Approach speeds for ILS

"C J Campbell" wrote...

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.

I think you may need to practice your ILS approaches, especially the transition
to visual and landing. The transition to visual is very difficult -- probably
moreso than flying the needles.

Try flying ILS approaches in full VMC conditions -- not even a hood -- but with
a safety pilot or instructor aboard. Let the outside stuff distract you from
your instrument scan, and force yourself to look back inside. Practice the
transition to visual at 200', including the power reduction, decel, flaps (if
you use more to land than you use in the approach), and flare. It is NOT the
same as your normal VFR landing, and it DOES require specific practice.

When you get proficient, only then should you attempt to fly when the weather is
anywhere near minimums.


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.

Nope -- not unless you are flying a Cat III certified airplane.

You should be ready to transition to land AFTER you break out! A C172 at 90
knots is only descending at 400-500 FPM. At 200' AGL, you have 20-30 seconds
until touchdown, even if you don't flare at all! You can do a lot of
decelerating, reconfiguring, and flaring in 20 seconds. Since the only
reconfiguring you should have to do, if any, is final flaps, you have plenty of
time!


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.

That is good advice.