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The category A and B outbound leg is 3 minutes, and there is a minimum height of 2,500ft
before you are aligned on 147 inbound to the

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Stabilised rates of descent for

non-precision instrument
approaches

ARRYING OUT ANY INSTRUMENT

approach, particularly in single-pilot

operations, requires a high level of
concentration, skill and accuracy.
The Non-Directional Beacon (NDB)
approach is probably the most demanding.
Anything that reduces the workload will
reduce the possibility of an accident.
One method of doing this is to fly, where possthle,a stabilised approach. A stabilised approach
is where the speed and rate of descent are constant throughout the approach.
Once set up, this cuts the workload by
reducing the need for large power changes,
pitch changes and the resulting trim changes.
22 FLIGHT SAFETY AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1997

To fly this procedure you must establish a profile which lends itself to this method.
The information required is the descent
rate needed to make good the approach angle.
For most ILS, VOR/DME and NDB/DME
approaches, the approach angle is 3, which
can be matched to the gradient-to-rate table
in the front of the DAP, and is shown on the
DME altitude scale.
Procedures
The descent rate varies on NDB or VOR
approaches without distance information. The
descent rate can also vary within the approach.
Take the example of the Charleville RWY 12

Flying a 3 minute outbound leg and completing the turn inbound at rate 1 will require
4 minutes and 4 seconds, all for a 300ft descent
which equates to a stable descent rate of 78ft
per minute. On the inbound leg on a track of
147, the descent is 600ft in 3 minutes or a stable descent of 200ft per minute. To fly a stabilised approach with constant speed and a
constant rate of descent, a higher commencement height will be needed.
For instrument approaches based solely on
a tracking aid, it is impossible to accurately
determine that the aircraft is achieving a 3
approach gradient. The maximum rates of
descent which can be specified for the outbound and inbound tracks of a procedure are
listed in ICAO DOC 8168 Vol II (PANS OPS).
There are approaches with very shallow
descents which do not lend themselves to a
stabilised approach. The reason is that the
25nm minimum sector altitude is often the
commencement height for the approach.
In the case of Charleville, the approach commences at the 25nm minimum sector. This
means that an aircraft arriving at Charleville
in IMC will maximise the possibility of becoming visual and therefore may not require the
NDB approach and the extra flight time.
If your aircraft is not established in VMC at
the 25nm minimum sector altitude, you can
go straight into the instrument approach.
Changing the approach so that stabilised flight
is possible throughout the approach will have
negative effects which outweigh the benefits.
To reconcile the ideal situation with the
practical solution offered by the instrument
approach procedure designers, an instrument
approach can be commenced at a height in
excess of what is published on the chart. In
the Charleville approach, if you were certain
that the approach must be flown to become
visual, the procedure could be commenced at
5,400ft in nil wind - allowing a descent rate of
about 500ft per minute.
A stabilised approach offers a reduced workload. Some approaches may have an initial
approach fix below the height from which a
stabilised approach can be flown. To use a stabilised approach, work out a commencement
height which allows for the procedure. Ensure
that the heights you select fall within the normal operating parameters of your aircraft.
Allister Polkinghorne is

CASA safety education officer.