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4 Answers

Procedure turn Question

Asked by: 1747 views FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating

For example 'NEWPORT, OREG, VOR-A'

There are indicating courses 281º & 101º for 45/180 turn.

I know these are headings. But if there is a wind, do I have to keep staying on track 281º using WCA? or, just stay on heading 281 and intercept inbound.

And does ICAO has same regulations? Thank you.

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4 Answers



  1. John D Collins on May 13, 2022

    A procedure turn is a course reversal to align with the intermediate or final approach course. Any method that remains in the protected area is acceptable. Some may use a holding pattern, or a 90/270 turn while others use the more standard PT with the course reversal using the 45 degree turn away from the outbound course and a 180 degree turn back to intercept the inbound course. The outbound is a Dead Reckoning usually timed heading leg. There is no need to apply a WCA.

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  2. Skycatcher06 on May 13, 2022

    @John oops meant to put a thumbs up 🙂

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  3. Best Answer


    Russ Roslewski on May 13, 2022

    Think about it historically – this is a VOR-A procedure. The only avionics required to fly it are a VOR receiver. If that was the case, then ALL you would know are headings and radials. There would be no way for you to correct for wind on that 281 and 101 – you don’t have any equipment that would tell you either wind direction and speed or ground track – so there is no requirement to do so.

    Now, if you CAN fly a specified ground track you are certainly welcome to do so, but it is not a requirement. And it may make it easier to fly if you do.

    Procedure Turn protected airspace is huge, especially at the speeds flown by aircraft that typically fly them. This is to account for things like unknown wind.

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  4. Russ Roslewski on May 13, 2022

    This procedure is actually a great one for training, I wish we had one like it near me. I say that because the PT completion altitude is 2400 and the field elevation is 160. And the VOR is at the far end of the runway.

    So if you’re in a habit of going outbound for a minute before doing the 281/101, then you have _about_ a minute once you’re back established inbound. If you were hoping to see runway 16 and go straight-in, then in that minute you have to lose 2240 feet of elevation – that’s (obviously) 2240 fpm down! Way too fast! Let alone if you’re in a 172 going 90 knots, you’re only getting established on final about 3/4 nm final for runway 16 anyway.

    Now, if you got out 3 or 4 minutes that would work better. That’s still staying within 10 nm in a 172. But if you’re in a faster plane, watch out.

    Of course if you do plan on circling, even to runway 16, you just have to lose 1400 feet. But that still needs a minimum of a 2 minute outbound leg to be reasonable.

    A wind from the southeast will help in your timely descent, and wind from the northwest will really hurt you.

    Like I said, a good procedure for training. It looks really simple but there are a lot of good discussion points that can come from it.

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