Approach with no visabilty

[BGSM]

If your flying to an uncontrolled airport under 135 and per ops spec you must use the nearby Class D weather which is automatedThe Class D is also your alternate. AWOS say vis is missing ceiling 800-1400, you ask approach to see if they have the current vis that its missing they tell another pilot canceled IFR and landed and the AWOS is broken and they are working on it.You get FSS on the radio and they have no reported vis The TAF forecast was 3 miles. Your estimate of the vis is 3 miles or better they give you vectors for the approach and you see the field 3-4 miles out advise ATC cancel IFR and land. So is there anything else you can do? Is it legal if not why? What happens if vis is missing at say ATL or LAX ? Thanks for your input

 

[Flysher]

Our rules are pretty simple. We have got to have weather reporting at the destination airport to go in IFR. If there isnt wx reporting, or if its broken, we have one of 3 options basically. One is to cancel IFR based on ones observation of VFR conditions at the field, and land VFR. Two is to use a report from a "qualified" individual, that being a comercial pilot or company pilot that just landed or the tower guy, and go in IFR. Three is to scrap it all together and go to the alternate.

Id say also if the WX is broke at ATL or LAX then the tower should be able to determine vis and let you land that way, but if I am wrong someone correct me.

 

[Rally]

Our rules are pretty simple. We have got to have weather reporting at the destination airport to go in IFR. If there isnt wx reporting, or if its broken, we have one of 3 options basically. One is to cancel IFR based on ones observation of VFR conditions at the field, and land VFR. Two is to use a report from a "qualified" individual, that being a comercial pilot or company pilot that just landed or the tower guy, and go in IFR. Three is to scrap it all together and go to the alternate.

Id say also if the WX is broke at ATL or LAX then the tower should be able to determine vis and let you land that way, but if I am wrong someone correct me.

Has to be at the airport. A qualified individual is not another pilot or company pilot. It has to be a certified weather observer. Not all tower guys are this, but alot are especially at some of the older airport that just recently got AWOS/ASOS. The Hamptons airport on long island has this situation (maybe not now) No AWOS/ASOS but during normal FBO hours they had a weather observer on staff. It was kinda a interesting situation.

 

[gsrcrsx68]

It has to be a certified weather observer.

There is a legal or faa opinion somewhere on this subject that provides a list... I remember it including people other than certified weather observers.

 

[Flysher]

Its actually in our ops specs that another pilot can do it provided they have a commercial certificate. Seems sorta goofy to me too but I guess thats just one more door in...

Thats interesting about the tower guys, I never knew that...

 

[Rally]

I think your right it depends on how your Ops specs are worded. My 135 company had to be a certified observer.

 

[ksu_aviator]

What is Class D weather?

The only weather that can be used to shoot an instrument approach is the weather on the field, the weather from another field (provided that weather is listed on the approach as an approved weather station) or as specified in the companies ops specs.

 

[Buckeye]

If you had the Op-Spec A057 you could conduct "Eligible On-Demand Operations". It basicly allows you to go to an airport with out weather reporting and fly the instrument approach provided the crew was trained and qualified.

 

[mike1mc]

If you had the Op-Spec A057 you could conduct "Eligible On-Demand Operations". It basicly allows you to go to an airport with out weather reporting and fly the instrument approach provided the crew was trained and qualified.

Bingo. One of the nice things about A057 is that you can conduct look-see approaches if you have a local altimeter setting (or from another airport if the approcah procedure dictates) and have filed an alternate with weather reporting. Otherwise the weather is not 135 approved and you could not legally dispatch to the airport under IFR.