Circling question

[surplus1]

It's a "circling manuever" and you don't fly around at "low altitude", you maintain a published MDA derived from a survey of obstacles and terrain. And you're NOT maneuvering for the purpose of "trying to stay visual". You're maneuvering the aircraft into a normal position to land within the lateral-limit protected area in order to leave the MDA, just like any other non-precision approach. If you can't see the runway by the MAP you fly the missed. If you can see the runways but can't maneuver to that position, you fly the missed. If you begin to exceed the lateral limits, you fly the missed just as you do while flying any approach, precision or non-precision.

Thank you for the flying lesson. The beauty of this work is that I lean something just about every day. If I keep at it I hope that one day I too will be "in the know".

Did someone teach you to begin mucking about at that poing, sniffing for the airport? No wonder you think it's dangerous.

Nope, no one taught me that. About all I've managed to learn is that humility and cockpits go well together.

[Safety during circling requires having a plan before you begin the approach and strictly ADHERING to the published limits of altitude and circling radius, and a mindset to bag it if your plan or any limit can't be met. Just because the airlines don't choose to spend the time and money training for this doesn't mean they are haphazard. [/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips. I guess the airlines just don't know what they should. Maybe one day they will learn and when things get better and they can afford it, they'll teach us what you already know. I sure hope so. Wouldn't want to be lost mucking about sniffing.

Best wishes.