Contact Approach

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...


No, the reported ground visibility MUST be at least 1 statute mile. The
pilot must request the contact approach and the airport must have a
functioning IAP as well.


A local field with part-time tower (Class D airspace when tower is open) has
restricted areas in close proximity. When these areas are active, ATC will
not approve the SIAPs. There is no notation on the approach plate, nor any
NOTAM, that says the approaches are not allowed when the restricted areas
are active. There is no AWOS/ASOS reporting over the radio or telephone,
but recently the field began putting METARs into the system. I don't know
if the tower personnel are certified weather observers or not, so I don't
know if their observations qualify as "reported" visibility, nor do I know
if the METAR visibility report qualifies as "reported ground visibility". I
was hoping someone knew of some rule that allowed a substitute for an
official ground visibility report. There is certified weather observing at
a larger field five miles away, but I don't suppose that would do.

When the restricted areas are active, there is no way to get back into the
field in IMC other than a visual or contact approach. MVA is 2400 MSL,
about 1700 AGL. Well, there may be two. One is to fly the ILS into the
adjacent Class C airspace, then cancel and maneuver around the restricted
areas at 1000 AGL if cloud conditions permit, which would require 3 miles
visibility. The other possibility is that there is a PAR approach available
sometimes. I haven't asked if they will approve it when the restricted
areas are active. The problem, I think, is the missed approach. Circling
is not allowed east of the runway due to terrain, and for the two published
IAPs, the missed goes on the west side, which is where one of the restricted
areas is. Since there is no published missed for the PAR approach, or for a
visual or contact approach, I don't know what they will do. I have flown a
visual into the field when the ceiling was overcast at 2400 MSL, but it was
a stretch to say I had the field in sight. A contact approach would have
been better.

I think I just need to go talk to these people.