Once again, my good friend, Centaurus, has “nailed” the answer to what some believe is a difficult issue to understand. A circling approach is a visual conclusion to an instrument approach procedure. It is predicated on the pilot being able to visually acquire and identify the airport, and keep at least some of that identified airport in sight throughout the maneuver. This does not include a “heads down” FMC, or similar, procedure. There is no airplane manufacturer, at least of whom I am aware, that advocates “heads down MAP reading” while engaged in any visual maneuvering – circling approach or other. In fact, in the US, here is the regulatory requirement that speaks to this particular issue:
FAR Section 91.175(e)(2) Missed approach procedures.
“Each pilot operating an aircraft, except a military aircraft of the United States, shall immediately execute an appropriate missed approach procedure … Whenever an identifiable part of the airport is not distinctly visible to the pilot during a circling maneuver at or above MDA, unless the inability to see an identifiable part of the airport results only from a normal bank of the aircraft during the circling approach.”
In case anyone may wonder what is considered “an identifiable part of the airport,” that includes the runway, other runways, taxiways, lighting systems, ramps, buildings, including the terminal, etc. Basically it includes structures on the AIRPORT. It does not include the expressway overpass or the fast food restaurant just the north of the final approach. Those are NOT part of the Airport. Also, it would be just as phony to “build” additional reference points into a simulator’s visual scene that are not present in the real world.
Additionally, regarding some of the comments about when to begin a descent from MDA when conducting a circling approach – again, admittedly, from the US point of reference – here is the regulatory requirement that speaks to this specific issue.
FAR 91.175(c)(1) Operation below DH or MDA.
“Except as provided in paragraph (l) of this section, where a DH or MDA is applicable, no pilot may operate an aircraft, except a military aircraft of the United States, at any airport below the authorized MDA or continue an approach below the authorized DH unless … (1) The aircraft is continuously in a position from which a descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made at a normal rate of descent using normal maneuvers, and for operations conducted under part 121 or part 135 unless that descent rate will allow touchdown to occur within the touchdown zone of the runway of intended landing;”
Centaurus is absolutely correct in that some operators have fallen into the trap of using the simulator to teach “trick flying using instrument navigation to solve a visual problem” in an effort to simply “fill the square” of having to meet a circling approach requirement. This should be easily recognized by the fact that in almost all of those “trick” solutions, the pilot flying must necessarily lose sight of not just the landing runway, but lose sight of the entire airport – and in some cases for a reasonably extended period of time. In the real world this may very well lead to disastrous consequences. There should be no operator, anywhere, who should allow, let alone teach, such practices – and no regulatory authority would approve such a practice.