Slam dunked into the ILS funnel

[M20F-1968]

I have begun to communicate more with ATC to avoid a late turn to FAF or a late decent clearance.  A "looking for (new heading)" for earlier turn inbound or "looking for decent to 2000 ft" may be necessary to remind them you are still there.  I have had a couple of instances this summer that reminds me that ATC can and does make mistakes.

John Breda

[whiskytango]

46 minutes ago, M20F-1968 said:

I have begun to communicate more with ATC to avoid a late turn to FAF or a late decent clearance.  A "looking for (new heading)" for earlier turn inbound or "looking for decent to 2000 ft" may be necessary to remind them you are still there.  I have had a couple of instances this summer that reminds me that ATC can and does make mistakes.

John Breda

ATC definitely can forget you are there.  On multiple occasions I have been given a vector that is 90 degrees to the Final Approach Course, and end up crossing the Localizer.  In some cases ATC will let me blow through the Localizer and admit they forgot to give me a new vector.   On other occasions ATC will, at the last possible moment, give me a new vector at a point that I cannot possibly join the Localizer with a standard rate turn, and then say "Oh it looks like you overshot the Localizer.  Do you want to continue on the Approach or be vectored around again?".    It helps if you are slowed down to the point that getting re-established on the Localizer is feasible.  I now assume that any time I am given Vectors to Final that I will be forgotten by ATC.

 

[kortopates]

ATC definitely can forget you are there.  On multiple occasions I have been given a vector that is 90 degrees to the Final Approach Course, and end up crossing the Localizer.  In some cases ATC will let me blow through the Localizer and admit they forgot to give me a new vector.   On other occasions ATC will, at the last possible moment, give me a new vector at a point that I cannot possibly join the Localizer with a standard rate turn, and then say "Oh it looks like you overshot the Localizer.  Do you want to continue on the Approach or be vectored around again?".    It helps if you are slowed down to the point that getting re-established on the Localizer is feasible.  I now assume that any time I am given Vectors to Final that I will be forgotten by ATC.
 

You have me curious about which TRACON or Center gives you such poor services if they often forget you. That is nothing like what I see in the SOCAL area. Occasionally when they are very busy it might seem like being forgotten with last minute turn on's but I've never been actually forgotten. I've even been tempted to squawk 7600 and turn onto base because of terrain ahead when IMC and they where very busy. But on base legs on VTF they are suppose to say if it’s a vector to cross final or not and they almost always do say so. But I’ll start slowing down if I am coming up on final and haven’t gotten my final vector to intercept final. Just never felt forgotten but sometimes growing concerned waiting for my turn to get that vector.


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[Andy95W]

"IDENT" is probably the most useful feature on your airplane at this point.  If you can't get a word into the conversation but you're getting really close to the localizer/final approach course, hit the ident button.  Your aircraft ID will flash on the radar screen and more often than not, the next transmission will be your instructions to join final and cleared for the approach.  

*Warning*- if you're being a Nervous Nellie when you hit Ident, you might get delay vectors as retribution.  

[whiskytango]

4 minutes ago, kortopates said:

You have me curious about which TRACON or Center gives you such poor services if they often forget you. That is nothing like what I see in the SOCAL area. Occasionally when they are very busy it might seem like being forgotten with last minute turn on's but I've never been actually forgotten. I've even been tempted to squawk 7600 and turn onto base because of terrain ahead when IMC and they where very busy. But on base legs on VTF they are suppose to say if it’s a vector to cross final or not and they almost always do say so. But I’ll start slowing down if I am coming up on final and haven’t gotten my final vector to intercept final. Just never felt forgotten but sometimes growing concerned waiting for my turn to get that vector.


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I can't point to a single TRACON that has forgotten I was there on more than one occasion, but it has happened to me at locations up and down the East coast.  At some locations (various Potomac Approach sectors, for one) the Approach frequency is so busy that it is difficult to even ask if I will be getting a new vector, but that is not always the case, and I feel like ATC has forgotten to give me the 30 degree (+/-) Localizer intercept vector.  It may be that to make everything work they need to take me across the Localizer, but it would help if they told me they were doing that before I cross. 

[Austintatious]

Some great info on this thread... I want to throw in a few pennies.

Aside from all the good advice given here, we should ALL be verifying altitude at the FAF... No matter if you captured the GS AT the FAF alt or if you captured it higher.  The FAF is your last chance to spot an altimeter error before going down on the approach.  Perhaps it was set erroneously, failed/stuck/, wrong setting was reported. 

[FloridaMan]

Keep in mind that if you are too high on the glideslope you can get a false glideslope above and your autopilot will stall you. 

[MB65E]

This is fun too...
-Matt