Plain English Meaning

An instrument approach where a radio signal lines you up with the runway side-to-side, but you have to manage your own descent using altitudes printed on the chart. There's no electronic beam telling you when to go down.

Full Definition

Non-precision instrument approaches that use the localizer portion of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) to provide lateral (left-right) guidance to a runway, but do not provide electronic vertical (glideslope) guidance. The pilot follows published step-down altitudes to a Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) and must visually acquire the before descending to land.