Procedure Turn and Straight in Approach [DELETE]

Procedure Turn (PT): A manoeuvre in which a turn is made away from a designated track followed by a turn in the opposite direction to permit the aircraft to intercept and proceed along the reciprocal of the designated track.

Procedure Turn Inbound: The point of a procedure turn manoeuvre where course reversal has been completed and an aircraft is established inbound on the intermediate approach or final approach course. A report of “procedure turn inbound” is normally used by ATC as a position report for separation purposes.

Straight In Approach: ATC uses the term “straight-in approach” to indicate an instrument approach conducted so as to position the aircraft on final approach without performing a procedure turn.

Published transitions normally are designated from an en route navigation aid to the primary approach aid upon which the procedure turn is based. However, to accommodate aircraft with modern avionics equipment and to improve fuel economy, transitions at some locations direct the pilot to an intermediate fix (IF) on the final approach course. Subject to ATC requirements and local traffic conditions, a straight-in approach may be made from this fix.

Intermediate fixes are usually located on the final approach track at the procedure turn distance specified in the profile view. This distance, which is normally 10 NM, is the distance within which the procedure turn should be executed. Accordingly, after passing the fix and manoeuvring the aircraft onto the proper inbound track, descent may be made to the appropriate published altitude that would apply as if a procedure turn had been completed.

Radar Vectors to Final

Traditionally, instrument approach procedures have been developed to include a procedure turn initial approach segment. Procedure turns permitted the pilot to “self navigate” the aircraft within the procedure in order to place the aircraft in a position to conduct a normal landing. Introducing DME and other feeder routes or transitions permitted the pilot to conduct a straight-in procedure without conducting the procedure turn. Most instrument procedures today are accomplished without conducting a procedure turn.

Instrument approaches at Canada’s major airports are conducted by radar vectors to the final approach course. While procedure turns are depicted on the instrument approach procedures at these airports, procedure turns are never flown. ATC route and space all aircraft within the terminal area in order to provide a systematic flow of the air traffic. An aircraft conducting a procedure turn manoeuvre at these major centres would cause serious traffic disruptions which may lead to losses of separation or possibly a mid-air collision.

Instrument procedures are being introduced eliminating the procedure turn as well as including a statement “RADAR REQUIRED” as part of the procedure. The initial approach segment of these instrument procedures is being provided by ATC radar vectors. Without ATC radar vectoring, the instrument procedure may not have a published initial approach segment.

Should an aircraft communication failure occur while being vectored for one of these approaches, refer to the communications failure procedures detailed in RAC Two-Way Communication Failure.

REFERENCES
AIM RAC 9.7.2 Radar Required
AIM RAC 9.15 Straight-In Approach
AIM RAC 9.16 Straight-In Approaches from an Intermediate Fix