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Old 4th March 2010 | 11:38
  #25 (permalink)  
capt. solipsist
 
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 163
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From: pre-dep area
INSTEAD of being "a bit low" on the profile for a CDFA during a NPA with actual limited visibility, it makes better sense to do the opposite -- be "a bit high".

Reason 1: Being so, you're bound to reach your MDA at a closer distance to the runway -- and therefore have a better chance of eyeing the runway --than being exactly on the profile. Sometimes less than a quarter of a mile more is all you need to be visual.

Of course, "a bit high" was in quotation marks to emphasize it being a subjective thing, and that you get above the profile just enough that the required sink rate after becoming visual from your usual 700FPM becomes only around 900FPM.

Reason 2: It plainly gives you a better perspective searching for the runway.

Cheers
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