PAR Approaches!!!!!

[bigsky]

In theory they sound pretty easy but can be a total nightmare-especially if it is a bad controller. I have been scared two times that I remember and they were both bad wx doing a par in foreign countries.( naval stations in spain, italy,turkey) Usually it is a young controller and they think the faster they talk the better they are doing. I also think we screw them up in a heavey airplane as we are not responding as quick as they are used to. I have had some on the other hand that were pretty good. Honestly I would almost rather do a NDB approach than a par with a bad controller. I have had some into Norfolk NAS where we broke out at 250 feet in what would normally be full scale on a vor or ILS.

 

[Lindy]

I used to take my students to Selfridge AFB (north of Detroit, MI) for a PAR before their instrument sign-off. It was a nice break before the checkride and they were able to see a different environment.

However, since we were civilian, we could NOT land at Selfridge, just fly over the rwy.



And, if anyone can tell me who Selfridge was named after, beer is on me!! (I know!!)

 

[bigr]

Selfridge was the first person to die in powered flight while flying with orville wright.

I like sierra nevada pale ale!

 

[Saabslime]

Cheyenne Wyoming does them as well......or used to. Those controllers up there are usually bored out of their witts and are just begging to do stuff like this. Very nice people.

 

[BigFlyr]

Most of these posts might imply that PARs are available for practice approaches into military airports, which they are, but I'd like to add that PARs are in many cases the only approaches available along with ASRs into military airports. If you end up flying for an operation that has a military contract, like ATA or Miami Air, you'll do lots of them in solid IFR. Very cool.