Definition
A Point-in-Space (PinS) approach is a helicopter-only instrument approach procedure that ends at a defined point (the missed approach point) located near, but not at, a landing area. From that point, the pilot must either continue visually to the landing site or fly the missed approach. PinS approaches are published with either 'Proceed VFR' or 'Proceed Visually' instructions, which dictate how the pilot transitions from the instrument segment to the landing.
Plain English
A helicopter instrument approach that guides you down to a specific spot in the sky, not to a runway. Once you reach that spot, if you can see well enough, you fly the rest of the way to your landing site visually. If you can't see, you fly the missed approach.
Context Anchor
Seen on helicopter instrument approach charts and in FAA discussions of approaches to heliports or other landing areas that do not have a full instrument path directly to the landing spot.
Derivation
The name describes exactly what the procedure does: it guides the helicopter to a point in space rather than to a runway threshold. Unlike a fixed-wing approach that ends aligned with a runway, a PinS approach ends at a published geographic point from which the pilot proceeds to the actual landing area.
Why Pilots Care
Allows safe instrument approaches to heliports and sites without full runway lighting or traditional approach infrastructure.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “point” means the landing pad itself. In a PinS procedure, the key point is usually a defined position in the air near the landing area.
Example Sentence 1
The crew briefed the PinS approach to the hospital helipad, noting the 'Proceed Visually' segment from the missed approach point.
Example Sentence 2
PinS procedures are often paired with EFVS to extend visual segment capability in low visibility.