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4 Answers

LP & LNAV Approaches

Asked by: 1799 views Instrument Rating

While flying practice approaches today I flew the RNAV (GPS) RWY 36 approach into Foley, Alabama. There is a LP & a LNAV with a published MDA, neither one I thought  is able to providing vertical guidance but I DID get vertical guidance. Why, what am I missing?

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4 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Mar 20, 2019

    What was your GPS annunciating? Perhaps “+V” the unofficial advisory stabilized descent vertical profile some units provide?

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  2. DEBarker278 on Mar 20, 2019

    it’s a garmin 530W, didn’t notice what the annunciation was. So am I to believe that I can get a unofficial advisory stabilized descent vertical profile on all LP & LNAV approaches?

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  3. John D Collins on Mar 20, 2019

    It depends on your software version of the GNS530W. The current version is 5.40 and 5.30 or later supports LP+V.. Earlier versions do not support LP+V. If the approach does not have a note in the profile view, or the note reads as “Visual segment – obstacles”, you will have +V on an LP procedure. If there is a note: “Descent angle NA” in the profile, the +V is not coded for that procedure but will eventually be upgraded to the note “Visual segment – obstacles”. What both of the notes mean is that if you follow the +V below the MDA, you might hit a rock, tree, tower, or hill. But you are not supposed to use +V below the MDA in the first place, as one needs to be visual to avoid any obstacles. So with the new note and one of the recent versions of the software, you will get +V and you need to heed the note and not follow the +V below the MDA.

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  4. Warren Webb Jr on Mar 20, 2019

    You should be able to go to waypoints, put in the airport ID, select an approach with the cursor, and it will have the service level provided by that unit for that approach – LPV, LP, LP+V, LNAV, LNAV+V. Can be done pre-flight so you can then know what minimums you will have to compare to weather forecasts but the service level displayed at the time of the approach governs (i.e. the approach might be downgraded due to a WAAS glitch).

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