[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":292},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fstabilised-approaches-and-cdfa":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fstabilised-approaches-and-cdfa":262},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":202,"description":203,"draft":204,"extension":205,"faqs":206,"howTo":216,"keyTakeaways":216,"meta":217,"navigation":218,"path":219,"quiz":220,"seo":246,"series":216,"seriesOrder":216,"sources":247,"stem":259,"topic":260,"__hash__":261},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fstabilised-approaches-and-cdfa.md","Stabilised approaches and CDFA",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":192},"minimark",[9,21,27,32,58,67,71,89,93,109,113,126,151,158,161,165,185,189],[10,11,12,13,20],"p",{},"A ",[14,15,19],"a",{"href":16,"className":17},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-stabilised-approach",[18],"glossary-link","stabilised approach"," is one flown on a steady path, speed, and configuration into the landing, and the continuous descent final approach is the technique that gets you there on a non-precision approach.",[22,23,24],"blockquote",{},[10,25,26],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"what-cdfa-means","What CDFA means",[10,33,12,34,44,45,51,52,57],{},[35,36,37,38,43],"strong",{},"continuous descent final approach (",[14,39,42],{"href":40,"className":41},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-cdfa",[18],"CDFA",")"," is a technique for flying the final segment of a non-precision approach as a single, continuous descent, with no level-off. The descent starts at or above the final approach fix and continues down to a point about 50 ft above the landing runway threshold, or to where the flare begins. That definition comes from ",[14,46,50],{"href":47,"rel":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fprocedures-for-air-navigation-services-pans-aircraft-operations-volume-i-flight-procedures-doc-8168",[49],"nofollow","ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS)"," and is adopted in the same words by the ",[14,53,56],{"href":54,"rel":55},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002FdocumentLibrary\u002Fmedia\u002FAdvisory_Circular\u002FAC_120-108A.pdf",[49],"FAA's AC 120-108A"," and by EASA.",[10,59,60,61,66],{},"The geometry is straightforward. A 3-degree path, the most common, descends roughly 300 ft per ",[14,62,65],{"href":63,"className":64},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-nautical-mile",[18],"nautical mile"," (a useful rule of thumb, not a regulation). A handy target rate of descent is groundspeed in knots multiplied by 5, so about 650 ft per minute at 130 knots. Fly that steady gradient from the final approach fix and you arrive in the right place at the right speed, instead of chasing the aeroplane down at the last moment.",[28,68,70],{"id":69},"dive-and-drive-and-why-cdfa-replaced-it","Dive-and-drive, and why CDFA replaced it",[10,72,73,74,77,78,82,83,88],{},"The older technique is ",[35,75,76],{},"dive-and-drive",": after the final approach fix you descend promptly to the minimum descent altitude (MDA), then fly level at that altitude until you either see the runway and descend, or reach the missed approach point and go around. The ",[14,79,81],{"href":54,"rel":80},[49],"FAA"," describes both techniques and notes that flying a non-precision approach with a continuous descent offers a safety advantage over dive-and-drive, principally because the long level segment near the ground is a classic setup for controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). EASA goes further: under ",[14,84,87],{"href":85,"rel":86},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-air-operations",[49],"CAT.OP.MPA.115",", the CDFA technique is required for non-precision approaches in commercial air transport, with limited exceptions approved by the authority.",[28,90,92],{"id":91},"the-minimum-descent-altitude-is-a-floor","The minimum descent altitude is a floor",[10,94,95,96,99,100,104,105,108],{},"There is a catch that every CDFA pilot has to understand. On a non-precision approach the MDA is a hard floor: you must not descend below it unless you have the required visual reference to land. Because a continuous descent does not naturally stop at an altitude, you have to start the go-around early enough that the aeroplane does not sink through the MDA while it transitions to the climb. The FAA calls the height at which you act a ",[35,97,98],{},"derived decision altitude (DDA)",", and ",[14,101,103],{"href":54,"rel":102},[49],"AC 120-108A"," tells pilots to initiate the go-around above the MDA so the aircraft does not go below it. EASA and the UK CAA express the same idea as an operator-determined ",[35,106,107],{},"add-on"," to the published minima, set in the operations manual. Operators often use something in the region of 50 ft, but that amount is an operator and aircraft-type decision, not a fixed regulatory number. The rule that is fixed is simple: do not bust the MDA during the missed approach.",[28,110,112],{"id":111},"what-stabilised-actually-means","What \"stabilised\" actually means",[10,114,115,116,119,120,125],{},"The widely used stabilised-approach criteria come from the ",[35,117,118],{},"Flight Safety Foundation's"," Approach-and-Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) Tool Kit, specifically ",[14,121,124],{"href":122,"rel":123},"https:\u002F\u002Fflightsafety.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F09\u002Falar_bn7-1stablizedappr.pdf",[49],"Briefing Note 7.1",". An approach is stabilised when all of these are true:",[127,128,129,133,136,139,142,145,148],"ul",{},[130,131,132],"li",{},"the aircraft is on the correct lateral and vertical flight path;",[130,134,135],{},"only small changes of heading and pitch are needed to stay on it;",[130,137,138],{},"the speed is no more than VREF plus 20 knots and no less than VREF;",[130,140,141],{},"the aircraft is in the correct landing configuration;",[130,143,144],{},"the rate of descent is no greater than 1000 ft per minute, with a special briefing if a steeper approach demands more;",[130,146,147],{},"the power setting is appropriate for the configuration; and",[130,149,150],{},"all briefings and checklists are complete.",[10,152,153,154,157],{},"The Foundation recommends that the approach be stabilised by ",[35,155,156],{},"1000 ft above airport elevation in instrument conditions and by 500 ft above airport elevation in visual conditions",", and that an approach which is not stabilised by the relevant gate calls for an immediate go-around. These gate heights are Flight Safety Foundation guidance, mirrored in FAA material and in airline standard operating procedures; they are not a single universal regulation, and operators set their own gates and criteria in their SOPs.",[10,159,160],{},"Why insist on it? The Flight Safety Foundation's ALAR work found that unstabilised approaches were a causal factor in 66 per cent of 76 approach-and-landing accidents and serious incidents studied worldwide from 1984 to 1997. A continuous, stabilised descent removes the rushed, last-minute corrections that sit behind many of those events.",[28,162,164],{"id":163},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[127,166,167,173,179],{},[130,168,169,172],{},[35,170,171],{},"Treating the MDA like a decision altitude without an add-on."," Plan the go-around above the MDA.",[130,174,175,178],{},[35,176,177],{},"Pressing on when not stabilised by the gate."," The criteria only work if a failed gate triggers a go-around, every time.",[130,180,181,184],{},[35,182,183],{},"Forgetting that CDFA still ends at a minimum."," It changes how you fly the descent, not whether the approach has a minimum.",[28,186,188],{"id":187},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,190,191],{},"Pilot EFB helps you plan a continuous-descent profile so you can see the gradient and target rates of descent before you fly the approach. It supports your planning and situational awareness; it is not for primary navigation, it is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, and it does not replace the published procedure or your operator's stabilised-approach policy. Fly the approach from the approved chart and procedure.",{"title":193,"searchDepth":194,"depth":194,"links":195},"",2,[196,197,198,199,200,201],{"id":30,"depth":194,"text":31},{"id":69,"depth":194,"text":70},{"id":91,"depth":194,"text":92},{"id":111,"depth":194,"text":112},{"id":163,"depth":194,"text":164},{"id":187,"depth":194,"text":188},"2026-06-13","Why a continuous descent final approach beats dive-and-drive, what a stabilised approach actually means, and where the 1000 ft and 500 ft gate heights come from.",false,"md",[207,210,213],{"q":208,"a":209},"What is a continuous descent final approach (CDFA)?","CDFA is a technique for flying the final segment of a non-precision approach as a single continuous descent with no level-off, from at or above the final approach fix down to about 50 ft above the threshold or the start of the flare. The definition comes from ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS) and is adopted by the FAA and EASA.",{"q":211,"a":212},"How is CDFA different from dive-and-drive?","Dive-and-drive descends promptly to the minimum descent altitude after the final approach fix and then flies level until the runway is seen or the missed approach point is reached, whereas CDFA descends continuously. The long level segment near the ground in dive-and-drive is a classic setup for controlled flight into terrain, which is why a continuous descent offers a safety advantage.",{"q":214,"a":215},"By what height should an approach be stabilised?","The Flight Safety Foundation recommends being stabilised by 1000 ft above airport elevation in instrument conditions and by 500 ft in visual conditions, with an immediate go-around if the relevant gate is not met. These gate heights are Flight Safety Foundation guidance mirrored in airline standard operating procedures, not a single universal regulation, and operators set their own gates.",null,{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fstabilised-approaches-and-cdfa",[221,229,237],{"q":208,"options":222,"answer":227,"explanation":228},[223,224,225,226],"Flying level at the minimum descent altitude until the runway is seen","A single, continuous descent on the final segment of a non-precision approach with no level-off","Any approach flown to a precision ILS glidepath","Descending promptly to the MDA after the final approach fix",1,"CDFA is a technique for flying the final segment of a non-precision approach as a single, continuous descent with no level-off, from at or above the final approach fix down to about 50 ft above the threshold or the start of the flare.",{"q":230,"options":231,"answer":194,"explanation":236},"By what height does the Flight Safety Foundation recommend an approach be stabilised in instrument conditions?",[232,233,234,235],"500 ft above airport elevation","50 ft above the threshold","1000 ft above airport elevation","300 ft per nautical mile","The Foundation recommends being stabilised by 1000 ft above airport elevation in instrument conditions, and by 500 ft above airport elevation in visual conditions, with an immediate go-around if the relevant gate is not met.",{"q":238,"options":239,"answer":244,"explanation":245},"In dive-and-drive, what does the aircraft do after the final approach fix?",[240,241,242,243],"Descends promptly to the minimum descent altitude, then flies level until the runway is seen or the missed approach point is reached","Descends continuously to about 50 ft above the threshold with no level-off","Climbs to the derived decision altitude before continuing","Holds at the final approach fix until visual reference is acquired",0,"In dive-and-drive the aircraft descends promptly to the minimum descent altitude after the final approach fix, then flies level at that altitude until the runway is seen and it descends, or it reaches the missed approach point and goes around.",{"title":5,"description":203},[248,250,252,254,256],{"label":249,"url":47},"ICAO Doc 8168: PANS-OPS, Volume I (Flight Procedures)",{"label":251,"url":85},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations (CAT.OP.MPA.115)",{"label":253,"url":54},"FAA Advisory Circular 120-108A: Continuous Descent Final Approach",{"label":255,"url":122},"Flight Safety Foundation ALAR Briefing Note 7.1: Stabilized Approach",{"label":257,"url":258},"Flight Safety Foundation ALAR Tool Kit (Briefing Notes)","https:\u002F\u002Fflightsafety.org\u002Ftoolkits-resources\u002Fpast-safety-initiatives\u002Fapproach-and-landing-accident-reduction-alar\u002Falar-briefing-notes-in-english\u002F","learn\u002Fstabilised-approaches-and-cdfa","Operations","T4dgGzJne54PyCMOcGoL2eUnVjLcufCubM5KMLHMeuM",{"related":263,"newer":279,"older":286,"series":216},[264,270,274],{"path":265,"title":266,"description":267,"date":268,"topic":260,"draft":204,"minutes":269,"series":216,"seriesOrder":216},"\u002Flearn\u002Fcold-temperature-altimeter-corrections","Cold-temperature altimeter corrections","Why a pressure altimeter over-reads in cold air, leaving you lower than indicated, and how to correct minimum altitudes for temperature on an approach in mountainous or freezing conditions.","2026-06-21",4,{"path":271,"title":272,"description":273,"date":268,"topic":260,"draft":204,"minutes":269,"series":216,"seriesOrder":216},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmode-s-and-ads-b-explained","Mode S and ADS-B explained","How Mode S adds a 24-bit address, selective interrogation and a data link to the transponder, the difference between elementary and enhanced surveillance, and how ADS-B broadcasts your GPS position.",{"path":275,"title":276,"description":277,"date":268,"topic":260,"draft":204,"minutes":278,"series":216,"seriesOrder":216},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-global-reporting-format-for-runway-conditions","The Global Reporting Format for runway conditions","How the Global Reporting Format (GRF) describes a contaminated runway, including the runway condition code (RWYCC) from 6 to 0, the assessment matrix (RCAM), and how the report is split into thirds.",5,{"path":280,"title":281,"description":282,"date":283,"topic":284,"draft":204,"minutes":269,"series":285,"seriesOrder":194},"\u002Flearn\u002Fflight-time-limitations-explained","Flight time limitations explained","Flight time, duty, flight duty period and rest, explained plainly, with the EASA\u002FUK CAA and FAA limits attributed to each authority. Numbers differ by authority and change, so always check the current rule.","2026-06-14","Regulations","duty-rest-and-flight-time-limits",{"path":287,"title":288,"description":289,"date":290,"topic":291,"draft":204,"minutes":269,"series":216,"seriesOrder":216},"\u002Flearn\u002Fkeeping-a-digital-logbook","Keeping a digital logbook","What a pilot logbook has to record and why, plus the EASA\u002FUK and FAA differences in logging pilot-in-command time, night, and recency that catch people out.","2026-06-12","Logbook",1781989190884]