501261
Consigliere
- Joined
- May 27, 2002
- Posts
- 829
"How about this one - what is the right thing to do?
I'm on an IFR flight plan, flying to a non-towered airport.
ATC: Report airport in sight.
ME: We have the airport in sight.
ATC: You are cleared for the visual approach. Report canceling IFR on this frequency or on the ground through FSS. Frequency change approved. Good day.
Question - Do I enter the VFR traffic pattern? 45 to downwind? Or, because I am still IFR (I have not cancelled IFR), do I just maneuver to align with the landing runway - a visual approach under IFR. I'm in a jet, landing at an airport with light planes in the pattern.
What is the right way to do this, and what is the safest way to do this?" Originally posted by Limodriver
We base a couple of jets out of an uncontrolled field and our biggest office is next another to a very busy uncontrolled field.
Here's some of the things we do:
1. Being IFR is irrelevant in VMC, you must comply with the applicable FAR's, see and avoid, right of way, etc. Hense we cancel pretty far out to allow us to manuever into the traffic pattern, staying on approach for advisories.
2. FAR 91.113 is the applicaple FAR, know it well! Important things to remember. A, you must make turns in the appropriate direction. B, while straight in approaches are not popular- they are legal (and something that needs to be in your reptoir- if traffic is on the upwind, and entering on a 45 will cause a collision hazard, just make a straight in and avoid the traffic all together). C, lower traffic has the right-of-way. D, landing traffic has the right-of-way. E, you are not required to use the "active" runway.
3. If you have 2 radios use them! After getting the AWOS we start monitoring the CTAF (or Bubba channel as I like to call it-ever listen to some of the intellegent chatter on 122.8) about 100 miles out, this gives you an idea which runway is in use and how many planes are in the pattern. I'll also write down the tail numbers of the airplanes operating at our destination (for situational awareness).
3. Leaving FL180 in VMC we'll cancel IFR, and do what we call "split radios." The PNF will now communitcate on radio 1 to approach, the PF will now communicate on radio 2 to CTAF, announcing his location ("XXX, traffic, Lear 123 30 West inbound for landing 18, XXX"). If approach needs us on a particular heading or altitude (rare, since we're VFR) the PNF will enter the new alt in the alt alerter or heading on the heading bug, the PF will acknowledge the PNF.
4. 10 miles out the PF will announce his intentions to CTAF, ALONG WITH LANDING SEQUENCE. "XXX traffic, Lear 123, 10 miles west at 3000', will be entering a left base to follow Barron 345 (you did write down the N number, right), for full stop runway 17, XXX).
5. Once approach has frequency change the PNF, again takes over radio 2 and does the usual position reporting on CTAF this ends"Split Radios".
6. If needing to back-taxi, announce this often and early so that the pattern traffic can extend to accomodate your back-taxi.
6. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES OUTSIDE, there are tons of NORDO traffic!
7. Be ready for anything, that's life at uncontrolled fields!
I'm on an IFR flight plan, flying to a non-towered airport.
ATC: Report airport in sight.
ME: We have the airport in sight.
ATC: You are cleared for the visual approach. Report canceling IFR on this frequency or on the ground through FSS. Frequency change approved. Good day.
Question - Do I enter the VFR traffic pattern? 45 to downwind? Or, because I am still IFR (I have not cancelled IFR), do I just maneuver to align with the landing runway - a visual approach under IFR. I'm in a jet, landing at an airport with light planes in the pattern.
What is the right way to do this, and what is the safest way to do this?" Originally posted by Limodriver
We base a couple of jets out of an uncontrolled field and our biggest office is next another to a very busy uncontrolled field.
Here's some of the things we do:
1. Being IFR is irrelevant in VMC, you must comply with the applicable FAR's, see and avoid, right of way, etc. Hense we cancel pretty far out to allow us to manuever into the traffic pattern, staying on approach for advisories.
2. FAR 91.113 is the applicaple FAR, know it well! Important things to remember. A, you must make turns in the appropriate direction. B, while straight in approaches are not popular- they are legal (and something that needs to be in your reptoir- if traffic is on the upwind, and entering on a 45 will cause a collision hazard, just make a straight in and avoid the traffic all together). C, lower traffic has the right-of-way. D, landing traffic has the right-of-way. E, you are not required to use the "active" runway.
3. If you have 2 radios use them! After getting the AWOS we start monitoring the CTAF (or Bubba channel as I like to call it-ever listen to some of the intellegent chatter on 122.8) about 100 miles out, this gives you an idea which runway is in use and how many planes are in the pattern. I'll also write down the tail numbers of the airplanes operating at our destination (for situational awareness).
3. Leaving FL180 in VMC we'll cancel IFR, and do what we call "split radios." The PNF will now communitcate on radio 1 to approach, the PF will now communicate on radio 2 to CTAF, announcing his location ("XXX, traffic, Lear 123 30 West inbound for landing 18, XXX"). If approach needs us on a particular heading or altitude (rare, since we're VFR) the PNF will enter the new alt in the alt alerter or heading on the heading bug, the PF will acknowledge the PNF.
4. 10 miles out the PF will announce his intentions to CTAF, ALONG WITH LANDING SEQUENCE. "XXX traffic, Lear 123, 10 miles west at 3000', will be entering a left base to follow Barron 345 (you did write down the N number, right), for full stop runway 17, XXX).
5. Once approach has frequency change the PNF, again takes over radio 2 and does the usual position reporting on CTAF this ends"Split Radios".
6. If needing to back-taxi, announce this often and early so that the pattern traffic can extend to accomodate your back-taxi.
6. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES OUTSIDE, there are tons of NORDO traffic!
7. Be ready for anything, that's life at uncontrolled fields!
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Granted, when we MONITOR (not talk) the CTAF that far out with #2 the volume is way down and most of it gets stepped on. It's more of a "head's up" to what you might expect (which runway they're using certainly helps descent planning). Our first transmittion is generally a “call in the blind” out of FL180 which is about 30 miles out, which is also about 5 minutes out, or about 1 ½ times around the pattern for MY traffic avoidance planning (i.e. if someone’s on base when we’re 5 minutes out, and he’s staying in the pattern, he’ll probably be on upwind by the time we land, so I’ll want to slow down to make sure he’s cleared!). Generally, we don't start actually "communicating" (transmitting and recieving) with CTAF until 10 out.
