Weather is a critical factor for any pilot, and today we were planning ILS and VOR approaches in controlled airspace. The forecast was initially good and even improving, with almost no wind, a ceiling of 4300, and visibility of 10 miles or more. After all preparations and a preflight check, however, the wind shifted to 190 with 4 knots, which meant we would have a tailwind if we used runway 36, the only runway with ILS in that airport. As a result, it was more likely that all other traffic would use runway 18, and ILS would not be an option.
The only option for an approach with glideslope available, was a GPS approach with LPV . However, the airplane we planned to use did not have WAAS, which meant that we couldn’t fly this type of approach. Fortunately, another airplane with WAAS was available, so we decided to prepare for a GPS approach. Instrument-wise, there is almost no difference between ILS and GPS with a glideslope.
Unfortunately, the weather turned against us again, and the ceiling dropped to 800. These were not proper conditions for a training flight, especially for my first-ever precision approach. So we decided to wait for appropriate conditions. Sometimes weather doesn’t cooperate, and making a proper decision is part of a good aeronautical decision making.
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