Precision approaches at unmanned airports

[Goldfish Jack]

I was just wondering whether a pilot could answer the following question for me:

"ASSUMING THAT THE TOWER IS NOT MANNED, HOW CAN A PILOT COMPLETE A PRECISION APPROACH, IF THE ILS IS NOT MONITORED?"

We have just been having a discussion about this and were wondering if it could be done, as where we work, there are airports that have no ATS service, ie late at night, yet the ILS is left on. As I understand it, the ILS is supposed to be monitored, by ATC, to ensure reliability and integrity and that nothing will fail, whilst it is being used. Who does this after hours and therefore, how do you know, as a pilot, that the ILS is radiating correctly?

I would suggest that if the ILS is not monitored, surely one should be doing a non-precision approach?

Thoughts and views would be appreciated.

[Captain Stable]

Excellent question.

My suspicion would be that either (a) you can't or (b) you can conduct an ILS with non-precision aids tuned and idented for backup, to non-precision minima.

But I may well be wrong.

I'm going to copy this thread across to the ATC forum for any input they might have.

[BlueEagle]

Use at your own risk I suspect. Some ILS installations have self monitoring equipment that will shut them down when any signal goes outside the approved and tested parameters.

[FWA NATCA]

Goldfish,

Someone should be monitoring the ILS's at non towered or at airports with the tower closed, be it the local FBO, or FSS. I vector aircraft on a daily basis to several airports without towers for ILS approaches, if the monitoring equipment is out of service or if no one is there to monitor it then a NOTAM should note it.

Mike
NATCA FWA

[Tinstaafl]

Similarly in Oz: There's no requirement for ATC attendance to do an instrument approach. Accident rate is at least comparable to the UK so why does the UK persist with this requirement?