Contact approach question

On the most recent Pilots Audio Update, the narrator was talking about a
time when fog covered half the airport, but he could see the runway he was
going to land on, but because the control tower was on the foggy half of
the airport, they wouldn't approve a visual approach. He was being
vectored all around, and thought it ironic that he never lost sight of the
runway. Could he had gotten a contact approach if he'd asked for it?

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Can't get out of 'vi'? Common problem. Don't worry, I'm here to help. Just
log in as root and type "init 0". It works for pretty much any problem you
might have with Linux. No, no, no. Thank /you/. -- Mikey Raeder

Sure. The onus is on the pilot to navigate to the runway using terrain
features, etc. I don't think that a request for a contact approach would
ever be denied.

Bob Gardner

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
On the most recent Pilots Audio Update, the narrator was talking about a
time when fog covered half the airport, but he could see the runway he was
going to land on, but because the control tower was on the foggy half of
the airport, they wouldn't approve a visual approach. He was being
vectored all around, and thought it ironic that he never lost sight of the
runway. Could he had gotten a contact approach if he'd asked for it?

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Can't get out of 'vi'? Common problem. Don't worry, I'm here to help.
Just
log in as root and type "init 0". It works for pretty much any problem
you
might have with Linux. No, no, no. Thank /you/. -- Mikey Raeder

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

On the most recent Pilots Audio Update, the narrator was talking about a
time when fog covered half the airport, but he could see the runway he was
going to land on, but because the control tower was on the foggy half of
the airport, they wouldn't approve a visual approach. He was being
vectored all around, and thought it ironic that he never lost sight of the
runway. Could he had gotten a contact approach if he'd asked for it?


He could if the reported ground visibility was at least one mile and an
instrument approach procedure for the airport had been published and was
functioning.

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...

Sure. The onus is on the pilot to navigate to the runway using terrain
features, etc. I don't think that a request for a contact approach would
ever be denied.


If the reported ground visibility is less than one mile or no operating
instrument approach procedure exists for the airport a contact approach must
be denied.

This happens all the time here. East half of the airport, including the
ASOS, is 0/0. West half is clear and a million.. No contact approach
allowed. Better off to do an instrument approach and just break it off
as soon as you receive the clearance. Ask for the full approach if it
will take you near or over the airport and then just break off and land
if you can get an approach and landing clearance. Nothing says you have
to actually go out and do the approach.




Paul Tomblin wrote:
On the most recent Pilots Audio Update, the narrator was talking about a
time when fog covered half the airport, but he could see the runway he was
going to land on, but because the control tower was on the foggy half of
the airport, they wouldn't approve a visual approach. He was being
vectored all around, and thought it ironic that he never lost sight of the
runway. Could he had gotten a contact approach if he'd asked for it?

My bad...I thought that flight visibility prevailed. Answered without
bothering to research.


Bob

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

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...

Sure. The onus is on the pilot to navigate to the runway using terrain
features, etc. I don't think that a request for a contact approach would
ever be denied.


If the reported ground visibility is less than one mile or no operating
instrument approach procedure exists for the airport a contact approach
must be denied.

Bob Gardner wrote:
Sure. The onus is on the pilot to navigate to the runway using terrain
features, etc. I don't think that a request for a contact approach would
ever be denied.

There are certainly reasons for a contact approach to be denied
(conflict with other traffic, for example). I think what you're
trying to say is that ATC won't try to second-guess that you have the
required visibility if you make the approach.

wrote in message
...

Conflict with what other traffic?

ATC doesn't need to second guess anything. The required visibility is
reported visibility, not flight visibility.


Actually, it's both.

Newps wrote:

This happens all the time here. East half of the airport, including the
ASOS, is 0/0. West half is clear and a million.. No contact approach
allowed. Better off to do an instrument approach and just break it off
as soon as you receive the clearance. Ask for the full approach if it
will take you near or over the airport and then just break off and land
if you can get an approach and landing clearance. Nothing says you have
to actually go out and do the approach.

Once a clearance for an approach is issued, the pilot is bound by the
appropriate segments of the approach (Part 97) and the applicable parts of
91.175. Any "short cut" with either a contact, visual, or cancellation is a
legal no-no.

wrote in message
...

Never would have thought of this, but it seems plausible enough, now
that you mention it.

Although there is a regulation that says that the pilot is required to
use a prescribed "instrument letdown" when cleared for an approach,
or something like that.

I wonder, would this be a violation of that?


No. That regulation begins with "Unless otherwise authorized by the
Administrator", and FAR Part 1 defines "Administrator" as "the Federal
Aviation Administrator or any person to whom he has delegated his authority
in the matter concerned."