Flying in Circles

Proficiency isn’t just about keeping your instrument currency—it’s about staying fluent in maneuvers that rarely show up until the day they really matter. Few IFR skills have gathered as much dust as the circling approach.

Once upon a time, nearly every IFR pilot shot circling approaches with regularity. Now, GPS straight-ins and radar vectors to final dominate the system. 

The result? Many pilots who can fly a coupled LPV down to minimums look awkward and uncertain the moment the runway isn’t lined up with the magenta line.

Why Circling Approaches Still Exist

Not every runway has an aligned instrument procedure. Crosswinds, obstacles, and local terrain sometimes require an approach to one runway and published circling minimums for the others.

Even major airports occasionally require circling: a tailwind on the ILS, a closed runway, or ATC assigning you the “opposite direction” landing for traffic flow. The FAA never removed the circling option because real weather and airports don’t always cooperate with precision geometry, and smaller airports often lack or can’t justify the infrastructure investment for aligned instrument approaches.

Geometry, Categories, and Protected Airspace

At its core, a circling approach is a visual maneuver flown within a protected radius around the airport. That radius depends on your approach category (A–E) and, per TERPS, increases from about 1.3 NM for a Category A up to around 4.5 NM for a Category E (depending on altitude and conditions). 

Adhering to the protected radius is critical, since it is relatively smaller and the airspace is at an airport. In plain English, if you overshoot your base turn or drift too wide, you’re out of the safety bubble.

One way to stay honest is to visualize that radius as a “bubble” you’re not allowed to pop. If your GPS map shows range rings, set one around the field that matches your category and remain inside. In ForeFlight, you can tap the airport and use the “distance rings” feature for quick reference.

Flying It Smoothly

The ideal circle is a constant-radius descending turn that keeps the runway environment in sight at all times. Don’t “dive and drive” early, as you could lose visual references below MDA if fragmented clouds abound before you are in a position to land using normal maneuvers. 

Get a solid look at the environment and visibility at or above MDA before descent. Keep configuration stable while bearing in mind that shallow, continuous turns give you more visual cues.

When It Goes Wrong

Three big gotchas in circling approaches are as follows:

• Losing sight of the runway and trying to “salvage” the approach.
• Overshooting due to tailwind on base.
• Descending below MDA early trying to “make it work.”

AIM 5-4-21(c) is explicit:

“If visual reference is lost while circling-to-land from an instrument approach, the missed approach specified for that particular procedure must be followed (unless an alternate missed approach procedure is specified by ATC).”

That means immediately—no leveling off “just to see.” Execute the published missed.

Technique Tips

• Fly the circle at 1.3 Vso + a little more, giving you enough margin for gusts but slow enough for tight geometry.
• Use trim and stable power settings.
• Know wind direction and speed to remain within the protected radius.
• Remain aware of your position relative to the runway threshold.

When to Say No

You’re never required to accept a circling approach. If weather is marginal or you’re unfamiliar with the field, request a different approach or a straight-in to another runway. “Unable to circle” is perfectly professional.

Practice Without Penalty

Use a simulator! Set the weather to ceilings above MDA and better-than-minimum visibility at first. Once you’re comfortable with that, adjust conditions incrementally down to minimums until you’re consistently nailing the approach. You’ll rediscover just how busy this maneuver gets—and how satisfying it is when flown correctly.

The Mark of a Pro

Circling approaches are the ultimate test of judgment under pressure. They combine instrument precision with experience and good ADM. Gaining and maintaining proficiency circling to land gives you additional options to safely conclude a flight at your intended destination and informs your ADM such that you know when to go missed or divert.

Know Before You Go