convair880mfan wrote:Wind conditions often require pilots to do close in turns before lining up on the east-west runway when landing to the west. This is because there are some pretty steep mountains immediately east of the airfield.
I often wondered whether this made pilots a bit nervous. I realize pilots are seasoned professionals and have much knowledge and experience with all kinds of flying. Do pilots prefer long straight-in approaches to the kind I have described?
convair880mfan, in aviation, as in many other professions, a person's confidence in their ability to perform certain tasks; in the case you described, a close in turn due to high terrain near the airfield, is a function of training, experience, and preparation.
At the company at which I work, we have a simulator lesson in our training syllabus during which we are required to complete a maneuver called "High Energy Approach Procedure." During the lesson, we accomplish an approach to an airport from a higher-than-normal altitude to train the exact situation you described. The lesson requires us to use various combinations of drag--flaps, landing gear, speed brakes--along with airspeed management and descent rate control--to put the aircraft in a position to make a safe landing. Moreover, we need to demonstrate "stabilized approach" criteria, which, at my carrier is: at 1000 feet AFE be aligned with the intended landing runway (unless otherwise specified by procedure or as dictated by terrain and airspace), fully configured, and a rate of descent not to exceed 1000 feet per minute; and at 500 feet be stabilized at approach airspeed and engines spooled up so as to maintain that airspeed (not idle).
At many airports where terrain is an issue we have videos we can watch to familiarize ourselves with local procedures and there are often special procedures published in the flight operations airport guide that we are required to reference prior to flying into those airport.
If the airline serves the station regularly, i.e., Southwest at Albuquerque, it is likely a new first officer will see the procedure demonstrated by a captain.
Sometimes neither pilot has previously been to that specific airport, but the simulator training, videos, and operations procedures, plus previous experience at other airports, provide the pilots the competency and confidence to successfully fly the approach.
The bottom line is that we have training and resources available such that when confronted with a situation you described, the approach is somewhat "expected" and routine.
e38