Hi FlyinTrim.
Doesn't matter if the aircraft have GPS or not if they are doing a LOC approach, the LOC is the lateral Nav engaged (and tracking) and the vertical is done using FPA (Flight Path Angle), its not recommended to use V/S inside the FAF. So without looking at the plate, I believe you could descend to 2000' around 7-8 NM back from the FAF. Then at the FAF (you are already tracking in LOC, you would then engage FPA (actually the same button as V/S but in a diff mode) and dial down to -3.0 (plus cold wx corr). You can only put in whole numbers and one decimal place, so I believe its 3.0 for that approach. FPA is better than V/S due to not having any effect on G/S or wind. Actually makes it pretty simple, draw a 3.0 degree line from FAF to runway and thats the airplane "should" do.
Again, just my 2 cents, I'm very interested to hear what the outcome is as well.
If anything comes of this I hope both the airport upgrades Rwy 05 or Rwy 32 approach and second that AC upgrades their GPS program faster. Might have been a different outcome if either was in place.
Cheers
manibah:
As stated above, approaches in Canada aren't visibility limited. I believe AC and WJ would both have lower ops specs, somewhere around 1/2-3/4 mile. So I believe they were legal to shoot approach, landing is limited on seeing the runway (or lights) at MDA/DH. I think everything was legal from that stand point.