What is a Visual Descent Point on a nonprecision approach and how do I use it?

A Visual Descent Point (VDP) is a charted location on the final approach course—depicted as a bold 'V'—from which a normal 3° descent to the runway touchdown zone can begin. If you reach the VDP and cannot see the required runway environment, you should execute the missed approach rather than continuing descent at a steeper, unsafe angle. Think of it as the nonprecision equivalent of a precision approach decision point.

How do I calculate a VDP when it is not published on the approach chart?

Use the formula: VDP distance from the MAP (in NM) = Height Above Touchdown (HAT) at the MDA divided by 300. For example, an MDA that places the aircraft 600 feet above the touchdown zone gives a VDP located 2.0 NM before the MAP. This works because a standard 3° glidepath descends approximately 300 feet per nautical mile.

What is the Continuously Descending Final Approach (CDFA) technique and why is it preferred over dive and drive?

CDFA is a method of flying nonprecision approaches on a constant descent angle—typically 3°—from the final approach fix directly toward the runway, treating the MDA as a go-around trigger rather than a level-off altitude. It is preferred because it eliminates the hazardous rushed descent associated with 'dive and drive,' dramatically reduces CFIT risk, and mirrors the stabilized profile of a precision approach. If the aircraft reaches MDA without the runway environment in sight, an immediate missed approach is executed.

Visual Descent Point and Stabilized Nonprecision Approach Profiles

Nonprecision approaches present a unique challenge that precision approaches do not: they lack vertical guidance from the ground, meaning pilots must manage their own descent profile from the final approach fix to the runway threshold. Two concepts anchor safe, professional nonprecision approach technique at the ATP level—the Visual Descent Point (VDP) and the discipline of flying a stabilized approach profile to a runway environment. Together, they replace the "dive and drive" habit that has been linked to controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accidents worldwide.

This article, grounded in FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook FAA-H-8083-16B Chapter 4, explains the mechanics behind the VDP, how to calculate it when it is not charted, how to fly a continuously descending final approach (CDFA) technique, and the operational and regulatory reasons these skills matter to every ATP applicant and certificate holder.

What Is a Visual Descent Point?

The Visual Descent Point is a defined point on the final approach course of a nonprecision straight-in approach from which a normal descent—using a standard 3° glidepath angle—can be initiated to reach the runway touchdown zone at or before the runway threshold. The VDP is depicted on the approach chart as a bold "V" symbol on the profile view. When published, it provides pilots with a reference that mirrors the decision-making moment of a precision approach: if the runway environment is not in sight at the VDP, the pilot should execute the missed approach rather than continuing a steep or rushed descent.

It is important to understand what the VDP is not: it is not a mandatory missed-approach point. The missed approach point (MAP) on a nonprecision approach is typically defined by timing, a fix, or a navaid, and it occurs at or after the VDP. The VDP simply tells you the last moment at which a normal descent profile is geometrically achievable. Descending past the VDP without the runway environment in sight virtually guarantees either a dangerously steep final descent or a go-around from very low altitude.

How the VDP Is Calculated

When the FAA publishes a VDP on an approach plate, it is derived from the obstacle clearance surface and the charted minimum descent altitude (MDA). The distance of the VDP from the MAP is computed using the relationship between height above touchdown (HAT) at the MDA and a standard visual glidepath angle, typically 3°. The basic formula pilots use to approximate the VDP distance from the MAP is:

VDP distance (NM) = HAT (feet) ÷ 300

This works because a 3° descent angle descends approximately 300 feet per nautical mile. For example, if the MDA is 1,040 feet MSL and the touchdown zone elevation (TDZE) is 440 feet MSL, the HAT equals 600 feet. Dividing 600 by 300 yields 2.0 NM from the MAP as the VDP location. Knowing this arithmetic lets you mentally verify a charted VDP and calculate an approximate VDP on procedures where one is not published.

A VDP is not published on every nonprecision approach. Obstacles in the approach environment, an excessively high MDA, or a MAP that is not at the threshold may prevent the FAA from identifying a usable VDP. When no VDP is charted, the approach does not prohibit landing, but the absence signals that a normal-profile descent from MDA to touchdown may not be geometrically possible, which is additional reason to exercise caution.

The Continuously Descending Final Approach (CDFA) Technique

The FAA and ICAO now strongly endorse the Continuously Descending Final Approach (CDFA) technique for nonprecision approaches as the operationally preferred method. Rather than leveling off at the MDA and flying horizontally until the MAP—the old "dive and drive"—CDFA treats the nonprecision approach like a precision approach by flying a constant-angle descent from the final approach fix (FAF) directly toward the runway. The MDA is treated as a go-around initiation altitude: if you reach it without the runway environment in sight, you immediately execute the missed approach rather than leveling off and hunting for the runway below a low ceiling.

To fly CDFA, pilots plan and brief a target descent rate based on groundspeed and the glidepath angle. For a 3° descent at 90 knots groundspeed, the required descent rate is approximately 480 feet per minute. At 120 knots it rises to roughly 640 fpm. Many modern FMS-equipped aircraft can fly CDFA automatically on LNAV approaches by entering an advisory glidepath, and WAAS GPS receivers often display an LP+V or LNAV/VNAV path that provides actual vertical guidance—but the underlying concept remains the same even in conventional aircraft.

A critical operational note from FAA-H-8083-16B: when flying CDFA and reaching the MDA, if the pilot adds a small buffer—sometimes called an "add-on" of 50–75 feet above MDA for the initiation altitude—this prevents unintentionally descending below MDA during the visual transition while still giving the pilot a moment to assess the runway environment. However, this buffer must never cause the aircraft to descend below the published MDA prior to the visual descent being established.

Why It Matters: Safety and the CFIT Threat

Controlled flight into terrain on nonprecision approaches is not a historical curiosity—it remains one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in instrument operations. The scenario is consistent: a crew levels at MDA, fails to acquire the runway visually, presses past the VDP hoping to see the approach lights, and then initiates a steep, rushed descent with insufficient time to arrest sink rate before terrain or the runway environment is encountered at the wrong point. The VDP and CDFA discipline exist precisely to interrupt this chain.

From a regulatory perspective, 14 CFR Part 91.175 establishes that no pilot may operate below MDA unless the aircraft is continuously in a position from which a normal landing can be made and the required visual references are in sight. Interpreting "continuously in a position" operationally means that descending past the VDP without visual references violates the spirit—and arguably the letter—of that rule, even if the MAP has not technically been reached.

For Part 121 and Part 135 operators, operations specifications and company SOPs typically codify CDFA as standard technique, and check airmen examine for proper VDP awareness on approach evaluations. ATP applicants should be prepared to demonstrate knowledge of VDP calculation, CDFA execution, and the regulatory basis for not descending below MDA without the required visual references.

Key Numbers and Rules

3° — standard visual glidepath angle used to derive VDP location and CDFA descent rate.
300 feet per NM — descent gradient for a 3° angle; the divisor in the VDP distance formula.
VDP distance from MAP = HAT ÷ 300 — pilot-calculated approximation when no VDP is charted.
MDA as go-around trigger (CDFA) — reaching MDA without runway environment in sight = immediate missed approach, no level-off.
14 CFR 91.175 — legal floor: must have required visual references AND be in normal-landing position before descending below MDA.
Bold "V" symbol — VDP depiction on the approach profile view; located on the final approach course prior to the MAP.
CDFA descent rate approximation: groundspeed (knots) × 5 = fpm descent rate for a 3° path (e.g., 100 kts × 5 = 500 fpm).

Memory Aid

VDP = "V" is for Visual — at the 'V,' you must See or Flee. If you reach the VDP and the runway environment is not visible, execute the missed approach immediately. The rhyme encodes the two and only two options at the VDP: the runway is in sight (see) or you go around (flee). There is no third option of continuing past the VDP in hopes of acquiring the runway at a steeper angle.

Common Test Traps

Confusing the VDP with the MAP. The VDP is not the missed approach point—it precedes the MAP. Descending past the VDP without visual contact does not legally require a missed approach at that instant, but it practically makes a safe landing impossible.
Assuming all nonprecision approaches have a published VDP. Many do not. When absent, it is a warning, not a permission slip to dive-and-drive.
Using HAT vs. HAA in the formula. The VDP calculation uses HAT (height above touchdown zone elevation), not HAA (height above airport elevation). Using HAA for a runway that is not flat can yield an incorrect VDP distance.
Treating CDFA descent as going below MDA. In CDFA technique, the aircraft should not descend below MDA without the runway environment in sight. If the aircraft reaches MDA on the CDFA profile and there is no visual contact, the missed approach begins immediately—the pilot does not level off.
Forgetting that the VDP applies only to straight-in approaches. Circling approaches do not have a VDP because there is no stable straight-in profile to reference; the concept applies exclusively to straight-in nonprecision instrument approaches.