PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How to safely accomplish a visual approach in a jet airliner
Old 13th Sep 2013, 04:37
  #19 (permalink)  
Mach E Avelli
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: All at sea
Posts: 2,198
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The OP set some parameters, not all of which should be needed to make a safe visual approach.

Pilots need to get back to basics. How about flying a downwind at 500 feet in low overcast, or 1500 feet in a busy traffic area, eyeballing the spacing from the runway by putting it under the wingtip, just like you were taught at basic flying school? Configure flap and gear as per your aircraft type somewhere on downwind - just like you were taught when you converted to your first retractable aircraft. Time from abeam the threshold, say 25 to 30 seconds if at 500 feet and 40 to 50 seconds if at 1500 feet - just like you SHOULD have been taught for circling approaches when you did your instrument rating.
At the base turn, kill autopilots/ flight directors; including the autothrottle, you pussy......(ducks for incoming).
Have the tower controller turn off the vasis or papi and deselect your ILS frequency; don't cheat by looking at DME distance to run......(reaches for hat and coat).
Around base and final, eyeball the touchdown point to make sure it sits in a constant position in the windscreen. Moving up, you are undershooting, moving down you are overshooting. Watch your airspeed and vertical speed, set the thrust without looking at the engine instruments (you can do it by feel, really) but be sure to spend most of your time looking where you want to go. And, as if by magic, you will go there.

By now, are we getting the picture? Nothing has changed since you learned to fly! The aircraft may be bigger, but do you really think it would be certified if it could not be flown manually to a visual approach and landing?

Of course, if your company SOP specifically prohibits this on line operations, you will need to ask to do it in the simulator. You may be surprised at how easy it is.

Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 13th Sep 2013 at 10:40.
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