Approach Minimums

[Gulfstream 200]

Please add some space in your A/C flown list, G4G5. You're messing up the formatting for the whole page. Thanks.

He's now a Falcon pilot - not too bright.

 

[pilotyip]

Military

You have a 757 Type Rating and you don't know visibility is controlling?

He is a former military pilot. Having operated under military flt rules for many years and never had any civilian instrument training. I had a type in the L-188. Taking a 40-question test to get your Comm/inst./sel/mel rating nor taking the ATP written doesn't make you an expert on civilian flt rules. It wasn't until I got my CFII that I learned that Vis was controlling.

 

[ksu_aviator]

I agree with everyone about Part 91. You can begin the approach with any reported weather, you just can't land unless you have the flight visibility.

However, when it comes to 135 and 121, it isn't as cut and dry and some have suggested:

§ 135.78 Instrument approach procedures and IFR landing minimums.

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No person may make an instrument approach at an airport except in accordance with IFR weather minimums and instrument approach procedures set forth in the certificate holder's operations specifications.

and

§ 121.567 Instrument approach procedures and IFR landing minimums.

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No person may make an instrument approach at an airport except in accordance with IFR weather minimums and instrument approach procedures set forth in the certificate holder's operations specifications.

Since the FAA uses the plural, there is more than one landing minimum to be considered. This could be because of high mins captains or there could be some ops specs that require the ceiling to be reported above minimums. The point is, the assumption that all 135 and 121 carriers only need the visibility and only the visibility is a bad assumption.

When it comes right down to it, you just have to consider the safety of the flight. Obviously, flying the aircraft 400 feet off the ground with no realistic chance of seeing the runway isn't the smartest thing in the world. Not to say that approaches aren't safe, but there is a reduced margin for error. So the question becomes not if the approach is legal, but if it is really necessary.

 

[TimsKeeper]

minimums

I've worked for two Part 135 operators now that the POI insisted on the manual stating "minimums" required.....vis and ceiling. Interestingly enough both companies had the same POI.

I've also worked at several others operators that didn't specifically define "minimums" and went by just the vis.

What is in your given Operating Specifications is what counts if you are 135. Most manuals i've seen don't have anything specific and you are guided by what KSU is talking about in 135.78.

 

[arewethereyet]

Your BOSS is correct. Unless the approach mins. actually specify a ceiling.