Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

LP & LNAV Approaches

Asked by: 1602 views Instrument Rating

While flying practice approaches today I flew the RNAV (GPS) RWY 36 approach into Foley, Alabama. There is a LP & a LNAV with a published MDA, neither one I thought  is able to providing vertical guidance but I DID get vertical guidance. Why, what am I missing?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Mar 20, 2019

    What was your GPS annunciating? Perhaps “+V” the unofficial advisory stabilized descent vertical profile some units provide?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. DEBarker278 on Mar 20, 2019

    it’s a garmin 530W, didn’t notice what the annunciation was. So am I to believe that I can get a unofficial advisory stabilized descent vertical profile on all LP & LNAV approaches?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. John D Collins on Mar 20, 2019

    It depends on your software version of the GNS530W. The current version is 5.40 and 5.30 or later supports LP+V.. Earlier versions do not support LP+V. If the approach does not have a note in the profile view, or the note reads as “Visual segment – obstacles”, you will have +V on an LP procedure. If there is a note: “Descent angle NA” in the profile, the +V is not coded for that procedure but will eventually be upgraded to the note “Visual segment – obstacles”. What both of the notes mean is that if you follow the +V below the MDA, you might hit a rock, tree, tower, or hill. But you are not supposed to use +V below the MDA in the first place, as one needs to be visual to avoid any obstacles. So with the new note and one of the recent versions of the software, you will get +V and you need to heed the note and not follow the +V below the MDA.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Warren Webb Jr on Mar 20, 2019

    You should be able to go to waypoints, put in the airport ID, select an approach with the cursor, and it will have the service level provided by that unit for that approach – LPV, LP, LP+V, LNAV, LNAV+V. Can be done pre-flight so you can then know what minimums you will have to compare to weather forecasts but the service level displayed at the time of the approach governs (i.e. the approach might be downgraded due to a WAAS glitch).

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.