On April 27, pilots will be able to fly three new RNAV approaches to embattled Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in Southern California, including two to Runway 3 and and an LPV approach to Runway 21. The new approaches supplement the long-time VOR circling approach to SMO, which was not approved for use at night and has a minimum descent altitude of 860 feet msl (field elevation is 177 feet). The new RNAV (GPS) Rwy 21 approach allows a straight-in descent to minimums as low as 447 feet msl (LPV) or 567 feet LNAV/VNAV, which should help alleviate problems getting into the airport when marine layer fog covers the airport.
According to NBAA, which has been working with the FAA on the new approaches for the past two years, one problem was an issue with required vertical descent angle (VDA) standards. This issue was resolved in consultation with FAA officials and also thanks to the NBAA’s participation in the Regional Airspace Procedures Team and the Southern California Metroplex Project. “Thanks to these discussions, the FAA's Flight Standards Service Procedures Review Board ultimately agreed the VDA could be safely lowered to accommodate the RNAV procedure requirements,” the association noted. Another issue was the removal of an obstacle in the approach path, and this was facilitated by coordination between the Santa Monica Airport Association and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"The LPV approach comes just in time for the upcoming 'June Gloom' across the Los Angeles basin, when a low-level marine cloud layer is common in the mornings," said Heidi Williams, NBAA's director of air traffic services and infrastructure. "This stabilized, straight-in approach is much less complex than flying the circling approach and provides minimums, allowing pilots to safely get below the weather. For business aviation to thrive, it is vital to have access to airports and airspace. These new approaches dramatically improve access to SMO."