My first attempt to fly that approach had me over the coastline, about a
mile to the west. But at least I was parallel with the threshhold.

Then I had to do it again on my checkride, partial panel, picking up a
little ice (normally the PP approach would be the VOR one, but the VOR was
OTS). I dialed in a "that feels about right" for the wind, and held it. I
was *not* peeking; in any case, most of what you can see out of the corner
of the hood is water.

Damned if I didn't end up about 20 feet off the centerline. I don't know how
I did it, especially because I'm sure I didn't look at the compass (which
would have involved peeking). Dumb luck, definitely.

-- David Brooks

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
news:M0a%b.56799$Xp.269573@attbi_s54...
True story: The Boeing 747 building is east of the approach end of runway
16
at Paine Field. The NDB approach is based on a beacon nine miles away. On
my
ATP checkride, the FAA examiner had me shoot the NDB 16 approach, and I
did
my very damndest....but when I called "missed approach" and he told me to
lift the hood, the Boeing building was to my right...my approach was that
far east of the runway. "Good approach," he said.

As an instructor, when a student shot an NDB with an off-field beacon and
ended up looking right down the runway, I assumed that he or she had
cheated
somewhere along the way. Too many variables for an NDB approach to be
perfect.

Bob Gardner