Originally Posted by
sonicbum
Ok, I'll try again. If You are flying a, let's say, VOR APP for runway 16 with circling 34, You will level off at the circling MDA and fly the circuit, we are all happy with that. What You can't do if You are flying a CDFA is level off somewhere above the VOR MDA, reach the MAPt and then dive down to land on runway 16 (aside from the fact that You will probably bust all kind of stabilisation gates). Having said that, You can't fly a VOR APP for runway 16 and then circle for... runway 16 ! There is no legal provision to back up such a decision. You can fly either the published IAP (VOR in our scenario) or fly a visual.
Been a while since I circled in the EU, but here in the USA it is legal. I flew into Aspen a lot, and the only runway we were allowed to land on was runway 15, and the only instrument approach was a LOC15 with only circling minimums (more than 400f/m). And yes, we used CDFA/DDA UNLESS planning to circle. At the MDA at the MAPT, you were way too high to make a straight in (1500 AAL?), but continue to half way down the rwy, make closed left traffic, and land on 15 no problem.
The circling approach does NOT mean you can't land on the same runway, it just means you can't make a straight in approach if you don't see the runway early on.
There might be a difference in the requirement of keeping the rwy environment in sight for the EU, but what you say is incorrect.