What category is the B-737 when executing a circling approach?

• A. Category A
• B. Category B
• C. Category C
• D. Category D

Answer: (D)

Circling minimums and protections are tied to the airplane’s speed in the approach, not its weight alone. The final approach speed used to assign a circling category is based on Vref (the reference landing speed). For a Boeing 737, especially when heavy and configured for landing, Vref typically falls around 140 knots or higher. That places it in the higher-speed circling category (the range that covers speeds just above 140 knots). Because the category determines the obstacle clearance margins and the minimums used during the circling maneuver, the 737 ends up in that higher category during a circling approach. If the aircraft were slower, it could fall into a lower category, but under normal heavy-weight landing configurations it sits in the higher one.