how scary/hairy is the old appeach? keady âLONDON â London City Airport (LCY) has submitted a regulatory application to enable operations by larger Airbus narrowbodies, particularly the A320neo, by introducing a shallower 4.49° approach angle, replacing the current 5.5° profile.
If approved, LCYâs operator states the change would apply to both runway ends, potentially expanding the range of aircraft able to serve the Docklands airport while maintaining compliance with its constrained airspace and performance requirements. Why glideslope angle matters According to Skybrary, a glideslope, or glide path, provides vertical guidance for aircraft during final approach. On an ILS approach, ground equipment generates âaboveâ and âbelowâ lobes, allowing the aircraftâs receiver to indicate whether it is above or below the desired descent path. The normal case: ~3° Most commercial runway approaches use a 3° descent angle, which supports a stable energy profile for configuration changes, speed control, and manageable descent rates, while ensuring obstacle clearance. FAA training materials describe a typical glide path as a constant 3° to the touchdown zone, provided there are no obstructions. Implications of steeper approaches at LCY A steeper glideslope: - increases the required rate of descent for a given groundspeed, - increases pilot workload and places greater emphasis on stabilized approach gates, - can constrain eligible aircraft to those certified for steep-approach operations. The descent-rate rule of thumb illustrates this: - 3.0° â 5.3 Ă groundspeed (kt) in feet per minute - 4.49° â 8.0 Ă groundspeed (kt) - 5.5° â 9.8 Ă groundspeed (kt) At a groundspeed of 140 knots, the approximate descent rates are: - 3.0° â ~740 fpm - 4.49° â ~1,120 fpm - 5.5° â ~1,370 LCYâs proposed change from 5.5° to 4.49° is significant. While still above the standard 3°, it substantially reduces the steep-approach penalty, allowing aircraft not approved or not ideally suited for 5.5° approaches to operate at the airport. Touchdown zoneTDZ3.0°4.49°5.5°LCY proposedLCY current (steep)Steeper angle â higher descent rate at the same groundspeedDiagram is illustrative: three glidepaths converging on the touchdown zone. The operational effect is primarily the required descent rate and stabilized-approach margin.Groundspeed14
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