IFR Checkride Guide
Chair flying / ILS Approach

ILS Approach

Fly a precision approach on localizer and glideslope to DA — configuration gates, a stabilized descent, and the land-or-miss decision.

Guided rehearsal is PremiumACS VI.B — Precision Approach

Pre-Approach (Five A's)

  1. ATIS/AWOS — weather, runway in use, expect which approach
  2. Altimeter — set current setting; cross-check altimeters
  3. Avionics — tune and IDENTIFY navaids, set courses, load the procedure
    Confirm the correct approach is loaded and the sequence matches the chart — waypoints, courses, altitudes.
  4. Approach briefing — brief the chart aloud
    Approach name and runway, final approach course, FAF and glidepath intercept altitude, DA or MDA, required visibility, missed approach point and first two steps of the miss, notes and lighting.
  5. Aircraft — descent/approach checklist complete, fuel pump and mixture per checklist

Setup

  1. Vectors or transition to final — level at 90 KIAS, 2,100–2,200 RPM
  2. Localizer alive — confirm course, identify the facility“Localizer alive”
  3. Glideslope alive — first notch of flaps below 109, gear down if retractable“Glideslope alive”

Execution

  1. Glideslope intercept — pitch down, 1,700–1,800 RPM, start the descent“Glideslope intercept, final descent”
    At ~90 kt groundspeed a 3° glideslope needs roughly 480 fpm — set the known pitch/power picture, then fine-tune.
  2. Final approach fix — cross-check altitude vs. the chart, time if required“FAF — altimeter checks”
  3. Track: small heading corrections for localizer, pitch for glideslope — within ¾ scale both
    Bracket with 2–5° heading changes; the localizer sensitizes as you approach the runway. Trim so pitch corrections are pressure, not movement.
  4. Stabilized: 90 KIAS ±10, descent steady, needles centered
  5. 100 above — monitor for the runway environment“One hundred above”
  6. DA: runway environment in sight and unmistakable → land; otherwise miss immediately“Minimums — runway / going missed”
    Descent below DA requires the visual references of 91.175(c): the runway environment in sight, required flight visibility, and the aircraft continuously in a position for a normal landing.

Recovery

  1. Landing: final flaps when landing assured, slow to normal approach speed, land in the touchdown zone
  2. Or missed: full power, pitch up, positive rate — fly the published miss

ACS tolerances

  • Lateral and vertical guidance within ¾-scale deflection (FAF to DA)
  • Airspeed ±10 kt
  • Before final: altitude ±100 ft, heading ±10°

Common errors

  • Chasing needles with large corrections instead of bracketing
  • Ducking under the glideslope close-in
  • Late configuration — gates missed, approach never stabilized
  • Hesitating at DA — the miss must be immediate when references are missing