Contact Approach

Being from Texas, and flying mostly in the Midwest and South, I have never
asked for nor had any need for a contact approach. If I see the runway I
tell the controller, and he gives me a visual. In fact, I can't remember
ever hearing a contact approach requested around here.

Then, I whenever I fly into the Northeast and I hear contact approaches
being requested regularly. Why is the contact approach used so much in the
Northeast?

"Gene Whitt" wrote in message
ink.net...

Here's the rest of the story. The C-150 departed Concord, CA about eleven
p.m. and flew to the Sacramento area only to find that all the airports in
the valley were covered with fog. This was about
15 years ago. At that time Travis also had a GCA approach but most likely
the specialists required were not on duty.

They returned to Concord and were unable to land. They were sent to
Oakland but were unable to land there, as well. They went back
to Travis.

On that same evening a Navy A-7 had attempted to shoot the ILS
there and in the process succeeded in taking out the approach light
system.

The pilot in command decided to try making a spiral down to the airport.
and lost control in the process.

The victims, according to autopsy had been recently smoking weed.

A few weeks after the accident I had occasion to call Travis, and
popped the question to the specialist as to why they had not sent
the aircraft to Angwin nearby at 1800 feet. The response was that
Angwin had no reported weather. Slince that time I have made it a
point to make night landings at Angwin as a part of my training program.


So how did you conclude that "ATC cannot even send you to a known VFR
airport that has no weather reporting." from that episode?

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 04:53:59 GMT, "Russ MacDonald"
wrote:

Being from Texas, and flying mostly in the Midwest and South, I have never
asked for nor had any need for a contact approach. If I see the runway I
tell the controller, and he gives me a visual. In fact, I can't remember
ever hearing a contact approach requested around here.

Then, I whenever I fly into the Northeast and I hear contact approaches
being requested regularly. Why is the contact approach used so much in the
Northeast?



We're smarter than Texas pilots?

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 05:26:54 GMT, "Gene Whitt"
wrote:

The pilot in command decided to try making a spiral down to the airport. and
lost control in the process.

The victims, according to autopsy had been recently smoking weed.

A few weeks after the accident I had occasion to call Travis, and
popped the question to the specialist as to why they had not sent
the aircraft to Angwin nearby at 1800 feet. The response was that
Angwin had no reported weather. Slince that time I have made it a
point to make night landings at Angwin as a part of my training program.
Gene Whitt

Well, he probably was simply stating that sending them to Angwin
might have been considered a waste of time and fuel, since they had no
way of knowing whether they could get in there. This is different
from stating that ATC won't mention nearby airports simply because
they have no weather reports.

Furthermore, insinuating that ATC was at fault for an accident
involving marijuana and a pilot who did not have the skills to make a
descending spiral on instruments, is a bit harsh, in my opinion.

"Russ MacDonald" wrote in message
news:H9WPd.18600$uc.8876@trnddc05...

Being from Texas, and flying mostly in the Midwest and South, I have never
asked for nor had any need for a contact approach. If I see the runway I
tell the controller, and he gives me a visual.


That's not sufficient, a visual approach requires VFR conditions.

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 04:53:59 GMT, "Russ MacDonald"
wrote:

Being from Texas, and flying mostly in the Midwest and South, I have never
asked for nor had any need for a contact approach. If I see the runway I
tell the controller, and he gives me a visual. In fact, I can't remember
ever hearing a contact approach requested around here.

Then, I whenever I fly into the Northeast and I hear contact approaches
being requested regularly. Why is the contact approach used so much in the
Northeast?


Probably because we don't meet the requirements for a visual approach
which, in addition to having the airport or preceding traffic in sight,
also require reported weather at the destination airport of at least
1000/3.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)

"Ron Rosenfeld" wrote in message
...

Probably because we don't meet the requirements for a visual approach
which, in addition to having the airport or preceding traffic in sight,
also require reported weather at the destination airport of at least
1000/3.


That's not a prerequisite for a visual approach clearance. The controller
must ensure that weather conditions at the airport are VFR or that the pilot
has been informed that weather is not available for the destination airport.
1000/3 would be needed only at an airport in a surface area.

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

"Ron Rosenfeld" wrote in message
...

Probably because we don't meet the requirements for a visual approach
which, in addition to having the airport or preceding traffic in sight,
also require reported weather at the destination airport of at least
1000/3.


That's not a prerequisite for a visual approach clearance. The controller
must ensure that weather conditions at the airport are VFR or that the
pilot has been informed that weather is not available for the destination
airport. 1000/3 would be needed only at an airport in a surface area.


Where does the 1000 come from?

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:57:55 -0600, "Stan Prevost"
wrote:


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

"Ron Rosenfeld" wrote in message
...

Probably because we don't meet the requirements for a visual approach
which, in addition to having the airport or preceding traffic in sight,
also require reported weather at the destination airport of at least
1000/3.


That's not a prerequisite for a visual approach clearance. The controller
must ensure that weather conditions at the airport are VFR or that the
pilot has been informed that weather is not available for the destination
airport. 1000/3 would be needed only at an airport in a surface area.


Where does the 1000 come from?


Uh oh. Here we go...

"Stan Prevost" wrote in message
...

Where does the 1000 come from?


From FAR 91.155(c).


§ 91.155 Basic VFR weather minimums.

(c) Except as provided in §91.157, no person may operate an aircraft beneath
the ceiling under VFR within the lateral boundaries of controlled airspace
designated to the surface for an airport when the ceiling is less than 1,000
feet.