If you are flying VFR and approaching from an angle where the tower tells you to approach straight, is it permissible to use ILS if it’s on that runway without following the IFR procedure?
In general, Instrument approaches are not allowed to be used on a VFR flight for nominal termination (i.e., final landing). You can “practice” using an Instrument approach on a VFR flight but must be controller approved and you’re either Instrument rated or under instruction at the time.
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I don’t agree with this answer. It is permissible to use ILS as a guide when landing visually. It is a useful alternative if the PAPI or VASI is out and there happens to be an ILS.
Also, it is quite useful in the sim when teaching oneself what a 3 degree glideslope looks like. I recommend using the ILS to learn how the visual approach should look (then you don’t need it as a crutch thereafter.) In the real world, your CFI would teach you what the visual approach looked like, so you wouldn’t need ILS for this.
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I believe the standard addendum from controller is “Maintain VFR” and no visual debilitation devices (i.e., instrument hoods) are in use. That being said, if the Topic Author is asking for a nominal departure/arrival under VFR with no intention to practice, then it’s not permissible.
Most trainers I’ve talked to prefer to just file IFR at the very beginning - which also facilitates Missed Approach declarations without having to gain additional authorization (which would be the case in a VFR plan with IAP "practice).
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Certainly have to maintain VFR, that is for sure! 
Well, in the sim I’m doing it to practice! 
Some of my confusion revolves around the procedure. Some of them are quite involved and lengthy. So if you are coming in straight it seems like it could be an easy possibility. Another approach may be too fast/distracting to maintain visual.
I think I’m improving enough that I even thought to ask the question.
I spent the weekend listening to ATC vs. pilot videos. Which now has me believing many pilots know less than some of the sim community.
Well, if you’re on VATSIM or some other live ATC, it’s more realistic because Control would be able to maintain separation of you from other a/c actually using the approach under IFR. So you’d get “stacked” into the pattern versus someone arriving on a STAR. For uncontrolled fields, you’d have be a gorilla on the UNICOM and make sure everyone understands your spatial position and what your intentions are. The sim doesn’t really accomodate either with stock ATC.
Assuming the OP’s question is whether it is permissible to tune the ILS to provide additional vertical guidance information on a visual approach, the answer is yes. However, because the flight is being conducted under VFR, eyes would still need to be outside the cockpit. IOW, it is perfectly acceptable to fly the ILS glideslope (indeed, a perfect approach would already be on glidepath) provided that doing so does not pull one’s eyes inside the cockpit. Even when flying an ILS under IFR, eyes are outside the cockpit as soon as the the aircraft enters VMC. Back when I was flying IRL, I would always use the ILS for vertical guidance (if it was available) for night landings even if I was operating under VFR.
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If you are approaching an airport VFR and tower tells you to fly straight in to a runway there is absolutely nothing wrong with tracking the ILS localizer and glideslope. It helps you maintain situational awareness.
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Hello,
this question is ok but imagine that you fly vfr and can app final from position what definitelly not corespond with glide slope actual height. With vfr you probably use defined airport pattern altitude and navigate visually so ask here for ils monitoring is irelevant on other side. I expect you want fly little bit seriously and also have some real life habit so some knowledge in vfr/ifr problematic is required. Ok, you can use ils lateral signal but in your flight is required to have visual ref with world around and not looking to instruments and AP in this case. As was stated before, test ils app requires other permissions.
If you are flying VFR (VISUAL Flight Rules) then your eyes should be focused on 1) the runway, 2) seeing and avoiding other aircraft. Your eyes should not be looking at ILS glideslope instruments, fiddling around with your EFB, or sending text messages. Most runways have VASI or equivalent lighting that makes looking at the ILS glideslope unnecessary.
In VFR flights I regularly tune the ILS if available & set it up on the PFD. I don’t select approach on the A/P and hand fly the A/c to the raw data on the PFD. Its good practice & in most cases is a 3 deg approach.
You can always use whatever means you have whether it’s an ILS localizer, GPS etc. You need to know what you are doing though! Set the right frequency, ident the station and visually make sure you are actually tracking straight in to the correct runway. You are still flying VFR though so you need to stay VMC and eyes outside to scan for other traffic. I have been a flight instructor for many years, it’s was common practice for us to set the ILS on the NAV radio when available, even if you are not going to use it, you never know when it would be useful and then you might not have time to look up the frequency.
The (obvious) threats you need to be aware of when using ILS when VFR:
- Don’t use it if you aren’t 100% certain how the equipment works.
- Setting the wrong frequency, especially important with parallel runways, crosscheck the frequency, ident the station and visually confirm you are lined up for the correct runway.
- Be aware that “side-lopes” exist when far out which are false localizer beams, only use it when close enough and within approx 25 degrees of the extended centerline.
- Focussing too much inside on instruments while flying VFR → the ILS is not too be used as a replacement for basic VFR navigation, you should continue looking outside, use it only as an extra tool to crosscheck position every once in a while.
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There is a big difference between an ILS approach and just following the ILS localiser and Glideslope on a visual approach. Nobody will complain if you use your ILS gauges to stay on the correct centerline and glideslope. It is useful to have the ILS tuned in case of a go-around. You will be able to track the runway centerline better.
However, doing a visual approach it is better to focus your attention outside of the cockpit since you have to look out for other traffic. Visual reference is much better by using the runway as well as the PAPI / VASI lights. Following the ILS on a visual approach will decrease your situational awareness of what is happening outside of the aircraft. Remember you already have to scan your airspeed, so adding scanning the ILS just increases workload.
With 2 pilots it is a different story. We used to practise hand flying ILS approaches at almost every airport with an ILS in the month before your next Instrument rating- or License renewal. The non-flying pilot was monitoring outside and the flying pilot was flying on the instruments practising.
Agreed… Nothing to stop you when VFR, using the ILS as a GUIDE, and you have the option, if obeying ATC, and you are on a straight in approach, using the ILS as a Guide… you can also inform ATC you are doing this - no need for it to be a secret !!! - but you are still VFR, under VFR rules, and need to be looking outside, and not have your eyes glued to the ILS needle !!
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Good point. Flying night approaches in VMC, the ILS is surely very helpful.
You may even dial in the ILS and set your autopilot to follow it down if you wish, all within VFR rules. But the important part is what VFR means: visual flight RULES. You are responsible for your flight, for its safety and to comply with all rules. The IFR guidance or any autopilot doesn‘t take the responsibility from you.
I personally always dial in the ILS like Nijntje91 suggests when I approach an airport that has it and use all the little helpers the airport offers. All above if it‘s a controlled airport or if there is other traffic in the area I like to know for example the DME. If I don‘t want to use the ILS or VOR I always turn it off so the OBS and DME won‘t show anything at all, no confusion. A standard VFR approach and circuit seems so simple but a lot can go wrong if you mistake something for something else because you did it differently yesterday.
Sure. Tower has no idea how you maintain a glideslope and doesn’t care.
With the G1000 NXI you can select and activate a visual approach which will give you vertical guidance / glideslope indicators even in cases where there are no ILS / RNAVs available. As mentioned above it’s really useful for getting used to the approach angle.
Yes, it is perfectly ok to do that. Someone here may can tell you about how acceptable is it from a regulatory point of view but in the day to day in real life, while you keep an eye outside it is perfectly ok, indeed it probably enhances safety. Happy landings!