Learn ATC / Approach control

How to vector an aircraft for an ILS approach

July 24, 2026 · FAA radar arrivals · JO 7110.65 5-9-1 through 5-9-4

TL;DR — BUILD THE INTERCEPT BACKWARDS

1. Tell the pilot which approach to expect.
2. Descend to a legal intercept altitude and solve the speed early.
3. Use a base leg that leaves room outside the approach gate.
4. Turn toward final at no more than the permitted intercept angle.
5. Give position, heading, “maintain … until established,” the ILS clearance, then the Tower handoff.

A good ILS vector is not simply a heading that crosses the localizer. It creates a stable capture at a usable altitude, with enough distance for the pilot to intercept, configure and descend. The final transmission is short because the controller has already solved the geometry, altitude, speed and spacing.

The picture you are trying to build

The base vector is only setup. The final heading must create a legal intercept and leave the aircraft established before the FAF.

1. Issue the approach expectation early

“Expect ILS runway 27 approach” lets the pilot load and brief the procedure; it is not an approach clearance. Give it before the high-workload final vector. If the runway or approach changes, amend the expectation while there is still room to rebuild the sequence.

APPROACH — PLANNING “November eight three eight Tango Kilo, expect ILS runway two seven approach.”

2. Fix altitude and speed before the turn to final

Vector at or above the applicable minimum vectoring altitude. For a precision approach, the intercept altitude must not put the aircraft above the glideslope, and it must not be below the minimum glideslope intercept altitude on the chart. The altitude in “maintain 3,000 until established” protects the aircraft while it is still on your unpublished vector.

Do the same with speed. A late “reduce to 170” while the aircraft is already turning inbound can create an overshoot and compress the next arrival. Assign the useful speed on downwind or base, observe the response, then turn.

3. Leave enough final

FAA JO 7110.65 5-9-1 normally requires the intercept at least 2 NM outside the approach gate. Better weather allows a closer intercept under specific conditions, and a pilot may request one inside the gate, but neither exception is a reason to build every sequence tight.

The intercept track is normally limited to 30 degrees when the intercept point is 2 NM or more from the gate. Inside that distance, or during triple simultaneous approaches, the maximum is 20 degrees. Those are track angles, not merely the difference between two numbers typed into a heading box; wind still matters.

4. Give the complete final vector

Before the aircraft reaches the approach gate, issue its position relative to a fix, a vector if one is required, the altitude to maintain until established and the approach clearance. A worked training example:

APPROACH — FINAL VECTOR “November eight three eight Tango Kilo, seven miles from SAYAE. Turn left heading three zero zero. Maintain three thousand until established on the localizer. Cleared ILS runway two seven approach.”

Listen to the readback as four separate checks: heading, altitude, “until established,” and the correct approach/runway. If any one changes, correct it before the aircraft flies the wrong clearance.

5. Monitor the capture, then hand off

The approach clearance does not end your job. Watch the turn and localizer capture, keep the required separation, and intervene if the target overshoots or diverges. Once the aircraft is established and the frequency change can be made before the FAF, send it to Tower:

APPROACH — HANDOFF “November eight three eight Tango Kilo, contact San Diego Tower one one eight point three.”

If your vector will cross the final approach course instead of intercepting it, tell the pilot and give the reason: “expect vectors across final for spacing.” Without an approach clearance, the pilot is not expected to turn inbound on their own.

Common mistakes

Turning first, clearing later. The pilot is not expected to capture final without the approach clearance.
A 45-degree “shortcut.” It often becomes an overshoot; the normal fixed-wing maxima are 20 or 30 degrees depending on where the intercept occurs.
Intercepting from above the glideslope. The aircraft may capture the localizer but fail to capture the glideslope from above.
Omitting “until established.” A vectored aircraft needs the altitude protection until it is established on a published segment.
Solving speed on final. Use downwind and base to create the interval; final is where you preserve it.
Forgetting the Tower handoff. Arrival instructions include the appropriate frequency change before the FAF unless a specific operation keeps the aircraft on Approach.

A five-minute practice drill

Choose APP/DEP at KSAN and select the guided Radar shift.
On first contact, verify the arrival altitude and issue the approach expectation.
Descend and set speed before the base turn.
Use the scope ruler to check the intercept angle and distance.
Issue one complete final vector, monitor capture, then hand off to Tower.

Primary references: FAA JO 7110.65, Chapter 5 Section 9 (vectors, intercept angles and arrival instructions); Chapter 4 Section 8 (approach clearances); and the Aeronautical Information Manual 5-4. Always use the current chart and facility directives; this training diagram is not for navigation.

Related guides: S1/S2 practice drills · KSAN runway 27/09 primer · Tower 101

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