"Andrew" wrote in message
ups.com...
OK, I may show my ignorance here. Isn't the approach procedures
constitute FAR 97? If a chart says 'Alternate Not Authorized', does it
not effectively disallow that airport from being listed as an
alternate?

The "not authorized" applies to the approach, not the airport (as Michael
already pointed out). Forecast VFR conditions allow ANY airport to qualify
as an alternate under the default visual approach that exists at every
airport.

If you have an airport for which every approach says "not authorized", then
the visual approach is the only way to use that airport as an alternate.
But even in that case, the airport is not ruled out as an alternate, except
due to the weather forecast. It is otherwise eligible.

Note that airports without instrument approaches don't even have a chart
where one could find "A-NA" listed on it. As much as I hate to bring logic
into a discussion about the FARs, it just wouldn't make sense for an airport
with an instrument approach to not be authorized as an alternate (even under
VFR conditions), even as one without is automatically granted qualification
as an alternate (under 91.169).

So, to reiterate: having one or more approaches at an airport listed as
"A-NA" does not disqualify the airport. It just disqualifies the approach.
And the visual approach is always authorized (since it doesn't rely on any
monitored navigation equipment, and an area forecast is sufficient for using
for alternate decision-making).

Pete