ILS / LOC SC

Reading ILS and LOCALIZER Plates

Watch the above video to refresh on what information is on the plate and where it is.  Use the LEGEND below to help decipher the symbols on the chart.  You can also use the CHART USERS GUIDE under Pilot Resources for those obscure symbols you want to look up that you’re not quite sure what they are.

approach plate legend approach plate legend approach plate legend approach plate legend approach plate legend approach plate legend

How do You Fly It?

Check out the video below to see a full example of being vectored onto an ILS approach and flying it all the way down to minimums.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-qcIV5dFfw[/embedyt]

What about the LOC?

A Localizer approach is very similar to an ILS approach, however you will only get lateral guidance and no vertical guidance (no glideslope).  This is considered a non-precision approach (all approaches without vertical guidance of some sort are non-precision).  The trick with a localizer approach (and any non-precision approach for that matter) is the lack of a steady rate descent on the approach.  Instead of flying a constant descent of 300-400fpm on an ILS, you’ll be “stepping down” and maintaining a certain altitude until you get closer to the runway, then stepping down lower again, and so on.  Let’s look at two examples below.