On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 01:15:21 GMT, "John R. Copeland"
wrote:

Just incidentally, he said in passing that they themselves were surprised
to learn so many thousands of GPS approaches had vertical guidance available.

And flying my first one with vertical guidance, KEPM GPS Rwy 15, which I
have flown without vertical guidance many times, I must admit that
following the GS and doing a constant rate of descent made for a much
smoother and easier to fly approach than did my usual "dive and drive"
method. Of course, I need to refine this for use at IFR minimums, as the
procedure is somewhat different since the GP intersects MDA at more than
the visibility minimums distance from the airport (and the MAP is at the
runway threshold).

Using MDA as a DA (if it were legal) would deprive me of being able to land
with visibility at minimums; so it's a matter of levelling off at MDA and
"driving" for a while before executing the miss. Sort of a cross between
an ILS and a "dive & drive" approach.


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