FAA Instrument Flight Instructor (FII)IFR Procedures and ApproachesMedium
A pilot is arriving via an RNAV route depicted with a Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) surrounding the IAFs of an RNAV (GPS) approach. The TAA is divided into sectors, each providing minimum altitudes for obstacle clearance. Which of the following is one of the three standard TAA sectors?
- ACrosswind area
- BStraight-in area
- COverhead area
- DDownwind area
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Straight-in area
A TAA is normally divided into three areas: straight-in, left base, and right base, each associated with an IAF and providing its own minimum sector altitude. Downwind, crosswind, and overhead are not TAA sector designations.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Crosswind is also a traffic pattern term, not used for TAAs.
- C. Overhead is not a recognized TAA sector designation.
- D. Downwind is a traffic pattern term, not a TAA sector.
Terminal Arrival Area (TAA)
A TAA provides a transition from the en route structure to the terminal environment for RNAV approaches, divided into straight-in, left base, and right base sectors, each with its own minimum altitude.
- Three sectors: straight-in, left base, right base
- Each sector has a minimum altitude for obstacle clearance
- Depicted as a 'T' or modified shape on the approach chart
Memory trick: 'Straight, Left, Right' — the TAA's three sectors.