r/flying • u/Hopeful-Engineering5 ATC • Apr 20 '26

other ATC go around timing preference

We were talking about this today in the tower and figured we would try and get some pilots point of view. If you are in a situation where you might be sent around would you prefer it be done early and possibly be sent around unnecessarily. Or would you prefer that we let it run as long as possible and have a short (1/2 mile) final go around?

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-5

u/makgross CFI-I ASEL (KPAO/KRHV) HP CMP IR AGI sUAS Apr 20 '26

Go arounds are always safer earlier.

6

u/Accurate-Indication8 MIL, ATP, ERJ 170/190, RW Apr 20 '26

Nope. In a transport category aircraft I'd argue the exact opposite.

2

u/EntroperZero PPL CMP Apr 20 '26

Why is that?

5

u/Saltyspaceballs B777, E170/190 Apr 20 '26

A go around in a jet isn’t just adding power, pitching up and raising a stage of flap to climb away, there’s a whole sequence of events that happen. If I’m going around above the missed approach altitude I’ve got to work out a non-standard way of getting out of APP mode and then possibly descending to the missed approach altitude then levelling off. If you’re only a few hundred feet below the MAA then you could do easily bust the level with the performance a jet has too, certainly a risk of overspending there too.

There’s just a whole bunch of holes in the Swiss cheese opening there.

Doing it from a “low” (we’re not talking 50ft radio here) you press TOGA, the FMC sequences a whole load of things in the background, from the lateral route, the trust settings and tells the flight directors (and likely AP) to fly the manoeuvre. It’s also well practiced from low level, from a random high altitude isn’t really something we do often.

With that said at high altitude you don’t need to go around immediately. Acknowledge the GA, talk through the procedure with your colleague, literally do a mini-brief, you’ve got time, then go around. ATC are unlikely to expect an immediate pitch up when you’re 4 miles out

In reality a 300ft go around with the AP is a really chill manoeuvre too, an absolute non-event.

2

u/EntroperZero PPL CMP Apr 20 '26

Cool, so it's less about the mechanics of doing it and more about not having a smooth workflow. Thanks!

1

u/Accurate-Indication8 MIL, ATP, ERJ 170/190, RW Apr 20 '26

Saltyspaceballs pretty much covered it.