Roy Smith wrote:

For the most part, if there's an ILS at an airport that makes sense for the
prevailing wind direction, they'll be using that in preference to any other
type of approach. If the airport has an ATIS, they'll be advertising which
approach is in use there.

At my home airport (Ottawa, ON - CYOW, with two ILS approaches and
steady airline traffic) the preferred runway is 25, which has only a
LOC(BC) and NDB approach -- the assumption is that pilots will take the
visual approach on a good day.

Many airports around here have ILS approaches on east-facing runways.
The prevailing wind is from the west, but the lowest weather often
comes with an east wind.


All the best,


David