Definition
An Instrument Landing System approach procedure that guides an aircraft to Runway 3R (the right-hand runway oriented to a magnetic heading of approximately 030 degrees) using radio signals that provide both lateral guidance (localizer) and vertical guidance (glideslope) to the runway.
Plain English
A precision approach that uses radio beams to line you up with, and bring you down to, Runway 3R — the right-hand runway pointing roughly northeast.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts, approach clearances, and operations specifications that list which instrument approaches an operator is authorized to use.
Derivation
The runway number ‘3’ comes from its magnetic heading rounded to the nearest ten degrees and dropped of the trailing zero — so a runway aligned to about 030° magnetic is ‘3’. The letter ‘R’ stands for ‘right’ and is used when there are parallel runways, distinguishing the right-hand one from its partner (3L, ‘left’). ‘ILS’ identifies the type of approach guidance provided.
Why Pilots Care
Allows safe landing in low visibility by delivering accurate guidance to one specific runway.
Intuition Check
“Approach” here does not just mean getting closer to the airport. It means a specific published procedure with a defined path to a specific runway.
Example Sentence 1
Cleared for the ILS Runway 3R approach, the crew tuned the localizer frequency and briefed the glideslope intercept altitude.
Example Sentence 2
Operations specifications permitted use of the ILS Runway 3R approach down to Category I minimums.