Left: Approach into Grand Cayman with wind and rain
Right: Beautiful weather for departure at Grand Cayman
Airline Pilots, as opposed to General Aviation pilots, fly to relatively few airports, and most of these airports provide radar services with vectors to the final approach. With the advent of GPS Approaches, more full approach options became available, and even the new “T” approach became an option. But it still seemed that Air Traffic Control (ATC) never offered these new options to me. Likely because I was still flying to large airports across the country and around the world. Now, as a charter pilot, flying to potentially thousands of airports, ATC is assigning many more full approaches or approaches with a transition rather than providing vectoring to the final approach segment.
Here are some transitions we have received from ATC while flying recent approaches.
Flying the Bridgeport 1 Arrival (DNY Transition) into Oxford, Connecticut. ATC assigned the MOONI (IAF) Transition from Pawling (PWL) for the RNAV (GPS) Rwy 18 Approach into Oxford, Conn (KOXC).
On the way into Nassau, Bahamas (MYNN), Nassau Approach sent us directly to JOBID Intermediate Fix (IF) for the RNAV (GPS) Rwy 10 Approach. We usually receive the RNAV (GNSS) Rwy 14 Approach with transitions to RELVE (IAF) when flying from Florida, and the HEKOP (IAF) when flying from the New York area, both of which are “T” transitions to the approach. This was followed by a similar situation at Grand Cayman, Island (MWCR), where ATC cleared us directly to the MOBIX (IF) for a ninety-degree turn to line up on final for the RNAV (GNSS) to Rwy 08.
You could tell things were heating up on the day we flew from the Bahamas toward the Northeast over the Florida Coast. A Delta Airlines flight called ATC with a request. Jacksonville Center’s response was a curt “short sentences only.” We had to be rerouted over land to avoid convective activity and restricted airspace, just ahead of a tropical storm.
After seeing only visual approaches for a day in the Northeast, we headed back to Florida with an overnight on Hilton Head Island. At Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, we were cleared direct to the FUMMA (IF/IAF) for the straight-in approach. The next morning, we had a short hop to Titusville, FL, Space Coast Regional Airport. There we flew the BITHO 7 Arrival and were cleared direct to the CUTON (IF) for the RNAV (GPS) Z Rwy 18 Approach.
The FAA discriminates between approaches when two or more straight-in approaches with the same type of guidance for a runway by adding a letter suffix to the approach, such as RNAV (GPS) Z, RNAV (GPS) Y, RNAV (GPS) X. The logic works backwards from the letter Z. We cannot start at the front of the alphabet as those letters are already used to identify circling approaches. The approaches may have different minimums, different transitions, different missed approach procedures, or even require special aircrew authorization, such as with RNP-AR Approaches.
We headed out West the next day. Our weather greatly improved except for some thunderstorms in Colorado and smoke from fires in Oregon. But it was an intense 42 degrees C or 108 degrees F in Las Vegas. We received Visual Approach Procedures at Las Vegas, NV, Eugene, OR, Dallas Love, TX, and even Aspen, CO, where we usually receive the LOC DME-E or the RNAV (GPS)-F.
The purpose of the Initial Approach Segment is to align the airplane with the intermediate or final approach segment. When ATC is vectoring you onto the final approach segment (which occurs most of the time where ATC has radar and approach control capability) they must vector you onto the final approach course with no more than a 30-degree or 20-degree intercept, depending on the distance from the approach gate (an ATC imaginary point two miles from the Final Approach Fix) (FAF). ATC may clear you to an Intermediate Fix (IF) with up to a 90-degree intercept for a straight-in approach. ATC may also clear you to an Initial Approach Fix (IAF) from any direction. However, this may involve a course reversal to turn you around and align with the intermediate or final approach course.
Four of our approaches this week were of the RNAV Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) type. The FAA describes the TAA as a “T” design (also called “Basic T”), which contains two base leg IAFs typically assigned in a straight line perpendicular to the intermediate course. Although the FAA attempts to use a “T” configuration, some resemble an “L” or a “Y” shape more than a “T”. The “T” approach or base leg usually allows the pilot to skip the procedure turn as noted by the “NoPT” symbol. It also simplifies the workload and radar equipment requirements for ATC.
My crew and I had a great time flying some famous and not-so-famous passengers across the country and to some islands. We also enjoyed having the opportunity to put into practice some of the FAA’s “T” Approaches while flying into some beautiful locations.
