Visual approach

[lightplane 0]

For visual approaches to non-ILS runways, RC4 puts me on a heading similar to an intercept heading for an ILS approach. At this distance and altitude, I'm usually in cloud so I cannot see the runway.How would I normally go about this kind of approach? Do I need an aid, such as GPS or other navaid to find the runway?, or would the controller steer me right if I went past runway approach?With the default ATC, it would stay with you until you confirmed visual on the runway. On approach to 10L at KSFO, I used the GPS to find the start of the visual approach and then had to "guess" my descent through cloud so that I would not be too high when I finally broke through the overcast and had a visual on the runway.Do I have to request visual approach to get more help from ATC?Thoughts?

[jd 57]

if you are declaring visual approach, or asking for a visual approach, you're saying "the field is in sight, landing is assured"doesn't sound like your conditions/situation match that criteriajd

[lightplane 0]

No - Runway 10L at San Francisco does not have an ILS. RC4 is vectoring me to the runway and then leaves me heading 30 degrees of the runway heading, with instrucitons that the runway is at my 11 o clock and to maintain course until established. Established on what - there is no localiser.

[John Burgess 0]

Hi there,The plate I've got for the vor approach here has you coming in on a course of 101 towards the SFO VOR (115.8) so you need to be established on that. The vertical profile to fly is on the plate.I think there's a rule of thumb to give you a rough 3 degree glide slope:Distance in miles to touch down/3 gives you how many thousand feet above the field you should be. So 6 miles out you should be about 2000 feet above the field.I also think there's one for the vs required to hold a 3 degree glide slope.Something like you need 100 fpm of vs for every 20 knots of groundspeed so at 160 knots ground speed you need to descend at 800 fpm to maintain the gs.Only rough approximations but they can help if you've no plate handy.All the best,John

[jd 57]

the clearance says "until established on the final approach course".so what i do, is watch advdisp. when the runway heading and the heading to the airport are the same, i turn off that 30 degree intercept to the runway heading. when the field is in sight, i make the necessary adjustments to line up.that may not be perfect, or RL, but it works for mejd