Sector DME arrivals

[Inboardflap]

Sector DME arrivals
Just had a chance to review some Australian plates and noticed this Sector Arrival approaches.
Never seen them in N America nor Europe.
Can anyone point me to a link that provides a good explanation of those procedures?

Please see: Sydney ,NSW, Australia 10-2A and Canberra,ACT, Australia 10-2A

[Piltdown Man]

A DME arrival is a very useful half-way house between an instrument and visual approach. When instructed "Callsign, make DME arrival" you merely descend to the lowest altitude relevant for the arc and DME value. As you get get closer to the fix and pass DME limits you continue to descend until you are visual. Then you self position and land. They are brilliant inventions. ATC can drink coffee, finish off their Sudoku puzzles and we can do likewise whilst making an approach. There's none of this yackety-yack, just good old fashioned flying.

[Tinstaafl]

A DME arrival is very much an instrument approach! But just to a circling minimum only, and is not a runway/straight in approach. Conceptually, it is little different to a VOR/DME or NDB/DME circling approach except that it can begin a lot further away eg 30nm, and can encompass a sector to the azimuth aid not just a single inbound track.

They're a damned handy way to get from enroute to visual without having to deviate from your inbound track to get to an IAF, as is often the case with other approaches.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Does the procedure permit maximum runway utilisation or is it employed only during quiet periods?

[Tinstaafl]

Full procedure not often used in busy controlled airspace**, but often used at less busy controlled zone & very frequently used OCTA. Unlike the UK, you don't need a controller at the airport to do an approach. Apart from at a limited number of controlled fields, most airport approaches are OCTA.


**But can frequently be used in a more limited method ie. descent to an altitude not below DME steps.