Finally someone shares the same feeling about people learning to fly after flying simulators before. I have taken people up and all they are doing is constantly chasing the needles. Outside of the window is the best gauge a pilot can have it you can tell what the attitude of the plane is and even have a good idea of your airspeed when combining the natural horizon with the pitch of the engine.

 

I thiught I would throw some thoughts in to help educate from a controller's perspective. First and formost, a visual approach does not give more relief to controllers vs. and ILS. If anything, a visual approach is more taxing. For example, when issuing a visual approach, I need to make sure:

 

1. That I get a good read back that the airport or following traffic in sight (this can actually be more difficult than you think)

 

2. I have provided enough space; once I clear an aircraft for a visual approach, I have given "control" to the pilot. The pilot can unexpectedly slow down or speed up creating compression. Additionally, I'm still responsible for maintaining appropriate separation. A visual approach does not always mean that visual separation with other traffic has been applied. Speeds can be adjusted if necessary, but typically you've done all the speed adjustments prior to issuing the clearance or in the clearance as stated above.

 

3. Even though I'm giving a visual approach, I still have to set the aircraft up to make a successful approach.

 

The primary reason visual approaches are used over an ILS is the absense of rules. With an ILS approach, you need a certain amount of degrees for intercepting tbe LOC. You also need an altitude that is not only at or above the MVA, but low enough to intercept the glideslope. Traditionally if you're doing an ILS, you're not using visual which means I have to control the spacing. So it's not that one is easier on the controller, one just has less rules.

 

A visual approach is NOT an instrument approach, it IS an IFR approach (big difference on the wording). This doesn't mean that NAVAIDs can't be used. Often we get aircraft to join the LOC 20-25 miles out before they are cleared for the visual. This just makes it easier to get everyone lined up.

 

As far as runway acceptance (how many planes can a runway take an hour). It all depends on many facfors. How many high-speeds are there? How far apart are those high-speeds? What type of fleet mix will that runway see? 60 an hour is almost impossible for a single runway. Our main arrival runway has a rate of about 32 an hour, and that's with the minimum IFR separation of 2.5 NMs per aircraft inside 10 miles. We may be able to push that to 36-38, but that would mean that every aircraft is a Southwest 700 series and it's cool outside. Our rate with 2 primary arrival runways is anhwhere between 46-60 arrivals per hour depending on the configuration.