When the approach controller issues a clearance, “maintain 3,000 feet until established,” what does it mean to be established?
The specific meaning of this phrase is a bit more involved than a short definition, and it is critically relevant in avoiding Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents.
Maintain the last altitude assigned by ATC until the aircraft is established on a published segment of a transition route, or approach procedure segment, or other published route, for which a lower altitude is published on the chart.
AIM 5-4-6 (e)(1)
In the first example of how this works, assume an airplane is vectored to the ILS 23L at KIND on a heading between the CLANG and LLARY waypoints.
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