A Circling Approach is normally made, when the executed Instrument Approach Procedure serves another runway, other than the Landing runway. This normally means decision height and visibility is much more stringent. You must not depart from the procedure unless you have the runway in sight. If you do lose sight of the airport,  then you will have to carry out the missed approach procedure immediately. Some of the approaches to airfields are on DME Arc distances from the VOR . This lecture is about teaching you how to do a circling  approach using a VOR/DME Arc IE  vectoring yourself round an arc onto a final approach course at  16 miles out all the way round until intercepting the inbound radial. The inbound course for this exercise back to the VOR will be the 195 radial on a heading of 015 .


Pick any VOR of your choice, position yourself overhead and fly outbound on the 085 radial to the VOR 15 DME.  You will then need to turn 100 degrees to the right heading 185. The reason you turn one mile away is because the aircraft will still push you out to 16 DME in the turn . Likewise if you coming from another VOR towards this VOR you would start your 100 degree left turn at 17 miles Now rotate the OBS needle on your VOR instrument until it centres with a TO sign showing. Keep Adjusting the OBS to keep the needle in the centre. Each time you have done ten degrees on the OBS indication ,turn your aircraft right ten degrees and reset the needle to the centre . Repeat the procedure each time  you have done 10 degrees until you get round to the required heading to fly inbound to the VOR .  In this case it is 015, then turn right and fly back in to the VOR. When you are happy doing it to the right, try doing it to the left.

RULE OF THUMB Your heading until intercepting should always be 100 degrees more than the radial shown at the bottom of the instrument.

If the DME read out is more than 16 DME , add another  couple of degrees onto it to the right say 13 degrees instead of 10 degrees next time to correct it. If the DME readout is less then turn a few degrees to the left IE 7 degrees instead of 10 degrees. This is normally caused by wind drift . On the last 10 degrees of interception you will need to set the VOR OBS to 015 ready for the inbound leg. This time keep the needle centred, then fly inbound to the VOR allowing for Drift.

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