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Circling to Land: How to Do It Well—and What to Do If You Lose the Runway

Circling off an instrument approach is one of those IFR skills that looks simple on paper (“break out, maneuver visually, land”) and feels very different when you’re actually doing it: low altitude, tight margins, changing winds, rising terrain/obstacles, and a runway that can disappear behind rain shafts or night haze faster than you’d expect.


Done correctly, circling is a controlled, briefed, stabilized visual maneuver inside protected airspace. Done poorly, it turns into improvised low-altitude VFR in marginal conditions—which is exactly where bad outcomes live.


Let’s talk about how to circle like a pro and, most importantly, what to do if you lose sight of the runway while circling.



Study this full length lesson (video, podcast, flashcards, and quiz) here: Full Length Lesson >


What “circling to land” really is

A circling maneuver happens when you fly an instrument approach to one runway (or straight-in course), but you plan to land on a different runway that isn’t aligned for a straight-in. You descend to circling minimums, acquire the runway environment, then maneuver visually to line up and land.


Two key points:

  • Circling minimums are different than straight-in minimums. They account for maneuvering and obstacle clearance inside a defined area around the airport.

  • Circling is not a free-form “wander around until lined up.” It’s a disciplined visual pattern flown at a speed that matches your aircraft’s approach category.


Before you circle: brief like your safety depends on it (because it does)

If you brief one thing more thoroughly than usual, make it circling.


1) Pick the runway early

Don’t “see what happens.” Decide:

  • preferred landing runway

  • expected circle direction (left/right) based on terrain, obstacles, and wind

  • where you’ll turn base/final


2) Know your circling minimums and category

Circling protected area and minima depend on approach category. If you fly faster than the category you briefed, your turns get wider and your margins shrink.


3) Identify the “no-kidding go missed” triggers

Examples:

  • can’t keep runway in sight continuously

  • unstable airspeed/descent rate/configuration

  • excessive bank required to stay close

  • drifting wide/downwind due to wind

  • runway environment becomes ambiguous (night, glare, rain/snow)


4) Have a missed-approach plan for the circle

Say it out loud in the brief:

  • “If we lose the runway while circling: power up, climb to circling MDA, go missed.”


How to fly the circle (practical technique)

Stay configured and slow enough to turn tight

The circling area assumes you’re flying at category-appropriate speeds. Keep it honest:

  • stable airspeed

  • landing/approach configuration (as appropriate)

  • don’t carry “extra” speed that balloons your turn radius


Keep the runway on the same side

A simple way to avoid drifting wide:

  • If you’re circling left, keep the runway off your left side.

  • If circling right, keep it off your right side.


This helps you maintain a consistent visual reference and reduces the chance you end up too far out.


Use a deliberate, pattern-like geometry

Most good circles look like a compact traffic pattern:

  • a short downwind (or a continuous turn)

  • base

  • final


If you find yourself extending downwind “just a bit,” you’re probably leaving the protected area.


Respect bank angle and workload

If the only way to make the runway is a steep, skidding, high-bank turn at low altitude: that’s not “making it work.” That’s your cue to go missed.


The big rule: never descend below circling MDA until you’re in a position to land

Treat circling MDA like a hard floor until you’re:

  • continuously visual,

  • aligned and stable,

  • able to descend normally to the runway.


If you’re low, drifting, and trying to “duck under” to keep sight of the runway, you’re moving in the wrong direction.


What to do if you lose sight of the runway while circling

This is the money moment. When the runway disappears (rain, snow, haze, turning base at night, getting under a scud), you need a simple, immediate plan that doesn’t rely on guesswork.


The correct instinct: go missed

If you lose sight of the runway environment while circling, treat it like you just lost the thing that makes circling legal and safe. The professional move is:

  1. Power: add power immediately (missed approach power).

  2. Pitch: establish a positive climb.

  3. Clean up: as appropriate (gear/flaps per your normal go-around profile).

  4. Climb to at least circling MDA (do not descend; stop any descent immediately).

  5. Transition to the published missed approach as soon as practical.


Why “climb first” matters

The second you lose visual references, you’re at risk of:

  • unintentional descent,

  • tightening turns at low altitude,

  • drifting outside circling protection.


Climb stabilizes the situation and buys time.


What about turning?

This is where pilots overcomplicate it. A practical approach:

  • It is often best to make a climbing toward the landing runway/airport (not away from the runway) to join the missed approach procedure.


Remember: the published missed approach was designed to provide obstacle clearance when flown from the missed approach point/track, but if you’re somewhere else in the circle, your first job is to get climbing and re-established, then transition intelligently.


Communicate early (once you’re climbing)

As soon as workload allows:

  • “Going missed” / “Missed approach” / “Lost the runway—going missed.”ATC can help quickly with vectors and altitude, but only after you’ve stabilized the airplane.


A few circling scenarios where “lose sight” happens fast

Night + bright runway lights + mist

You can “see” the runway lights but lose the actual runway environment on the turn. If the picture gets vague, don’t force it.


Strong wind on downwind

You drift wider than planned, and the runway slips behind a rain shaft or haze. Wide downwind + low altitude is the classic setup for losing the runway.


Snow/rain bands

Visibility changes dramatically over a few hundred yards. One moment it’s fine; the next it’s gone.


Pro tips to make circling less sporty

  • Avoid circling near minimums when you have better options. A straight-in to another airport or an approach to a more aligned runway is often the smarter choice.

  • Use a conservative personal minimum. Circling at night or in gusty winds deserves extra margin.

  • Brief “circling NA” notes and restrictions. Some procedures prohibit circling to certain runways or at night.

  • Keep the maneuver tight, slow, and stable. Most circling trouble starts with being fast and wide.


Takeaway

Circling is a visual maneuver with IFR consequences: you’re low, close to obstacles, and operating on the edge of visibility and workload.


If you lose sight of the runway while circling, don’t negotiate with it:

  • go missed immediately,

  • stop any descent, climb,

  • then transition to the missed approach (or vectors) once stable.



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