GPS Navigation only vs with VOR/ILS

[jlunseth]

22 hours ago, midlifeflyer said:

Well, I don't really care about practice approaches when it comes to an RNAV vs ground-based discussion. But...

KGYL only has RNAV approaches, so there's no ground based alternative to compare it to.

The VOR approach at HCD is scheduled to be decommissioned next year, so again, no choiceEven without that, I'll take the official vertical guidance to a lower DA on the LPV over the VOR as far more likely to avoid the need for the missed.

On the ILS at VLN, yes I agree the missed for the ILS is closer for that typically small percent of the time it's needed. I'm curious though... given the proximity to the LSP Class B, what is the real likelihood of getting the published missed in the real (as opposed to practice) world?

The is really personal preference. On balance, you like ground based navaids. I like RNAV.

 

 

I fly in the rural Midwest for Angel Flight quite a bit. So yes, around the MSP Bravo you will generally always get missed instructions that are not the published missed because they are routing you away from MSP. However, in rural areas ATC pretty much leaves you to your own devices in flying approaches in IMC. They will give you the published approach which includes the published missed.

I also like GPS type approaches because they are a little easier to set up on the panel, although with a 750 Xi an ILS is pretty simple. You don’t even have to fiddle with getting the Morse code for the ILS, the 750 automatically IDs it.

My point really is that I don’t understand why the FAA seems to feel the need to set up these long Ts at the beginning of an RNAV, and long missed approach segments. It wasn’t that way at the start, when GPS approaches first came out. For example, that RNAV 31 at KGYL used to have a missed approach segment where you climbed straight ahead to 3000 and then did a right turn to a missed hold point, don’t remember the name, but it was right near the airport. At some point the policy decision appears to have been made to opt for long straight out missed segments and long inbound T segments. Don’t know why. Takes a lot of time to fly them. The FAA did not mess with the ILS approaches so they are all quite a bit shorter.