Definition
Instrument approach procedures flown for training or proficiency rather than to land from actual instrument conditions. Practice approaches may be conducted in visual conditions with a safety pilot or under instrument flight rules with air traffic control, and they are used to build and maintain the skills required to fly an approach to landing minimums.
Plain English
Flying an instrument approach for training rather than because the weather requires it. The pilot rehearses the approach to stay sharp, with another pilot watching for traffic or with help from air traffic control.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in instrument training, air traffic control communication, flight lesson planning, and discussions of airport traffic where training aircraft may be making repeated approaches.
Why Pilots Care
Builds the repeated practice needed to keep approach skills sharp and current while reducing the risk of actual landing errors.
Intuition Check
Do not read “practice approach” as a casual attempt at landing. In aviation, it usually means a planned training use of an instrument approach procedure, and it may not end in a landing.
Example Sentence 1
On the way home, the instructor and student requested two practice approaches into the local airport to keep their instrument skills current.
Example Sentence 2
During the instrument proficiency check the examiner cleared the pilot for two practice approaches to the ILS runway.