On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 21:23:09 GMT, "Matthew Waugh"
wrote:

"Gary L. Drescher" wrote in message
. net...
The two sentences are related, but the question is how. Without using a
hood, the approach has to be flown in actual IMC.

Only started.

But does that mean that
some, most, or all of that flying has to be in IMC? The flying must
continue to the MAP, but that doesn't tell us how much of the flying has
to
be in the clouds.

The approach only has to start in IMC.


Ah - my mistake. I thought the definition of actual IMC was pretty clear,
but apparently not.

The definition is, but it is being applied where it is not necessary.
IMC only need apply at the beginning of the approach.
I have never flown an approach that was all IMC where I could land.
Any instrument approach in normal category aircraft to a landing will
be at least partially flown in VMC.

On an ILS, it matters not whether you break out right at DH, half way
down, or just past the OM. the whole ILS is loggable as an approach.



Terms can be a real problem at times.

Logging the approach and logging the time are, or should be, two
different issues.
I was told by my instructors that to log the approach assuming I'm not
under the hood, I only have to be in IMC when I start the approach
from the IAF. This has been in some of the aviation mags as well over
the years.

One given, the entire approach is *never* going to be flown to
completion (with the exception of a missed) in IMC or you couldn't
land. So, no mater how one looks at it is only a matter of degree.

Breaking out right at the MAP in most cases is a glimpse of the
ground prior to going missed and rarely followed by an actual landing.
If it were followed by an actual landing then there are some unusual
weather conditions (which I have seen), or the pilot is dropping down
with the glimpse and busting minimums. You are supposed to be within
30 degrees of the desired runway heading before descending below MDA
in the case of non precision approaches.

At this point you have three choices. You break out far enough prior
to the MAP to see well enough and land, you break out and initiate a
missed at the MAP, or you don't break out and go missed at the MAP.

All three are loggable approaches.
Technically if you break out just past the IAF then the time past the
IAF is not loggable as IMC, but the approach can still be logged.
Otherwise the FAA would have to set some kind of standard that says so
many percent of the course between the IAF and the MAP would have to
be IMC to be logable and I've never seen such a definition.

The flying the approach to the MAP does not mean it has to be IMC all
the way to the MAP. Only that if you are doing approaches, you can
not fly the IAF to FAF, break off and still count it. You fly the
whole approach and either land, or go missed at the MAP if you want to
count it. It's an entirely different matter that has nothing to do
with how much of the approach is IMC.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)

Mat