How to fly an RNAV approach?

[ArjenVdv 190]

Hello,At the moment I'm using the PMDG MD-11 and 747-400. Some airport's runway do not have any ILS approaches obviously, some of them have RNAV instead. The problem is, I don't have any experience on how to fly them. It's hard to find anything on Google on how to fly them. I know that RNAV is basicly an GPS approach. My questions:1. What is RNAV exactly?2. When I choose an RNAV procedure, it's asking for a Mininum Profile. What do I have to enter? Is it just the same as the Decision Height (Mininums), or something else perhaps?3. How do I fly it. Should I use NAV and PROF (LNAV/VNAV) in order do let the AP fly the approach? Or do I have to use APPR/LAND?4. Is RNAV equipped with Autoland? Although I'm almost not doing any Autoland, because I almost do any landing munually, it would be useful in low visibility conditions.Thanks in advance.Arjen Vandervelde

[tcas_climb 45]

someone correct me if im wrong but...1. It stands for area navigation, its basically a procedure flown with GPS guidance.2. Bascially yes, the MIN PROF is the minimum altitude on the approach.3. It should be flown using LNAV/VNAV (bear in mind i dont think the MD11 is certified for RNAV approaches)4. Nope, no autoland, that requires ILS, all RNAV approach landings must be done manually, hence the minimum altitude.

[houphad 0]

2. Bascially yes, the MIN PROF is the minimum altitude on the approach.

Glad you mentioned that. I'm still trying to land at LOWI Innsbruck with the LLZ/DME RWY26 approach. When I select the LLZ 26 approach on the FMC, it requires me to enter the MIN PROF. Well I tried entering numbers from 0 all the way up to 36000! None was accepted and it said OUT OF RANGE or something similar. Knowing that LOWI RWY elevation is around 1900ft, what should the MIN PROF value be? Otherwise I always have to always enter the points manually...

3. It should be flown using LNAV/VNAV (bear in mind i dont think the MD11 is certified for RNAV approaches)

I dont quite understand that statement or maybe I got the RNAV concept wrong. When I enter the waypoints manually for the LOWI LLZ/DME 26 approach, I enter the speed and altitude with it as well. Engage AFS (FMC SPD / NAV / PROF) and flap down gradually. So the MD-11 follows those waypoints and numbers all the way from the IAF (RTT) to RWY 26, after that I continue manual landing. Those entered waypoints with speed/alt restrictions are not RNAV? I'm following the exact approach as mentioned in the charts.Cheers,Fouad

[Allan Burek 3]

The MD11 is certified for RNAV approaches, assuming you have active G/I NAV on the ND.

[tcas_climb 45]

I stand corrected then. I was under the impression that the Md11 was not certified for full rnav approach because that would require having vnav fly the aircraft down to about 50ft above the runway elevation and the pmdg md11 doesn't do that, am I confusing that with the gps approaches?Sent from my DROID 2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

[Check_Airman 3]

RNAV approaches can be flown as LNAV, LNAV+VNAV, or LPV. We can do LNAV right out of the box, and require approval for LNAV+VNAV. We can't do LPV on any large jet that I know of.EDIT...The 737NG has some new FMS update that should give it super powers for the approach phase. Not sure of the details though.