Let me pick up right where we left off — Page 175, Lesson 248

Let me pick up right where we left off. We were talking about non-precision approaches, and I want to finish that thought about SRA — Surveillance Radar Approach. When you're being radar-guided on a reduced range scale, that's an SRA. Now here's the key point: because there's no reference to touchdown for non-precision procedures, and because these procedures always terminate above touchdown, they're sometimes called aerodrome approach procedures. Let me unpack that. A precision approach like an ILS gives you guidance all the way down to the runway. A non-precision approach doesn't — it stops short of touchdown. So instead of calling it an approach to the runway itself, we call it an approach to the aerodrome, because you're not being guided right down to the pavement. Now, some of these procedures are specified for approach to the aerodrome, and then you follow that with a circling manoeuvre. That circling manoeuvre has to comply with defined visual criteria, and its purpose is to let you land in a direction other than that of the straight-in approach. This is known as Visual Manoeuvring — or Circling — and I'll cover that in detail in Chapter 9. For now, just hold onto the term: Visual Manoeuvring (Circling) is the procedure where you approach the aerodrome, then circle visually to land in a different direction than the straight-in approach. Now let's move to section 8.10, the Visual Approach. Here's a really important distinction that catches a lot of students. In all cases, once you're established on final approach, you as the pilot have the option to continue the approach visually — provided, of course, that you have the necessary visual criteria specified by your operator. Now listen carefully: this is NOT VFR. I want to say that again — this is not VFR. It is completing the IFR procedure visually. You're still flying an instrument procedure, you're just doing the final part by looking out the window instead of on the instruments. Unless Cat IIIC applies — and Cat IIIC is the category that allows landing with zero visibility — you're going to need some form of visual criteria anyway. So if you get that visual criterion at 7 miles from touchdown, what's the real difference between continuing visually and staying on instruments? The difference is separation. Separation is the responsibility of ATC, because there may be aircraft behind you and in front of you undertaking instrument approaches. So even though you're flying visually, air traffic control is still managing the spacing between you and the other traffic. Now section 8.11, Completing the Procedure. This is a hard rule. Once an instrument procedure has been commenced, the pilot must complete the procedure as published — unless ATC gives you contrary instructions. Even if you fly the final approach visually, the requirements of the procedure must still be complied with. You don't get to skip steps just because you can see the runway. So what does an instrument approach end with? It ends with either a successful landing, or completion of the missed approach procedure. Those are the only two ways it ends. And here's the critical part: if the procedure is abandoned after passing the IAF — that's the Initial Approach Fix, the point where you begin the initial approach segment — then the missed approach procedure must be flown. And it must be flown starting from the MAPt, which is the Missed Approach Point. The aircraft climbs to the altitude specified for the missed approach as soon as possible. That altitude will usually be the highest MSA — that's Minimum Sector Altitude — or the lowest altitude specified for commencing the procedure at the IAF. So let me tie this together. You have three key terms here: the IAF, the Initial Approach Fix, where the procedure begins; the MAPt, the Missed Approach Point, where the missed approach starts if you abandon the approach; and MSA, Minimum Sector Altitude, which is one of the altitudes you might climb to. The rule is simple: once you're past the IAF, you're committed. If you abandon the approach, you fly the missed approach from the MAPt, climbing to the specified altitude as soon as possible. That's how the procedure protects you — it gives you a defined escape route with a defined altitude to climb to. That figure shows the procedure segments, which will help you visualize where the IAF and MAPt sit in the overall approach.