Originally Posted by
goaround2000
Well my bike-riding-70's-latin-lover friend,
I think you and doj missed the point, I wasn't referring to the degree of difficulty involving the maneuver/approach, but rather the challenges that present themselves when operating in such environment.
With regards to the auto-pilot, well, I don't know how reliable VOR's are in Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, or Suriname, but in Mexico, the signal can be spotty at best on the approach face (in some, but not all markets), and it serves better to have the AP off, particularly around terrain. Some guys opt to shoot these approaches coupled to the FMS, but our guidance specifically says that we are to do them on greens, as we're not approved for anything else in Mexico.
Gotcha, the AP/FD setup is pretty crappy and not that great of an asset. Which was kinda what I was getting at before though. Any instrument rated pilot should be able to fly the stuff. Things like the PFM of the FMS and terrain radar give an elevated SA level.