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Heard a guy at union hall say DME arcs are fake and it made me think
He was complaining about how we spend too much time on NDB approaches nobody uses anymore. But I had a guy last month in Kalamazoo who asked specifically for an NDB hold practice run before his checkride. Has anyone else had pilots actually request the old stuff over GPS?
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evan_cooper731mo ago
I mean I get where you're coming from but I think it's a little different in the real world. Last month I was doing a night flight into a smaller field in Illinois and the GPS just went blank on me, no warning. Had to switch to raw data real quick and that DME arc I learned years ago was the only reason I was able to intercept the localizer without going missed. I've also had a few younger pilots in the pattern ask me to show them how to do it because their CFII never covered it. Maybe it's just the type of flying I do but I'd rather have that skill and not need it than be staring at a blank screen in IMC with no backup plan.
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lewis.mila1mo ago
Wait, are these DME arcs becoming the new NDBs or something? 😂 I had a sim session last week where the instructor made me set up a full DME arc approach just to prove I still remembered how to twist the knob instead of tapping a screen. Honestly, the only guys I hear asking for NDB holds are either ancient or trying to show off on their checkride. The rest of us just punch in the GPS direct and call it a day. But hey, if someone's paying for the gas and wants to pretend it's 1995, I'll gladly spin the OBS for a few extra minutes.
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the_tessa1mo ago
The sim instructor I had back when I was working on my instrument rating made me do DME arcs until I could do them in my sleep. I remember one session where we did like five in a row, each one with a different wind, just to nail the timing. It actually helped a lot when I got into real IMC and the GPS decided to crap out on me, which has happened more than once. For checkrides, I agree it's kind of a show off move unless the DPE is old school and expects it, but having that skill in your back pocket has saved my bacon on a few trips where the avionics were acting up. So yeah, keep spinning that OBS, it beats being stuck with a failed approach because you forgot how to do it the old way.
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