Question to pilots who have landed on airports using ILS

[Ingo Schulz]

Hi!

In IFR flights rotorcraft are sequenced together with airplanes on the
approach path, i.e. they use the same procedures as airplanes. Because
they are much slower than aircraft, they hinder the traffic flow. To
alleviate airport congestion they could intercept the glide path nearer
to the runway threshold.

Now the question to you pilots: What would be the minimum safe distance
(from intercept point to runway threshold) for a helicopter to intercept
the ILS glide path and land on an airport? What would you guess?

Thnaks, Ingo

[PJ Hunt]

The slowest IFR helicopter is Category A just like any other Category A
aircraft. Why does anything need to be changed?

In true IFR, the last thing I want to do is try and intercept the ILS at the
'last minute'. Actually, in true IFR, I don't even really want to be in a
helicopter, but then we don't always get what we want, do we?

PJ

============================================
Here's to the duck who swam a lake and never lost a feather,
May sometime another year, we all be back together.
JJW
============================================

"Ingo Schulz" > wrote in message
...
> Hi!
>
> In IFR flights rotorcraft are sequenced together with airplanes on the
> approach path, i.e. they use the same procedures as airplanes. Because
> they are much slower than aircraft, they hinder the traffic flow. To
> alleviate airport congestion they could intercept the glide path nearer
> to the runway threshold.
>
> Now the question to you pilots: What would be the minimum safe distance
> (from intercept point to runway threshold) for a helicopter to intercept
> the ILS glide path and land on an airport? What would you guess?
>
> Thnaks, Ingo
>

[Dave S]

The minimum safe distance would be OUTSIDE the IAF, as prescribed in the
terminal procedure.

Dave

Ingo Schulz wrote:

> Hi!
>
> In IFR flights rotorcraft are sequenced together with airplanes on the
> approach path, i.e. they use the same procedures as airplanes. Because
> they are much slower than aircraft, they hinder the traffic flow. To
> alleviate airport congestion they could intercept the glide path nearer
> to the runway threshold.
>
> Now the question to you pilots: What would be the minimum safe distance
> (from intercept point to runway threshold) for a helicopter to intercept
> the ILS glide path and land on an airport? What would you guess?
>
> Thnaks, Ingo
>

[Ingo Schulz]

PJ Hunt wrote:
> The slowest IFR helicopter is Category A just like any other Category A
> aircraft. Why does anything need to be changed?

Perhaps you have heard that nowadays many are considering the
integration of rotorcraft in the air traffic management (regional
flights) for airport congestion alleviation. The point is, to achieve
congestion alleviation you need simultaneous non-interfering (SNI)
procedures. But SNI procedures aren't feasible in every airport. That's
why I want to find out how one can optimize todays rotorcraft
procedures, so that the many rotorcraft that are going to be integrated
in the ATM will not increase but reduce congestion on busy airports.

Perhaps I should have written in my original post that rotorcraft would
use GPS to get to the intercept point and then land using ILS.

Well, I hope I clarified why I would like to know what the minimum safe
distance is for intercepting the glide path.

Ingo