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The instrument runway, Rtmway 32, is served by an instrument landing system <br />(ILS) with straight-in minimums of a 400-foot ceiling and visibility of one mile for <br />Category C aircraft and up. There is also a nondirectional beacon (NDB) approach <br />procedure for Runway 30 with much higher minimums of a 900-foot ceiling and <br />varying visibilities of one to two and threeyuarter miles, depending on the aircraft <br />category. <br />Unfortunately, if there are strong winds from the southeast, south, or west, <br />aircraft have to circle to land on one of the other runways more closely aligned with <br />the wind. In order to successfully execute a circling. approach, the minimums must <br />be fauly high, as stated above. When ceilings .are below circling minimuttu, the <br />aircraft must divert to an alternate airport with a rumvay aligned close to or into the <br />wind. ILS approaches to Runway 32 conflict with departures on Runway i1L at <br />Minneapolis-St. Paul International. (This conflict does not exist for 11R.) Inbound <br />traffic at St. Paul Downtown must hold for 30 minutes if Minmeapolis-St. Paul <br />departures are occurring on Runway 11L If traffic is heavy at Minneapolis-St. Paul, <br />departures are held while St. Paul Downtown accommodates inbound traffic. <br />Operations at St. Paul Downtown are kept below or underneath Minneapolis- <br />St. Paul International operations. Occasionally, during very hot weather, St. Paul <br />Downtown departures to the south and southeast must be staggered with <br />Minneapolis-St. Paul International departures. This is particularly true for heavy, <br />slow-climbing B747s enroute non-stop to Europe or destinations in the east and <br />south. Arrivals blend in with the regular flows to Minneapolis-St. Paul International, <br />but they are kept. at lower altitudes. <br />St. Paul Downtown currently has a tower, but it is inadequate due to its age. <br />The construction of a new tower, however, is currently being considered. The tower <br />is scheduled to be equipped with a Digital Bright Radar Indicator Tower Equipment <br />(D-Brits III) radar monitor, but the date for this installation is not firm. A D-Brits <br />monitor is a remote radar screen that provides simultaneous displays is satellite <br />III-30 <br />