ILS or GPS?

We'll just agree to disagree. I liked one of the very few chances left in this career to actually be a pilot.

If I can circle Cat E in a 117 at 210 knots and single pilot, and remain within my cricling radii safely, then these guys can can too in their crewed airplane they have to hand fly. :)
 
If I can circle Cat E in a 117 at 210 knots and single pilot, and remain within my cricling radii safely, then these guys can can too in their crewed airplane they have to hand fly. :)
You fly helicopters willingly. Therefore your judgement is already suspect.
 
No thanks. I make it a goal to have to perform circling approaches at mins only in the sim.

Edit: Also note the minimum circling visibility of 2 miles for Category D.

But in general, a circling approach in a jet where you have to maneuver from downwind to base to final leaves too much opportunity to screw up when you're "low and slow".
I did not read the rest of this necropost, but if that's what scares you, don't fly charter or corporate as that's what we (they) do. Look up KTEB and the approaches and ask what actually happens there. That is corporate and charter aviation.
 
I did not read the rest of this necropost, but if that's what scares you, don't fly charter or corporate as that's what we (they) do. Look up KTEB and the approaches and ask what actually happens there. That is corporate and charter aviation.

As a point though, in an airline operation you train that twice a year. Flying the jets, you do it 0 times in between.

As you know, it's a busy maneuver. Corporate guys train it, and often fly that. Very proficient, as opposed to the airline jet types that very rarely, if ever, actually fly one. It's a perishable skill.
 
I did not read the rest of this necropost, but if that's what scares you, don't fly charter or corporate as that's what we (they) do. Look up KTEB and the approaches and ask what actually happens there. That is corporate and charter aviation.

Without re-reading the whole thing either I don't remember the context.

Charter is actually precisely what I do; usually air ambulance. A typical profile is a pop up trip into relatively short runways with surrounding terrain, and half the time it's at night.

So, re-reading what I said, I'd still say it again with that mission profile in mind. I circle twice a year satisfactorily, but I just haven't found the NEED to do it in the real world, even when my real world is po-dunk airports without an ILS. Most places have a GPS straight-in or dog-leg "circle" and in three years I can only think of one time that a full circling maneuver in IMC was the only option.

EDIT: For a different mission profile, I see no problem using a full circle as a normal operation, the example being the charter pilot that is doing 4 TEB turns a week and becoming very familiar with that approach.
 
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