Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Career Builder > Technical
GPS-A/-B/-C designation? >

GPS-A/-B/-C designation?

Search
Notices
Technical Technical aspects of flying

GPS-A/-B/-C designation?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-31-2012, 07:07 AM
  #1  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Posts: 182
Default GPS-A/-B/-C designation?

Short and sweet - what's the designation of A/B/C on a GPS IAP designate? Thank you!
sidelinesam is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 07:22 AM
  #2  
Gets Weekends Off
 
USMCFLYR's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Default

GPS circling approachs.
For whatever TERPs reason the approach doesn't meet straight-ins criteria would be my initial guess.
Do you have a specific example at an airport?

USMCFLYR
USMCFLYR is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 07:30 AM
  #3  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Posts: 182
Default

Sure.

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1208/05889VDGC.PDF

KASE VOR/DME or GPS-C

Why is it a GPS-C?
sidelinesam is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 07:33 AM
  #4  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Convair5800's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jul 2011
Position: Left Seat
Posts: 215
Default GPS-A/-B/-C designation?

If I'm not mistaken, it's when there's more than 1 GPS approach for the runway, or circling, then they designate them via B/C, etc. Does that airport have more than 1 circling GPS approach? If so, then they'll all have different waypoints.
Convair5800 is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 07:45 AM
  #5  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Posts: 182
Default

That's a good question. I was just looking at it on airnav.com and I am pretty sure their list of IAP's for each airport is complete. If so, that's the only GPS IAP into that field. Could it designate a general update (as in new waypoints or other elements of the approach) to help show the most current version?
sidelinesam is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 08:03 AM
  #6  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Tweetdrvr's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: A-300 F/O
Posts: 281
Default

The letters indicate the number of circling approaches to the airfield. It doesn't matter if they are based on traditional navaids or GPS.

At Laughlin, we had a TACAN-A procedure to get the T-38s in under certain circumstances. When we got an RNAV capable airplane, the Texan II, we put in a GPS-B to get the T-6s in under similar but slightly lower weather mins. The TACAN-A is out of the books, but the GPS-B stands as the second circling approach to Laughlin AFB, but is the only one in the books. The USAF publishes, names and builds approaches to the same criteria as NACO/TERPs.

When you have the Z/Y/X letters they designate approaches with slightly different ways to get to the same final approach segment. This is like the Y2K problem. What happens when civilization survives long enough to get 13 different circling approaches to the same airfield and the straight in has 13 different ways and we crash together at the letter "M"?

Hope this helps.
Tweetdrvr is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 08:08 AM
  #7  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Posts: 182
Default

Originally Posted by Tweetdrvr View Post
The letters indicate the number of circling approaches to the airfield. It doesn't matter if they are based on traditional navaids or GPS.

At Laughlin, we had a TACAN-A procedure to get the T-38s in under certain circumstances. When we got an RNAV capable airplane, the Texan II, we put in a GPS-B to get the T-6s in under similar but slightly lower weather mins. The TACAN-A is out of the books, but the GPS-B stands as the second circling approach to Laughlin AFB, but is the only one in the books. The USAF publishes, names and builds approaches to the same criteria as NACO/TERPs. Hope this helps.

When you have the Z/Y/X letters they designate approaches with slightly different ways to get to the same final approach segment. This is like the Y2K problem. What happens when civilization survives long enough to get 13 different circling approaches to the same airfield and the straight in has 13 different ways and we crash together at the letter "M"?
Interesting. That makes sense as the only other approach listed is a LOC/DME-E. Thanks!

Last edited by sidelinesam; 07-31-2012 at 08:09 AM. Reason: typo
sidelinesam is offline  
Old 07-31-2012, 08:15 AM
  #8  
Gets Weekends Off
 
galaxy flyer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: May 2010
Position: Baja Vermont
Posts: 5,177
Default

Remember, KASE has private circling approaches available to authorized operators only. They add to the "count", but you can't access the charts unless authorized.

GF
galaxy flyer is offline  
Old 08-01-2012, 07:53 AM
  #9  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Posts: 182
Default

Originally Posted by galaxy flyer View Post
Remember, KASE has private circling approaches available to authorized operators only. They add to the "count", but you can't access the charts unless authorized.

GF
So that's something that an operator would apply for? And would have to go through certain training?
sidelinesam is offline  
Old 08-01-2012, 08:24 AM
  #10  
Gets Weekends Off
 
galaxy flyer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: May 2010
Position: Baja Vermont
Posts: 5,177
Default

The Operator's FSDO or POI would have to approve their use after training and proving operational safety. Airlines, typically.

GF
galaxy flyer is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
LateralFlyer
Technical
27
09-15-2016 09:55 AM
MtnPeakCruiser
Technical
20
10-21-2012 06:09 AM
abelenky
Safety
9
02-06-2011 12:27 PM
usmc-sgt
The Boneyard
0
12-18-2008 09:13 AM
jungle
Hangar Talk
6
12-07-2008 02:17 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



Your Privacy Choices