Eeek. My ATP-rated flight instructor said that there's no way those alarms should go off on anything like a normal approach. If it really "happens all the time" a call to the chief pilot would be in order.

All IFR approaches have sectors defined with minimum safe altitudes to provide terrain clearance (1000' I think?) and chances are the GPWS would be set to that- If it goes off it means you're in a Bad Place. The fact that they went to what sounds like full Vx climb also suggests this was anything but ordinary.

-cwk.

[This message has been edited by sansbury (edited 03-10-2003).]