Bri85

I was taught in a light twin, so I do the approaches @ a 100kts with 1 notch of flaps till FAF... and when I fly the C-172 which is not alot, I do the same... I rather be somewhat configure than not..

III Corps

Approach flaps at one dot on the ILS or 1-2 miles outside the FAF. Fly the approach at approach flaps and add landing flaps when field in sight. Makes it easier it you have to miss and avoids large trim changes on go-around.

Your mileage may vary...

DSflyer05

If you put two notches in at the FAF then you will have a stabalized approach, which is one of the required items by the FAA to continue a descent below a DA of MDA

Cubdriver

I can't claim any references for my opinion but I also tend to agree no more than 10 deg. flaps at the FAF, and add no more until having the runway in sight on short final if intending to land. Reasons are

1. You have to be flexible in your speed in case you are ahead of another airplane that is faster and waiting on you.

2. The cost of doing practice approaches goes up when flying at full flap speeds (75 vs. 95 knots).

3. Full flaps are neither required nor desirable on practice approaches and actually impede the missed approach somewhat.

The only tradeoff is that if you are adding flaps on late final for an actual imc approach, your configuration is changing, which is not a good practice in general and may be troublesome. FAA is definitely against it with their stabilized approach campaign. On the other hand someone mentioned that Skyhawks land well with no flaps at all, which is true, so it is less of an issue than for other airplanes.

tangoindia

I never used flaps until "runway in sight"....or when i used them, 1 dot above glideslope or prior to FAF so that you can track the glide path...

patton33

For the 172 I teach them the profile of

IAF - 100 Kts clean
IF- 90 Kts Clean
FAF- 80kts Flaps 10

It tends to set them up better for when they come see me to finish their instrument in our twins. Having a specific profile to follow is good for continuity as well.

the King

For a non-precision approach, I want a student configured at the appropriate speed (usually 90) and with one notch of flaps (if able). The flaps can be dependent since we can't use them on a 120 knot approach.

On an ILS, I want 90 knots and flaps and gear down at one dot below glideslope before the intercept. Same rules on the speed here, but the gear should definitely come down. Like patton said, students who have a profile learn the multi instrument procedures better.

If you aren't sure, I would ask for suggestions from your instructor. He or she can give you a picture of what they are looking for. They should also be able to give you a reason why they do it that way. That will help you make the same choice when you complete your rating.

papacharlie

today I tried my approach with 10 flaps at FAF and I liked it stabilized my approach speed and also was easier to follow the glide slope.

Ewfflyer

Freight's great, I miss doing the actual flying, because it was always a great way for me to challenge myself. I loved doing Parallel ILS @ IND and beating the airlines from 10miles out. Usually in VMC, 180kts to 3nm final would work well, and I could make the first turn-off easy on 23R.