you are only descending at
roughly 500-600 fpm at 100 KIAS, you aren't to the runway yet, so let
yourself figure out what's going on while keeping power and speed the
same for a while. If you leave well enough alone, you cross the
threshold at slightly over 50 feet AGL. Then, smoothly close the
throttle, roll in some nose up trip to hold your altitude right there,
above ground effect, when the airplane decelerates into the white arc,
select full flaps, trim as needed, then when it decelerates to normal
speed for final, descend, flare and land. Yes, you'll use about 3,000
feet of runway. Big deal. That's not the risky part of the ILS. The
risky part is crashing short of the runway, if the accident reports
are to be believed.

All the best,
Rick

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
We get foggy here at Tacoma Narrows this time of year (which is the reason I
post more on these groups in the winter than in the summer). One thing we
see a lot of is guys who fly the ILS too fast.

I have no problem with flying the ILS at 90 or 100 knots if the ceiling is
well above minimums, but it seems to me that if the ceiling is 200 feet
overcast you ought to be flying the approach slowly enough that you can land
at that speed. You don't need to configure for a short field landing, but
you are not going to slow from 90 knots to 60 in a Skyhawk in only 200 feet
of altitude, especially if you can't risk ballooning back up into the soup.

You just want to hold your breath when you hear somebody coming down the
ILS. You don't see him, but you hear the engine start to roar as he begins
his missed approach. Then he suddenly breaks through and tries to land
anyway. Sometimes they make it, probably touching down on the last half of
the runway, and sometimes they don't, having to make a go around back up
into the soup, only now the missed approach is all messed up, too.

Two lessons he

1) If the field is really at minimums, you have 200 feet to slow down to
landing speed. That is not much time. Better you should be ready to land
before you break out.

2) If you decide to go missed, then go missed. Don't change your mind just
because you got a glimpse of the runway as you were flying overhead.