ILS Approach — B-1B Lancer

← Back to Training Center

KDYS — Dyess Air Force Base · Real FAA Data

📍

Airport Overview

ICAO / FAA IDKDYS / DYS

LocationAbilene, TX

Field Elevation1,790 ft MSL

Magnetic Variation05°E

B-1B Pattern8,000 ft AGL overhead

TPA Rectangular1,210 ft AGL

📻

Communications

ATIS / ASOS269.175

Ground118.35 / 275.8

Tower133.0 / 257.675

Approach (East)125.0

Approach (West)127.2

Command Post311.0 (RAYMOND 37)

Emergency121.5 / 243.0

Runway 16/34 — Primary ILS Runway

▼ RUNWAY 34

Magnetic Heading340°

Runway Length13,500 ft

Width300 ft

SurfaceConcrete

Threshold Elevation1,787.6 ft MSL

PAPI4-light, left side · 2.50°

Approach LightsALSF-1 (2,400 ft CAT I)

Instrument ApproachILS (HI-X and W)

Traffic PatternLeft

▼ RUNWAY 16

Magnetic Heading160°

Runway Length13,500 ft

Width300 ft

SurfaceConcrete

Threshold Elevation1,790.3 ft MSL

PAPI4-light, left side · 2.60°

Approach LightsALSF-1 (2,400 ft CAT I)

Instrument ApproachILS (HI-X and W)

Traffic PatternLeft

Assault Strips (Transition / Special Ops)

Runway 164/344

Length3,498 ft

Width60 ft

SurfaceAsphalt

Instrument ApproachNone — PPR + brief req'd

Runway 163/343

Length3,500 ft

Width60 ft

SurfaceDirt

RestrictionLanding zone CLOSED

Published Approach Types — RWY 16 & 34

Approach	RWY 16	RWY 34	Notes
HI-ILS OR LOC X	✓ Published	✓ Published	High-altitude military version — used by B-1B in MSFS training profile
ILS OR LOC W	✓ Published	✓ Published	Standard CAT I ILS — most commonly simulated
VOR/DME	✓ Published	✓ Published	Non-precision — see VOR guide
HI-TACAN X	✓ Published	✓ Published	Military TACAN — not modeled in KwikFlight
TACAN W	✓ Published	✓ Published	Military TACAN — not modeled in KwikFlight

📡

Nearby Navaids

ABILENE VORTAC (ABI)113.70 · R-165 / 3.8 NM

TUSCOLA VOR/DME (TQA)114.85 · R-340 / 11.1 NM

TOMHI NDB (AB)353 kHz · 303° / 11.7 NM

Real-world notes from FAA remarks: B-1B requires minimum ceiling/visibility 1,500 ft / 3 SM and runway surface DRY for local operations. B-52 aircraft approaching KDYS must provide at least 2–4 hrs notice before arrival for airfield prep. PPR required for all transient aircraft — valid ±30 min of scheduled landing time.

Data source: FAA AirNav (airnav.com/airport/kdys) · Effective 11 June 2026. NOT FOR NAVIGATION — for simulation training reference only.

Phase 2 — FMS setup before the approach

Step 1 — FMS NAV page: tune the ILS

FMS → NAV NAV1 [109.9] → --->LOC/ILS [I-DYS] ← RWY 34 CRS [340] → NAV MODE [NAV] → ── or for RWY 16 ── NAV1 [108.9] → --->LOC/ILS [I-DYS] ← RWY 16 CRS [160] →

Press NAV on the FMS keypad
Type the ILS frequency into the scratch pad → line-select into NAV1
Confirm ident shows LOC/ILS and correct ident code
Set CRS to the inbound runway heading (340° for RWY 34, 160° for RWY 16)
Confirm NAV MODE = NAV, not GPS

ILS frequency and DH values for RWY 16 and 34 must be confirmed from current approach plates before each flight. Frequencies shown are representative — always verify against current charts.

Step 2 — FMS PERF → APPR page

FMS → PERF → CRZ PG → APPR PG APPR PAGE FLAPS --> 17° VREF --> □□□ Kt ← auto-computes DH □□□□ RADIO ← enter DH from plate LAND QNH --> 29.92 ← update from ATIS <--CRZ PG

Enter DH from the approach plate in the DH field — not MDA
VREF auto-computes from aircraft weight — click to confirm
Update QNH from ATIS (KDYS ATIS: 269.175)
Both approaches (RWY 16 and 34) have ALSF-1 CAT I approach lighting

📋

Runway 16 vs 34 — which to use?

Factor	RWY 34	RWY 16
Inbound heading	340° (northbound)	160° (southbound)
Threshold elevation	1,787.6 ft MSL	1,790.3 ft MSL
PAPI glideslope angle	2.50°	2.60°
Preferred wind	Southerly winds (tail → north)	Northerly winds (tail → south)
ILS type available	HI-X and W variants	HI-X and W variants

KDYS prevailing winds are typically from the south and southwest — Runway 34 (northbound landing, into a southerly headwind) is the most common active runway for arrivals at Dyess.

Phase 3 — PFD softkey and APR mode

Set PFD softkey to ILS

VSD | ADF | ILS | NAV1 | GPS ↑ must be here

PFD softkey controls what the compass-rose deviation needle tracks
For ILS: must be set to ILS — shows the LOC needle and activates ILS bars in HUD mode
Wrong softkey = APR mode captures nothing, even if frequency is tuned correctly

Most common student error at KDYS. APR mode needs PFD = ILS. GPS or NAV1 → localizer will never capture, approach will fail silently.

Arm APR mode

ALT

HDG

NAV

ATH

APR

Press APR — button turns amber/orange = LOC armed, waiting
Keep HDG hold — holds ATC vector heading until intercept
LOC alive within ~30° of final course → APR captures LOC → HDG drops automatically
APR button turns green = LOC captured, tracking centerline

Arm APR while within 30° of the inbound course. Arming too early (more than 30° off) risks a non-sequenced capture or overfly of the localizer.

Phase 4 — Full autopilot sequence from vectors to DH

▶

Complete A/P mode sequence

Phase	AP	ALT	HDG	NAV	ATH	APR	What happens
Vectors	ON	ON	ON	—	ON	—	HDG holds ATC heading. ALT holds assigned altitude.
Arm APR	ON	ON	ON	—	ON	ARM	APR armed, orange — waiting for LOC signal to go alive.
LOC capture	ON	ON	drops	—	ON	CAP	HDG drops out automatically. APR green, tracking LOC centerline.
G/S capture	ON	G/S	—	—	ON	CAP	ALT changes to G/S annunciation. Aircraft descends on glideslope automatically.
2,500 ft AGL	ON	G/S	—	—	ATH OFF	CAP	ATH disengages automatically. Take over throttle manually — maintain VREF.
At DH	DISENGAGE	—	—	—	—	—	Disengage AP. Visual: land. No visual: go-around immediately.

ATH critical note — 2,500 ft AGL

Autothrottle disengages automatically below 2,500 ft AGL
At KDYS (field elevation 1,790 ft MSL), 2,500 ft AGL = ~4,290 ft MSL
This means ATH drops out well above the runway — not on short final
Take over throttle immediately — set SPD knob to VREF and manage manually for the rest of the approach

Students who rely on ATH to hold VREF through touchdown will lose speed control and may become dangerously slow in the flare. Monitor airspeed manually from the ATH cutoff point.

KDYS-specific call-outs

"Dyess Approach, [callsign], with information [ATIS letter], 20 miles east, request ILS RWY 34"
Expect vectors to final from Abilene Approach (125.0 East / 127.2 West)
Switch to Dyess Tower (133.0 UHF: 257.675) when instructed
UHF-equipped aircraft shall use 257.675 to max extent — per KDYS remarks

Phase 5 — Decision Height and Go-Around

At Decision Height

DH is a hard decision point — not a target to cross first and then look
Look out for: runway lights, approach lights (ALSF-1 at KDYS), threshold markings, or touchdown zone markings
Any of those in sight + landing assured → disengage AP, transition to visual landing
Nothing in sight at DH → immediate go-around, no hesitation

KDYS has ALSF-1 approach lighting on both runways (2,400 ft of high-intensity centerline + sequenced flashers). Seeing the approach lights counts as visual contact for continuing — but you cannot descend below DH on lights alone unless runway environment is clearly visible.

Go-Around procedure

Full power — smooth, continuous advancement to prevent compressor stall
Positive climb rate established → gear up
Climb runway heading — runway 34 missed approach: climb northbound to published altitude
Runway 16 missed approach: climb southbound — check current plate for published procedure
Contact Dyess Tower: "Dyess Tower, [callsign], going around"
Expect vectors back for another approach or divert instructions

📋

KDYS Approach Quick-Reference — Both Runways

RWY 34 (Primary)

Inbound Course340°

Threshold Elev1,787.6 ft MSL

PAPI Angle2.50°

Runway Length13,500 ft

Approach LightsALSF-1 (2,400 ft)

RWY 16

Inbound Course160°

Threshold Elev1,790.3 ft MSL

PAPI Angle2.60°

Runway Length13,500 ft

Approach LightsALSF-1 (2,400 ft)

ILS frequencies and DH/DA values must be verified from current FAA approach charts before each flight. NOT FOR NAVIGATION.

Phase 6 — Common student errors and instructor coaching cues

Error matrix — ILS at KDYS

Error	What the student does	What goes wrong	Coaching cue
Wrong PFD softkey	Leaves PFD on GPS or NAV1	APR mode arms but never captures LOC — aircraft continues on HDG indefinitely	"Check your PFD softkey — it needs to be ILS, not GPS"
NAV MODE = GPS	Leaves FMS NAV MODE on GPS	APR mode won't function correctly even with correct frequency	"FMS NAV page — what does your NAV MODE show?"
APR armed too early	Arms APR when more than 30° off final	LOC may not capture correctly, or aircraft overshoots centerline	"Hold off on APR until you're within 30° of the inbound course"
Re-engages HDG after LOC	Presses HDG after APR goes green	Instantly overrides LOC track — aircraft turns away from centerline	"Leave HDG alone — APR is tracking, you broke it"
Ignores ATH cutoff	Doesn't take throttle at 2,500 ft AGL	Speed decays silently below VREF — dangerously slow by the flare	"ATH is gone — where's your airspeed right now?"
Peeking below DH	Continues past DH hoping to find the runway	Descends into instrument conditions below ILS minimum — safety of flight	"That was DH — go around now"
Wrong inbound course	Sets CRS to 359° for RWY 34 instead of 340°	LOC course deflection shown incorrectly — approach appears off even on centerline	"What's the runway magnetic heading? Set that in CRS."

📋

Pre-approach setup checklist — student brief item

State the active runway and inbound course out loud before setup
FMS NAV → NAV1 frequency tuned, ident confirmed
FMS NAV → CRS set to runway magnetic heading
FMS NAV → NAV MODE = NAV
FMS PERF → APPR → DH entered from plate
PFD softkey = ILS confirmed
ATH set to VREF on SPD knob — ready to hand-fly below 2,500 ft AGL

KDYS airfield-specific gotchas

B-1B minimum VMC: ceiling 1,500 ft, visibility 3 SM, runway DRY required for local ops — per KDYS airfield remarks
UHF comms: UHF-equipped aircraft use 257.675 for Tower — not the VHF 133.0 primary
Pattern altitude: B-1B overhead pattern is 8,000 ft AGL — much higher than a typical airliner
PAPI angles differ between RWY 16 (2.60°) and RWY 34 (2.50°) — subtle but worth noting on visual approach
ATH drops at 4,290 ft MSL (2,500 ft AGL above 1,790 ft field elevation) — this is early in the approach

ILS Approach Guide