Vectors to final with the Garmin 420/430

There recently was a blog on the COPA web site about whether or not to use the “vectors to final” selection when pushing the PROC button on the GARMIN. The VTF selection is the easy way to set up once approach puts you on a vector. You’ve dialed up ATIS so you know what approach to expect. Then you are handed off to approach control and provided directions to “fly heading 030 degrees and expect the ILS 25 approach”. You select heading on the autopilot, push the PROC button, select "vectors to final" and then “activate”. So you're all set, correct? When you select VTF the pointy end of your HSI will turn to the inbound heading for the approach. Check out the ILS 25 for KPHF (Newport News International, VA). Your course deviation indicator (CDI) would be pointing to 247 degrees and the map view would show a nice green line with STEVE INT as the final approach fix. But the problem with this approach is that the approach fixes outside of STEVE disappear.


This can become a problem when approach then decides to send you to HASBA INT which is currently not displayed on your map view or MFD (if you have one) and is not listed on the your Garmin flight plan page. An option to solve this delima is to load the approach by selecting one of the feeder fixes instead of VTF. For the ILS 25 at PHF we could select the CCV transition and then load (not activate) the approach. The COPA article uses the following technique. Go to the flight plan page, activate the cursor, and scroll down until the final approach fix (STEVE) is highlighted. The next step is to activate this leg by pressing the menu button and selecting "Active leg Hasba to Steve". This will now turn the leg from HASBA to STEVE green on your GARMIN map page and leave all the other waypoints visible. So you have CCV, HASBA, and STEVE right there in front of you for situational awareness. Another way to get to this same point is to load the approach as discussed above and then push the Direct To button. Activate the cursor and scroll to the Flight plan waypoints option. Turn the little knob and you'll get a drop down screen with all your flight plan waypoints. Select STEVE and the press the Direct To key again. The will pop up the "Activate leg HASBA to STEVE" window. Enter, activate, and you're on your way.
Usually you push the Direct To key once and then the Enter key twice to activate a direct to waypoint leg. Pushing the direct to key two times and then the enter key will activate the route from one waypoint to another. Ever been on a vector and been told to intercept an airway? Enter the begining waypoint (let's say a VOR) and the end waypoint in your flight plan (it always helps if they are already there). Highlight the end waypoint, push Direct To two times and your set up. Your HSI will swing to the leg heading with CDI slewed off depending on your distance from the course. Sweet.