While planning a future flight; a commercially rated pilot noted 'lp' minima on the RNAV/GPS approac...

Narrative:

I was preparing for a trip to dts and looking at the approach plates. The RNAV (GPS) runway 32 approach has a lowest minimum listed of 420 ft. In looking at the plate on my computer screen it was listed as an 'lp category' minima. I figured that was a typo for localizer performance with vertical guidance (lpv) as I'd never heard of an localizer performance (lp) approach.I did a computer search and found some pertinent quotes from a navigation/data provider including: 'but even with the right hardware (waas supported GPS); you still can't fly an lp approach right now. That's because the [commercially provided] database does not support lp approaches. It's a completely new type of approach; and the provider is still working to integrate these into your normal update cycle. Their goal is to support lp approaches 'sometime soon;' so stay tuned.'I suspect very few active IFR pilots appreciate there are a significant number of published approaches that general aviation aircraft are incapable of flying. It sets up a situation where pilots could very easily bust minimums without knowing it.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: While planning a future flight; a commercially rated pilot noted 'LP' minima on the RNAV/GPS approaches at his destination; an approach type with which he was unfamiliar and for which; a computer search revealed; his aircraft's commercially provided GPS database was unable to utilize.

Narrative: I was preparing for a trip to DTS and looking at the approach plates. The RNAV (GPS) Runway 32 approach has a lowest minimum listed of 420 FT. In looking at the plate on my computer screen it was listed as an 'LP category' minima. I figured that was a typo for Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) as I'd never heard of an Localizer Performance (LP) approach.I did a computer search and found some pertinent quotes from a navigation/data provider including: 'But even with the right hardware (WAAS supported GPS); you still can't fly an LP approach right now. That's because the [commercially provided] database does not support LP approaches. It's a completely new type of approach; and the provider is still working to integrate these into your normal update cycle. Their goal is to support LP approaches 'sometime soon;' so stay tuned.'I suspect very few active IFR pilots appreciate there are a significant number of published approaches that general aviation aircraft are incapable of flying. It sets up a situation where pilots could very easily bust minimums without knowing it.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1038453
Time
Date	201209
Place
Locale Reference	DTS.Airport
State Reference	FL
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	PA-46 Malibu/Malibu Mirage/Malibu Matrix
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	GPS & Other Satellite Navigation
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25 Flight Crew Total 800 Flight Crew Type 100
Events
Anomaly	No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types

While planning a future flight; a commercially rated pilot noted 'lp' minima on the RNAV/GPS approaches at his destination; an approach type with which he was unfamiliar and for which; a computer search revealed; his aircraft's commercially provided GPS database was unable to utilize.