I always like to have a very good VFR alternate I can find
with nothing more than a working compass and clock. I
probably would not go to a filed alternate unless I had a
total radio/electrical failure. Often the airport at my
destination with the lowest minimums isn't the airport where
the cars are parked. Also, often in the foggy season, the
entire plains and Mississippi Valley are at a steady and
stable 400 feet and 1-2 miles in fog and stratus. The
nearest airport with alternate minimums (600-2 or 800-2) may
be several hundred miles away, which means that a big
turbo-prop or jet is needed just to fly from Wichita to
Kansas City, since the alternate is beyond fuel range.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Dave S" wrote in message
et...
|
| So is this all ok?
|
| Stan
|
| Usually yes. Keep in mind, your FILED alternate does not
have to be the
| actual field you divert to. You simply have to have "ON
PAPER" a field
| that is within your capabilities (fuel) and specified
weather conditions.
|
| There may be DOZENS of other fields nearby/in range that
are safe and
| useable, but are unable to be listed as legal alternates.
|
| I say usually. A big part of this decision is what the
weather is across
| the region. Is the entire region socked in low/hard or is
there a
| localized weather phenom that will move on/clear up/etc?
|
| From a legal standpoint, its good to go. From a safety
standpoint, its
| all relative. If it doesnt worsen, its just as safe as any
other IFR
| flight to near minimums. If the whole region is blanketed
by low clouds
| you may shut yourself out.
|
| With regards to your example (assuming ILS our at
Carlsbad), as a
| general rule, I would want to have an alternate that had a
working ILS
| with good precision minimums available to me, so that
there is a large
| margin between the higher "alternate" minimums and the
actual minimums
| that I will fly the approach to.
|
| Dave