....in all glass cockpit ops I find the biggest opportunity for approach problems is in Auto mode changes/CDI selection/slewing.
Hear, hear!
Although I am a firm believer in the advantages of the cockpits in spite of them raising some new challenges!
Re: post #04 by NCYankee
The disconcerting "habit" of suddenly sending one to an IAF (or one of the intermediate fixes), after initially offering to provide vectors to the final of an RNAV(GNSS) approach, is not unique to American approach controllers! It happens in Australia often enough. The technique I follow in those situations is not to select the VTF but, rather, programming my entry into the procedure via a "direct" IAF and then, immediately, activating the FAF-MAPt leg.
Germany mainly operates ATC with "vectors-to-final". The few cases where I have to fly a standard approach are usually of the following categories:
the standard approach is as good as a vectored approach
I approach a non busy airport while ATC are generally very busy and prefer to not have the additional workload of vectoring me
ATC is lazy and doesn't want to make the effort to optimize my approach
At a busy airport, ATC also almost aways want GA aircraft to accept non standard departures, often visual departures to speed things up. I strongly suggest to always agree if operationally possible, otherwise you risk burning your fuel on the taxiway...
In Germany at large airports I have always been given a SID and often fly most of it before a direct. The only full procedures I have been given on RNAV approaches were at Eggenfelden and Bremerhaven. Everywhere else it is VTF.
Germany mainly operates ATC with "vectors-to-final".
Basically everybody with radar (which is almost every sizeable airport, except most of the Greek island ones) vectors IFR traffic.
SIDs/STARs are published in vast numbers as a backup but I recall a senior UK NATS IFR ATCO saying that if the "London" airports had to go procedural, the capacity would fall by a factor of 5 to 10 times so the airline travel system as we know it would effectively collapse. So they have various backups for their radars (more radars) and I am sure every other country with any significant traffic does the same.
However one is nearly always assigned a SID and a STAR and quite often one is expected to fly this, and even though one is usually taken off it pretty soon (by vectors) one will never quite know when this will happen. So one needs to be prepared to fly the full published and assigned procedure...
The reason I had not before come across a GPS/RNAV approach with vectoring is because, from the UK, I have to fly to a Customs airport, and in all previous cases they either had an ILS, or didn't have a GPS/RNAV approach (had a VOR one etc). And obviously I always go for the ILS... the best, the simplest, the safest.
At Prague I could have gone for the VOR approach and then vectoring is common - for example Bournemouth EGHH was vectoring traffic to the NDB approach (what a joke) when their ILS was being reworked.
I don't know why the KLN94 offers the VTF option in some cases and not others.
What exactly does the VTF option change in the functionality, when it seems possible to select any of the other (the various IAFs) options but accept vectors to the final approach track anyway?
And obviously I always go for the ILS... the best, the simplest, the safest.
So when you happen to get an RNAV or even visual approach and the PAPIs are off, you do a San Francisco landing? 
What exactly does the VTF option change in the functionality, when it seems possible to select any of the other (the various IAFs) options but accept vectors to the final approach track anyway?
It immediately activates an extended final approach leg deleting all intermediate waypoints. It allows you to arm NAV or APR mode while in heading mode to intercept. Otherwise you would be relying on the GPS to select the correct leg.
So when you happen to get an RNAV or even visual approach and the PAPIs are off, you do a San Francisco landing?
According to most current internet rumour this is possible only on aircraft that have an auto-throttle 
It immediately activates an extended final approach leg deleting all intermediate waypoints.
Interesting... I will have a play with that next time.
It immediately activates an extended final approach leg deleting all intermediate waypoints.
Interesting... I will have a play with that next time.
It can also be interesting for providing situational awareness during a visual approach as it creates a big magenta extended runway centreline. For example I often get dropped down south of Brize en route Oxford. Activate VTF on the 01 NDB/DME, ask for a straight in and you have a more accurate guidance than OBS mode.
