Contact Approach

Can ATC clear an aircraft for a contact approach to an airport which has no
weather reporting?

"Stan Prevost" wrote in message
...

Can ATC clear an aircraft for a contact approach to an airport which has
no weather reporting?


No, a contact approach requires a reported ground visibility of at least one
mile.

No.

On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 23:34:48 -0600, "Stan Prevost"
wrote:

Can ATC clear an aircraft for a contact approach to an airport which has no
weather reporting?

"raphaël langumier" wrote in message
...

Yes,

Ground visibility should be at least 1 SM and the pilot have to request
the contact approach.


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.

"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.

Stan Prevost wrote:

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

That sounds right.

FWIW, I've encountered another place where nearby restricted airspace determines
whether or not you'll get an approach, W95, Ocracoke Island, NC.

Whichever approach you get, either the approach course or the missed approach
bumps up against R5306A. To compound the problem, the only approach facility is
Washington Center, and once you get down to approach altitudes, they have
neither radar nor comm coverage.

Nice to have the approaches published, but so far I've never been able to get
center to clear me for one of them.

No, a contact approach requires a reported ground visibility of at least one
mile.

Reported by whom or what?

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

"Stan Prevost" wrote in message
...

Can ATC clear an aircraft for a contact approach to an airport which has
no weather reporting?


No, a contact approach requires a reported ground visibility of at least
one
mile.

wrote:
ASOS, AWOS, or a qualified weather observer, if I'm not mistaken.

I guess the next question is, "reported to whom?".

Let's say for example my FBO has a certified weather observer on staff. I
call up on unicom, ask for the weather, and am told it's 5000 broken and 2
miles. Does that count as "reported"? When I ask ATC for a contact
approach, they won't have that observation. Do I just tell the controller
that I've got a report from the FBO?

"raphaël langumier" wrote in message
...
Yes,

Ground visibility should be at least 1 SM and the pilot have to request
the contact approach.
Raf


The AIM says that, to request the contact approach, the pilot must have one
mile *flight* visibility. For ATC to approve the request, the *reported*
*ground* visibility must be one mile.

The question is really how literally that "reported ground visibility" rule
is used. Is a PIREP acceptable? Are conditions observed five miles away by
a certified human weather observer acceptable? Can any tower controller at
the field make an acceptable report? Is the AWOS/ASOS observation "ground
visibility"? Will a METAR report 45 minutes old suffice? Or must it
absolutely be a certified weather observer on the field reporting current
conditions to whoever calls on the landline? Or what?

Stan

It must be an official source and available to ATC. Your buddy the line
boy at the FBO who passed a weather observers test 8 years ago does not
qualify.



wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, the reported weather has to be available to ATC
in some fashion, but I'm not absolutely positive. One of our resident
ATC guys will know, for sure.



On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 19:36:34 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:


wrote:

ASOS, AWOS, or a qualified weather observer, if I'm not mistaken.

I guess the next question is, "reported to whom?".

Let's say for example my FBO has a certified weather observer on staff. I
call up on unicom, ask for the weather, and am told it's 5000 broken and 2
miles. Does that count as "reported"? When I ask ATC for a contact
approach, they won't have that observation. Do I just tell the controller
that I've got a report from the FBO?