Help understanding Aspen VOR/DME approach

The plate is here-

http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://.../05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of 2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!

Could someone please confirm this or help with my interpretation of
the chart. I am a PP beginning instrument training.

TIA

SimGuy wrote:
The plate is here-

http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://.../05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of 2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!

Could someone please confirm this or help with my interpretation of
the chart. I am a PP beginning instrument training.

TIA
It is circling only minimums because of the steep descent angle.

It is a form of "Let the buyer beware."

In a previous article, said:
The plate is here-
http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://.../05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of 2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!

Well, yes, if you don't see the runway until the MAP and then want to land
on the runway ahead, you will have a very steep descent. But there are
two factors mitigating that:
- you might see the runway earlier and
- it's a circling approach, so you can circle around airport to descend if
you need to.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.

Paul Tomblin wrote:
In a previous article, said:

The plate is here-
http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://.../05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of 2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!


Well, yes, if you don't see the runway until the MAP and then want to land
on the runway ahead, you will have a very steep descent. But there are
two factors mitigating that:
- you might see the runway earlier and
- it's a circling approach, so you can circle around airport to descend if
you need to.


At Aspen, circling around the airport is very risky business.

In article kH9Bg.513$0F5.178@fed1read04, Sam Spade wrote:
At Aspen, circling around the airport is very risky business.

Unless you're at 20,000 ft. Ok, maybe 18K.

Blanche Cohen wrote:
In article kH9Bg.513$0F5.178@fed1read04, Sam Spade wrote:

At Aspen, circling around the airport is very risky business.


Unless you're at 20,000 ft. Ok, maybe 18K.


But, those altitudes are in Class A airspace. ;-)

17,000 feet will provide legal en route (and circling ;-) altitude for
the entire 48 states.

-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Spade ]
Posted At: Saturday, August 05, 2006 6:19 PM
Posted To: rec.aviation.ifr
Conversation: Help understanding Aspen VOR/DME approach
Subject: Help understanding Aspen VOR/DME approach

Paul Tomblin wrote:
In a previous article, said:

The plate is here-
http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://204.108.4.16/d-
tpp/0608/05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of
2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!


Well, yes, if you don't see the runway until the MAP and then want
to
land
on the runway ahead, you will have a very steep descent. But there
are
two factors mitigating that:
- you might see the runway earlier and
- it's a circling approach, so you can circle around airport to
descend
if
you need to.


At Aspen, circling around the airport is very risky business.

No kidding!! Isn't that why we all learned steep-turns-about-a-point?
Even the 360-overhead would be thrilling at Aspen.

Jim Carter wrote:


-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Spade ]
Posted At: Saturday, August 05, 2006 6:19 PM
Posted To: rec.aviation.ifr
Conversation: Help understanding Aspen VOR/DME approach
Subject: Help understanding Aspen VOR/DME approach



At Aspen, circling around the airport is very risky business.


No kidding!! Isn't that why we all learned steep-turns-about-a-point?
Even the 360-overhead would be thrilling at Aspen.

If a pilot is going to do those types of maneuvers at Aspen, then he or
she better have the right airplance and be very familiar with the airport.

Those two factors always greatly improve the safety margin. But, that
becomes, more or less, a special-qualification circumstance, as opposed
to "plain old TERPS."

Just for grins fly the sim approach in the Baron, without circling...
It can be done but you need to be determined...

denny

On Sat, 5 Aug 2006 23:13:21 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote:

In a previous article, said:
The plate is here-
http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://.../05889VDGC.PDF

While trying to fly the approach in the sim I flew to the MAP with
relative ease but had trouble getting low enough to make the runway
without getting too hot. Looking at the plate it seems a drop of 2380'
must be made between MAFMU and the runway in a lateral distance of
1.4NM, this is a descent angle of 15 degrees!

Well, yes, if you don't see the runway until the MAP and then want to land
on the runway ahead, you will have a very steep descent. But there are
two factors mitigating that:
- you might see the runway earlier and
- it's a circling approach, so you can circle around airport to descend if
you need to.

Even if the runway is spotted well before the MAP, say at, ALLIX, it's
a very steep descent. At 100kts it is 1140fpm.

I'm not an expert, but this looks like a tough approach; the MA looks
challenging too. Would it even be possible in a 172 or would it would
too under-powered? I imagine you would want something with plenty of
extra oomph.