Originally Posted by
cessnapete
Why don’t the airfields have a GPS/LPV instrument approach? Cat I limits with no extra airfield infrastructure required. A couple of second hand G430W in an Islander. As in USA many hundreds in operation at uncontrolled airfields.
Oh wait a minute the CAA are involved!!
Lands End does have GNSS approaches to all 4 runways. The DH are all higher than necessary (around 400ft vs 250ft), and only one is available for use in IMC because the CAA want to see a certain amount of utilisation and traffic integration before approving IMC usage to the lower LPV minima. However, the fixed wing never use them, and the helicopters couldn’t use them that often because when you go IFR you block the whole corridor in the absence of radar for separation, so the ‘trial’ essentially ended and needed to be restarted before approval is granted. I’m not sure whether it has restarted.
St Mary’s just has a trusty old NDB.