Circling Approach

Disclaimer: 

▪︎This content is Not an official document and does not represent the views of Airbus or any other aviation authority.

▪︎The information provided may be incorrect or misinterpreted and should not be relied upon for decision-making. 

▪︎Always refer to official documents and consult with a qualified aviation professional before making any decisions based on the information provided in this blog post.

▪︎The information provided in this blog post is based on personal study and review.

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FMGC SETUP

 

Secondary flightplan

When preparing for a circling approach, we should insert the runway for the circling approach into the secondary flight plan. Instead of deleting and re-inserting the entire secondary flight plan, the FCTM recommends copying the active flight plan and modifying the secondary to reflect the circling runway.

We should also be careful not to miss inserting the weather information into the secondary flight plan. Additionally, we need to check the radio navigation settings in the FMGC. Specifically, it’s important to ensure that the ILS frequency for the circling runway is inserted, not the opposite runway. While it’s acceptable to use the ILS frequency for the circling runway, we want to avoid having the ILS tuned for a non-precision or opposite runway. After activating the secondary flight plan, double-check that the correct ILS frequency is set to avoid any unwanted warnings.

 

Insert F-speed on FAF
The FCTM also advises inserting the F-speed at the final approach fix of the opposite runway’s approach.

 

For example, if you’re cleared for runway 36 but circling to runway 18, you should consider inserting the F-speed at the final approach fix for runway 36’s non-precision approach to better manage speed during the circling procedure.

 

After activating Sec-flighplan we can check Cross-Track Error.

 

 

 

Visual Manuevering Area

Lastly, it’s important to check the circling visual maneuvering area, as this varies based on the aircraft category and differs by country. For example, ICAO and FAA standards are not the same, so understanding the local requirements is essential for proper circling procedures.

 

 

https://studya320.blogspot.com/2025/03/faa-and-icao-jcab-circling-approach.html

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