Quote:
Originally Posted by sledghammer
I found this approach plate for AKL. At the bottom you can see that the plane descends, then maintains 2100ft for 6 miles, then descends again. What you felt could have been the plane increasing throttle to maintain 2100, though it should have taken a lot longer than 10 seconds to go the 6 miles. Maybe one of the other approach plates has something.
This approach chart is for both ILS (precision approach) and LOC (non-precision approach). That 2100' only applies to the LOC (localizer) approach. In all probability, the 747 was flying the ILS. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've flown a LOC approach in the past 3 years. In every case, it was because the glideslope was out of service.
When flying the ILS, the plane would be vectored by the controller at whatever vectoring altitude is permitted and would then capture the glideslope and ride it down without any level-off. (I'm assuming they have radar at Auckland, being a major city in NZ. On the other hand, in a country where sheep outnumber people...)
If radar was unavailable (i.e. no controller to vector the plane to final approach), there are a couple of ways the pilot could fly this approach: flying the 13 nm DME arc from either north of the field (at 2800') or south of the field (at 2500') and intercepting the localizer that way, or flying outbound from the Auckland VOR on the 231° radial to LENGU at 3000', then making a procedure turn inbound and intercepting the localizer. From my interpretation of this approach plate, the pilot could elect to intercept the glideslope at 3000' or descend to 2100' and intercept it there. I think most pilots would elect to simply intercept the glideslope and ride it down.