The reason doesn’t matter, but you’re way behind the airplane at the final approach fix. Which corners can you cut to safely find the runway?

By Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Where you are, droning along in IMC, when suddenly you’re almost on top of the final approach fix and haven’t planned for the procedure, much less set up the cockpit. How are you going to get safely from the FAF to the runway?

It doesn’t really matter why you find yourself here. Maybe you spent too much time at altitude without oxygen and it suddenly dawned on you where you are and what you need to do. Maybe the right engine just committed harikari and is dangling from the wing. Maybe a passenger needs urgent medical assistance. It doesn’t matter. The problem is you’re about to shoot an approach for which…