Definition
An instrument approach procedure that has been flight-checked and published for civil aviation use, designed and constructed assuming all listed required navigation, communication, and aircraft equipment is operating normally. Standard IAPs appear as the published charted procedures pilots fly into airports and form the baseline against which substitutions for inoperative or unusable components are measured.
Plain English
A regular published instrument approach into an airport. It is the normal version of the approach, written assuming everything the chart calls for is working as expected.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts and in discussions about whether an approach can still be used when a required part of the system is not working.
Derivation
IAP stands for Instrument Approach Procedure. 'Standard' here means the baseline, fully equipped version — the procedure as originally designed and published, before any allowances are made for missing or unusable components.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing a procedure is standard tells the pilot immediately that no substitutions or work-arounds are required.
Intuition Check
Standard does not mean simple, easy, or merely common here. It means officially published and built with specific required paths, heights, equipment, and instructions.
Example Sentence 1
Before considering any substitutions, the pilot reviewed the standard IAP to confirm what equipment the procedure required.
Example Sentence 2
Because the localizer was out, the crew could no longer use the standard IAP and had to apply a substitute procedure.