I'm starting to do instrument approaches I think i have the ILS down but what would you say is the most difficult non precision approach to do?

 

A lot of people say the NDB approach gives them trouble. The hardest part at first is often keeping good situational awareness. If you can picture where you are it'll really help. If you aren't familiar with using a GPS, those approaches can be a little weird at first. VOR's are pretty straight forward. They will all come to you. Practice on flight sim. Call out your altitudes so you don't below through MDA. It's certainly not the real thing, but it'll help you get down procedures...so you don't end up blowing through altitudes on your checkride. I've seen several people do that.

 

The hardest np approach we do in the King Air is a no heading NDB approach. Basically it is all done with timed turns using the RMI needles. It is a SA tool about where you are on the approach and which direction (and for how long) do you need to turn. However, NDB's are pretty much done, but again it is a SA tool. I have flown some stuck card VORs and TAC in my day.

 

the hardest NP to do is the one you aren't prepared for. No kidding. We do approaches at an airport 20 miles south. A favorite is a VOR/DME approach with a 10 nm arc. So that gives a student about 5 minutes to brief an approach and set up before they hit the arc. Add wind and you get a real test of cockpit management.

Stay ahead of the aircraft by doing checklists, setting up before the approach, getting WX, etc. and you'll see the approaches are more or less the same.

 

Which brings up the question, why would you train for that? I guess that my philosophy has always been train as you fly. Fly as you train. I don't understand training for situations that I'll never encounter? Trust me if I'm doing timed turns to headings in real life, I sure as heck am not going to be shooting an NDB approach. (At least not if you're here in the US).

I understand the Situational Awareness, but there comes a point when you can take a scenario too far...

 

For me it's the NDB and GPS approaches.

 

Josh,

I totally agree with you as for the "not going to be shooting an NDB (no heading) approach" for real. I have shot some stuck card VOR's and TAC's in the C-2, but the NDB is the only way we have the ability to bulid that type of SA. However, we do not have the ability to "fail" the RMI card without failing the NAV needles too. It comes down to, where am I, where do I need to go, which way do I turn. The other squadron down here flys the T-44 (BE90) and they have a "god box" located in the co-pilot's arm rest. This is a mod that the Navy did for the advanced mulit instrument training. Those aircraft can shoot the stuck card approaches. The Military stills flys aircraft with steam gages and is SLOWLY making its way to RNP. Until we update our planes to digital (EFIS, etc) then we will continue on the path we are doing now. Hopefully, it will be soon.

DT