135 lquestion

[minimums]

We all know that filing to an airport without instrument approaches is not legal under 135. We can file to a point nearby our intended airport, but can we legally change our destination in flight and land at this airport under IFR rules OR should we always cancel IFR and proceed VFR.

My interpretation is we need to cancel and proceed VFR.

 

[soarby007]

I'm new to this, but where does it say you can't file to an airport without an instrument approach?

 

[guido411]

I don't know if you can file to an airport that doesn't have an approach. I kind of thought you could if you can make the decent from the MEA to the airport under VFR (we land at airports that are VFR all the time while on an IFR flight plan). I might be wrong but I think this is the same type of deal. Last week we had to go to an airport where the forecast was below minimums for the approach, but only in a TEMPorary remark. We filed to a nearby airport that had an ILS, then got close and found the weather was at/above mins at our desired field. We changed our destination about 100 miles out and shot the approach all under IFR. CA told us that was the way to do it.

 

[Rattler71]

I don't know if you can file to an airport that doesn't have an approach. I kind of thought you could if you can make the decent from the MEA to the airport under VFR.

I agree.

 

[transpac]

135.215 seems to require an IAP.

 

[soarby007]

Well I go to a few VFR only airports and have filed IFR under part 91 or 135. You are right, the catch is descending to the lowest MEA for the area and being able to do a visual approach. I don't know of any reason why you can't file IFR to an airport that has no instrument approach. I don't think that because you file IFR in VMC conditions that it is required that there be an instrument approach to be in existence. Seems that if you can go VFR, then why can't you file an IFR flight plan?
When asked by the controller as to what approach I'm planning, I tell them a visual. Now it isn't practical or legal if you have no chance of making a visual approach and requires some examination of the weather to see about the possibility of proceeding in VMC conditions.

Anyway I was just curious as to the reason why you can't legally file IFR to a VFR airport? Never heard of that before.

 

[El Chupacabra]

If no Inst approach you need an alternate airport that does. Opspecs.

Is there weather reporting?

Now thats another question.

 

[Rattler71]

If no Inst approach you need an alternate airport that does. Opspecs.

Is there weather reporting?

Now thats another question.

A lot of different operators have different ops specs. So another company ops may be different than yours.

 

[Sctt@NJA]

Is there weather reporting?

Now thats another question.

When I was flying 135 I ran into this a bunch. The one that comes to mind was an early morning flight to MMU (Morristown, NJ). They didn't start reporting weather until 8am. Had an FO who insisted we couldn't depart for MMU without weather. We did have a good idea of the weather though as TEB and EWR were 10+ and clear. And the area forcast was more of the same everywhere.

Without having the regs in front of me, I believe that this type of weather information (area forcasts ect.) is acceptable to depart towards your destination. Local weather is only needed to shoot an instrument approach.

 

[milehigh6080]

Disclaimer, I'm just learning this stuff, so be forewarned, but here's what I know (or think i know)

Its my understanding that you can't operate IFR under any circumstance into a field without weather reporting (AWOS-3, ASOS, ATIS, Weather observer). You can file to an airport that does have weather reporting but lacks an approach, but you must have an alternate that meets all your other alternate minimums in your ops specs. The only caveat here is that if there is weather reporting, it has to be reporting above your minimums or forecast to be above your minimums at the time of your departure. If your departure and ETA are within the hour, you can use a METAR, otherwise you have to use a TAF or Area Foreast

If the weather is nice and there is no approach or weather reporting, you can still file to a nearby place, as was suggested, and then cancel and proceed VFR as long as the airport that you want to land at is reporting VFR at the time. It could be clear and a million, but if their trusty 'ol ASOS is reporting 200 and 1/4, you can't go whether you're VFR or not.

Hope that helps
Milehigh