Definition
An instrument approach procedure that publishes only circling minimums, with no straight-in landing minimums available. The final approach course is not aligned closely enough with any runway centerline to permit a straight-in landing, so after completing the instrument approach the pilot must maneuver visually around the airport to land on the chosen runway.
Plain English
An instrument approach that gets you down to the airport area, but not lined up with a runway. Once you have the airport in sight, you fly a visual pattern around it and land.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts, often on procedures named with a letter instead of a runway number, such as VOR-A or LOC-B.
Derivation
Circling' comes from the Latin 'circulus,' meaning a small ring or circle. In aviation it describes the visual maneuver of flying around the airport to position for landing on a runway that the instrument approach did not bring you in line with.
Why Pilots Care
It requires extra maneuvering near the airport at low altitude and usually higher weather minimums, directly affecting landing options and safety margins.
Grounding Statement
The key idea is that the procedure brings you to the airport, but the final alignment with the runway is done visually, not by continuing straight ahead on the instrument course.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “circling-only” means you must fly a full circle around the airport. It means straight-in landing minimums are not authorized, so the landing must be completed by visual maneuvering after the instrument part of the approach.
Example Sentence 1
Because the final approach course was offset more than 30 degrees from the runway, the procedure was published as a circling-only approach.
Example Sentence 2
With the circling-only procedure in use, the crew planned to circle to the opposite runway after breaking out of the clouds.