Contact Approach -- WX reporting

Jim Macklin wrote:

Commercial flights are
required to be "on a flight plan" and canceling IFR even for
the last few minutes of a charter flight puts you in
violation.

Rubbish. Many commercial flights go VFR. What matters is how their ops
specs are written. Some allow VFR, some don't.




Flight visibility is solely judged by the pilot on an IFR
approach, once the first step is passed.

And the first step on a contact approach is reported ground viz of a mile.


ATC will clear any
airplane to make any approach the pilot requests.

Uh, maybe. What's the traffic picture? Go into ORD and request a VOR
approach with a procedure turn and see where that gets you.



The pilot
is not supposed to request or begin an approach if the
weather is below visibility minimums. But any pilot, Part
91,121, 125, or 135 is the only person who can judge flight
visibility and that is the controlling visibility on an IFR
approach.

Wrong. 121 and 135 pilots are not allowed to even start the approach
when the reported ground viz is below the airlines minimums. Flight viz
isn't even a question that's asked.

The pilot
is not supposed to request or begin an approach if the
weather is below visibility minimums.

Actually, that's 135 only, no? Part 91 pilots may begin an approach
irrespective of the weather.

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

wrote:

Can you really do that? A pilot's guess of ground visibility from
aloft is good enough for the FAA?


No and no.

Jim Macklin wrote:

In any case, the pilot doing a contact approach must
maintain a flight visibility of 1 sm while the controller
can't issue the clearance unless the visibility is reported
as 1 sm. At airports without official weather reporting,
the pilot can report to ATC that visibility is such and such
and he can maintain VMC and request a contact approach, the
pilot become the weather observer.


Negative. Issuance of clearance for a contact approach requires a
reported ground visibility is at least 1 statute mile. At airports
without official weather reporting a contact approach is not available.

Jim Macklin wrote:
A visual approach may be instigated by the controller if the
weather is good VFR.

What is good VFR?

Just VFR?

I thought MVFR or better was required for PIC request?

Is that the requirement for ATC to assign? That is to say they won't
assign in MVFR?

Thanks,
ak.

wrote:

Jim Macklin wrote:

A visual approach may be instigated by the controller if the
weather is good VFR.


What is good VFR?

Just VFR?

I thought MVFR or better was required for PIC request?

Is that the requirement for ATC to assign? That is to say they won't
assign in MVFR?

The weather must be VFR. Most of the time that means 1000/3 for the
approach controller. In order for the ATIS to state the visual
approaches are being conducted the ceiling must be 500 feet above the
MVA at the airport. Here at BIL that means the ceiling must be 2300 or
greater. If it is less than that and you are coming from the downwind
side of the airport we will vector you in close and drop you to the MVA
of 5300. If you report the airport we'll give you the visual, if not
you'll stay at 5300 if the approach will be to the west or you'll climb
to 5700 if the approach will be to the east.

Jim Macklin wrote:



On a contact approach you do not follow anybody, you are the
only airplane and you navigate to the airport directly.

You got one out of three correct here and the navigation part depends on
the clouds.




A visual approach may be instigated by the controller if the
weather is good VFR.


Just VFR is all the controller needs.




At airports without official weather reporting,
the pilot can report to ATC that visibility is such and such
and he can maintain VMC and request a contact approach, the
pilot become the weather observer.

No, must have weather reporting on the ground. From the .65: 7-4-6


b. The reported ground visibility is at least 1 statute mile.

They make no exception for flight viz.

Dan wrote:
Since a contact approach requires the airport to have an IFR approach,
I fail to see the advantage of a contact approach. If visibility is at
1 mile, I think I would rather just fly the approach than pick around
for the airport in those conditions - too risky. Where is the
advantage? Following other traffic visually?

--Dan

The way I see it, its the IFR equivalent of Special VFR. So you can
sneak under a cloud layer and not wait 20 minutes to get the instrument
approach (which is clogged by traffic at a nearby airport).

There are always uses, and, yes, it can by risky. That's why pilots
have to request contact approaches (they can't be assigned by ATC
otherwise).

One advantage (without looking at the regs so beat me up) is if you are VFR
and want to make a low weather scud run into an airport where "special VFR"
is NOT available.

Just ask the tower for a "Contact approach" instead.


Karl
"Curator" worlds most hangar queeny Skywagon.


"Dan" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since a contact approach requires the airport to have an IFR approach,
I fail to see the advantage of a contact approach. If visibility is at
1 mile, I think I would rather just fly the approach than pick around
for the airport in those conditions - too risky. Where is the
advantage? Following other traffic visually?

--Dan


wrote:
Newps wrote:
So you're saying that the controllers are the weather observers there?
That would put it in a gray area. The book states that weather must be
available. If you received the clearance before the tower closed that
would be OK.

Yes the controllers are the weather observers. Why does that make it a
gray area?

I'm pretty sure the clearance came after the tower closed. I've also
noticed that the approach controllers occasionally loose track of time
and they don't always realize the tower has closed. Maybe that's what
happened. Or the controller wasn't fresh on contact approaches, since
I think its used relatively rarely around here. By the way, this is a
small satellite airport under Class B and C airspace, if that makes a
difference.

karl gruber wrote:

One advantage (without looking at the regs so beat me up) is if you are VFR
and want to make a low weather scud run into an airport where "special VFR"
is NOT available.

Just ask the tower for a "Contact approach" instead.


Hmmmmm.......... What do you mean by airports where SVFR is not
available? SVFR is generally not available at airports in Class B
airspace and some of the busier Class C airspace areas. But at those
airports you're unlikely to even get a popup IFR clearance. SVFR is
also not available at airports outside of a surface area, but neither
is a contact approach. Surface areas and contact approaches both
require weather observations.

Think about the minimums for a contact approach, SVFR, and VFR
operations at an airport in Class G airspace for a moment.