ASR approach

[ErikU]

The naval air station at Whidbey Island now offers ASR approaches to a nearby civilian airport. I have practiced flying that approach a couple times and it is pretty interesting and fun. However, none of my instrument training books explain how to properly fly an ASR approach. Yes, they guide you through everything, but I would like a little more info about what to expect, and what the controller expects from me.

Does anyone here have ASR experience? Has anyone found a good resource for this?

 

[Vinny]

You call and ask for a radar approach. They hand you off to a controller on a discrete frequency. You do a radio check with the controller and get missed approach instructions. Then the controller tells you to shut up and listen. You're given vectors and told to turn left or turn right occasionally, similar to a no-gyro approach, and you're told how far off course you are. Then about 1 nm from the runway you're handed off to the tower. Piece of cake!

 

[Henning]

The naval air station at Whidbey Island now offers ASR approaches to a nearby civilian airport. I have practiced flying that approach a couple times and it is pretty interesting and fun. However, none of my instrument training books explain how to properly fly an ASR approach. Yes, they guide you through everything, but I would like a little more info about what to expect, and what the controller expects from me.

Does anyone here have ASR experience? Has anyone found a good resource for this?

I practiced a few out in SoCal when March AFB was doing them, and did one for real into Montgomery AL. You ask for it, and they give you instructions to follow; "Turn left, stop turn...". They will eventually tell you, "Do Not Acknowledge" just fly what they tell you, don't talk, just fly. When it's for real, it's tense, but in a way, soothing knowing that if you're screwing up, there's someone to tell you.

 

[Bill]

Does anyone here have ASR experience? Has anyone found a good resource for this?

The guys below have it, I was just lucky enough that my CFII did one with me during training so I'd know what to expect if I ever needed to do one for real.

 

[poadeleted20]

...they give you instructions to follow; "Turn left, stop turn...".

That's just for a "no-gyro" ASR, which should be given only on request, but is a great thing if you're partial panel (assuming you can fly a precisely standard rate turn because it's basically a timed turn with the controller doing the math and the timing instead of the pilot). Otherwise, they should give hard headings ("turn left heading 340"). Also, for those with NACO pubs, the minimums (MDA/vis, etc) for ASR's should be in the front of your Terminal Procedures book under "Radar Minimums."

 

[Henning]

That's just for a "no-gyro" ASR, which should be given only on request, but is a great thing if you're partial panel.

Quite true, and that's pretty much the circumstances I was under both in practice and actual, so that's pretty much the only experience I have with them.

 

[jdwatson]

I did one at MYR on my long IFR X-C. It was very interesting.

 

[Tom-D]

That's just for a "no-gyro" ASR, which should be given only on request, but is a great thing if you're partial panel (assuming you can fly a precisely standard rate turn because it's basically a timed turn with the controller doing the math and the timing instead of the pilot). Otherwise, they should give hard headings ("turn left heading 340"). Also, for those with NACO pubs, the minimums (MDA/vis, etc) for ASR's should be in the front of your Terminal Procedures book under "Radar Minimums."

The one I did this after noon the controler asked me to turn 10 degrees left. then told me I was correcting nicly, and asked me to turn to runway heading and decend to 900'

When I told him I had the runway he asked how he did.

But also 76S is now OHK, and we have an approved GPS to 600' on 07.