faa instrument procedures hb - chap 1 - departure procedures

8/16/2019 FAA Instrument Procedures HB - Chap 1 - Departure Procedures

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IFRtakeoffsanddeparturesarefast-pacedphasesof

flight,andpilotsoftenareoverloadedwithcriticalflight

information.Whilepreparingfortakeoff,pilotsarebusy

requestingandreceivingclearances,preparingtheiraircraft

fordeparture,andtaxiingtotheactiverunway.DuringIFR

conditions,theyaredoingthiswithminimalvisibility,and

theymaybewithoutconstantradiocommunicationifflying

outofanon-toweredairport.Historically,takeoffminimums

forcommercialoperationshavebeensuccessivelyreducedthroughacombinationofimprovedsignage,runway

markingsandlightingaids,andconcentratedpilot

trainingandqualifications.Todayatmajorterminals,some

commercialoperatorswithappropriateequipment,pilot

qualifications,andapprovedOperationsSpecifications

(OpSpecs)maytakeoffwithvisibilityaslowas300feet

runwayvisualrange(RVR).Oneoftheconsequencesof

takeoffswithreducedvisibilityisthatpilotsarechallenged

inmaintainingsituationalawarenessduringtaxioperations.

SurfaceMovementSafety

Oneofthebiggestsafetyconcernsinaviationisthesurface

movementaccident.Asadirectresult,theFederalAviation

Administration(FAA)hasrapidlyexpandedtheinformation

availabletopilots,includingtheadditionoftaxiwayand

runwayinformationinFAApublications,particularlythe

IFRU.S.TerminalProceduresPublication(TPP)bookletsand

Airport/FacilityDirectory(A/FD)volumes.TheFAAhasalso

implementednewproceduresandcreatededucationaland

awarenessprogramsforpilots,ATC,andgroundoperators.

Byfocusingresourcestoattackthisproblemheadon,the

FAAhopestoreduceandeventuallyeliminatesurface

movementaccidents.

AirportSketchesandDiagrams

Airportsketchesanddiagramsprovidepilotsofalllevels

withgraphicaldepictionsoftheairportlayout.National,

AeronauticalInformationSystems(AIS),formerlyknown

asAeronauticalProducts(AeroNav),provideanairport

sketchonthelowerleftorrightportionofeveryinstrument

approachchart.[Figure1-1]Thissketchdepictstherunways,

theirlength,widthandslope,thetouchdownzoneelevation,

thelightingsysteminstalledontheendoftherunway,and

taxiways.GraphicaldepictionsofNOTAMSarealsoavailable

forselectedairportsaswellasfortemporaryflightrestriction(TFRs)areasonthedefenseinternetNOTAMservice(DINS)

website.

Forselectairports,typicallythosewithheavytrafficor

complexrunwaylayouts,AISalsoprintsanairportdiagram.

ThediagramislocatedintheIFRTPPbookletfollowingthe

instrumentapproachchartforaparticularairport.Itisafull

pagedepictionoftheairportthatincludesthesamefeatures

oftheairportsketchplusadditionaldetails,suchastaxiway

Runway numbers

Runway slope

Runway length and width

Figure1-1.AirportdiagramincludedontheOshkosh,Wisconsin

VORRWY9ApproachChartasdepictedintheIFRTPP.

identifiers,airportlatitudeandlongitude,andbuilding

identification.Theairportdiagramsarealsoavailableinthe

A/FDandontheAISwebsite,locatedatwww.aeronav.faa.

gov.[Figure1-2]

AirportFacilityDirectory(A/FD)

A/FD,publishedinregionalbookletsbyAIS,provides

textualinformationaboutallairports,bothvisualflight

rules(VFR)andIFR.TheA/FDincludesrunwaylengthand

width,runwaysurface,loadbearingcapacity,runway

slope,runwaydeclareddistances,airportservices,and

hazards,suchasbirdsandreducedvisibility.[Figure1-3]

SketchesofairportsalsoarebeingaddedtoaidVFRpilotsin

surfacemovementactivities.InsupportoftheFAARunway

IncursionProgram,fullpageairportdiagramsand“Hot

Spot”locationsareincludedintheA/FD.Thesechartsare

thesameasthosepublishedintheIFRTPPandareprinted

forairportswithcomplexrunwayortaxiwaylayouts.

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Longitude and latitude

Airport name and locationOn-airport buildings

Taxiway designations

Precise runway direction

Runway slope

Figure1-2. AirportdiagramofOshkosh,Wisconsinasdepicted

intheA/FD.

SurfaceMovementGuidanceControlSystem(SMGCS)

TheSurfaceMovementGuidanceControlSystem(SMGCS)

wasdevelopedtofacilitatethesafemovementofaircraft

andvehiclesatairportswherescheduledaircarrierswere

conductingauthorizedoperations.AdvisoryCircular120

57wasdevelopedin1992andfollowedbyAC120-57A

in1996. In2012,FAA Order8000.94waspublishedto

provideproceduresforestablishingAirportLow-Visibility

Operations(LVO)andSurfaceMovementGuidance

andControlSystems. ItestablishedthenecessaryFAAheadquartersandoperatingservices,roles,responsibilities,

andactivitiesforoperationsat14CFRPart139airports

usingRVRsoflessthan1,200feetforeachrunway.The

Orderappliestoallusersofthesystematalllevelswho

areformallylisted.TheFAArequiresthecommissioning

ofan“FAAapprovedLVO/SMGCSOperation” forallnew

CategoryIIIILSsupportedrunways.Sincethereareno

regulatorytakeoffminimumsfor14CFRPart91operations,

theinformationprovidedbythisACandOrdermust

beunderstoodsothatthegeneralaviationpilotcan

understandLVOandSMGCSduringdayornight.

TheSMGCSlowvisibilitytaxiplanincludestheenhancement

oftaxiwayandrunwaysigns,markings,andlighting,

aswellasthe creationof SMGCSvisual aid diagrams.

[Figure1-4]Theplanalsoclearlyidentifiestaxiroutes

andtheirsupportingfacilitiesandequipment.Airport

enhancementsthatarepartoftheSMGCSprograminclude,butarenotlimitedto:

• ControllableStopbarslights—theseconsistofarow

ofred,unidirectional,in-pavementlightsthatcan

becontrolledbyATC.Theyprovideinteractionswith

andaircraftthatpreventrunwayincursionsduring

takeoffoperations.Thesearerequiredforoperations

atlessthan500ftRVR

• Non-ControllableStopbarslights—thesearered,

unidirectinoallightsplaceatintersectionswherea

restrictiontomovementisrequired. Theymustbe

incontinuousoperationatlessthan500ftRVR.

• Taxiwaycenterlinelead-onlights—guideground

trafficunderlowvisibilityconditionsandatnight.

Theselightsconsistofalternatinggreen/yellowin-

pavementlights.

• Runwayguardlights—eitherelevatedorin-

pavement,maybe installedat alltaxiways that

provideaccesstoanactiverunway.Theyconsist

ofalternatelyflashingyellow lights.Theselights

areusedtodenoteboththepresenceofanactive

runwayandidentifythelocationofarunwayholding

positionmarking.• Geographicpositionmarkings—ATCverifiesthe

positionof aircraftandvehiclesusinggeographic

positionmarkings.Themarkingscanbeusedeither

asholdpointsorforpositionreporting.These

checkpointsor“pinkspots”areoutlinedwithablack

andwhitecircleanddesignatedwithanumberora

numberandaletter.

• Clearancebarlights—threeyellowin-pavement

clearancebarlightsusedtodenoteholding

positionsforaircraftandvehicles.Whenusedfor

holdpoints,theyareco-locatedwithgeographicpositionmarkings.

Bothflightandgroundcrews,Part121and135operators,are

requiredtocomplywithSMGCSplanswhenimplemented

attheirspecificairport.Allairporttenantsareresponsible

fordisseminatinginformationtotheiremployeesand

conductingtraininginlowvisibilityoperatingprocedures.

AnyoneoperatinginconjunctionwiththeSMGCSplan

musthaveacopyofthelowvisibilitytaxiroutechartfor

theirgivenairportasthesechartsoutlinethetaxiroutes

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Figure1-3.ExcerptsfromtheAirportFacilityDirectoryofNaplesMuni,Naples,Florida.

andotherdetailedinformationconcerninglowvisibilityoperations.Thesechartsareavailablefromprivatesources

outsideof theFAA.Governmentsources forSMGCS

chartsmaybeavailableinthefuture.Part91operators

areexpectedtocomplywiththeguidelineslistedinAC

120-57,andshouldexpect“FollowMe”service(when

available)whenlowvisibilityoperationsareinuse.Any

SMGCSoutagethatwouldadverselyaffectoperationsat

theairportisissuedasaNoticetoAirmen(NOTAM).

AdvancedSurfaceMovementGuidanceControlSystem(A-SMGCS)

Withtheincreasingdemandforairportstoaccommodate

higherlevelsofaircraftmovements,itisbecomingmore

andmoredifficultfortheexistinginfrastructuretosafely

handlegreatercapacitiesoftrafficinallweatherconditions.

Asaresult,theFAAisimplementingrunwaysafetysystems,

suchasAirportSurfaceDetectionEquipment-ModelX

(ASDE-X)andAdvancedSurfaceMovementGuidanceand

ControlSystem(A-SMGCS)atvariousairports.Thedatathat

thesesystemsusecomesfromsurfacemovementradar

andaircrafttransponders.Thecombinationofthesedata

sourcesallowsthesystemstodeterminethepositionandidentificationofaircraftontheairportmovementareaand

decreasesthepotentialofcollisionsonairportrunways

andtaxiways.

Additionalinformationconcerningairportlighting,

markings,andsignscanbefoundintheAeronautical

InformationManual (AIM)and thePilot’sHandbookof

AeronauticalKnowledge,Appendix1,aswellasonthe

FAA’swebsiteat http://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_

safety/.

AirportSigns,Lighting,andMarkingsFlightcrewsuseairportlighting,markings,andsignsto

helpmaintainsituationalawareness.Thesevisualaids

provideinformationconcerningtheaircraft’slocationon

theairport,thetaxiwayinuse,andtherunwayentrance

being used.Overlookingthisinformationcan lead to

groundaccidentsthatareentirelypreventable.Ifyou

encounterunfamiliarmarkingsorlighting,contactATC

forclarificationand,ifnecessary,requestprogressivetaxi

instructions.Pilotsareencouragedtonotifytheappropriate

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collisionthatmayresultinatimecriticalcorrective/

evasiveresponsetoavoidacollision.

• CategoryC—anincidentcharacterizedbyample

timeand/ordistancetoavoidacollision.

• CategoryD—anincidentthatmeetsthedefinition

ofrunwayincursion,suchasincorrectpresenceofa

singlevehicle/person/aircraftontheprotectedarea

ofasurfacedesignatedforthelandingandtakeoffofaircraftbutwithnoimmediatesafetyconsequences.

Figure1-5highlightsseveralstepsthatreducethechances

ofbeinginvolvedinarunwayincursion.

Figure1-5.FAArecommendationsforreducingrunwayincursions.

The FAA recommends that you:

• Receive and understand all NOTAMs, particularly

those concerning airport construction and lighting.

• Read back, in full, all clearances involving

holding short, line up and wait, and crossing runways

to ensure proper understanding.

• Abide by the sterile cockpit rule.

• Develop operational procedures that minimize

distractions during taxiing.

• Ask ATC for directions if you are lost or unsure of

your position on the airport.

• Adhere to takeoff and runway crossing clearances in

a timely manner.

• Position your aircraft so landing traffic can see you.

• Monitor radio communications to maintain a

situational awareness of other aircraft.

• Remain on frequency until instructed to change.

• Make sure you know the reduced runway distancesand whether or not you can comply before accepting

a land and hold short clearance or clearance for

shortened runway.

• Report confusing airport diagrams to the proper

authorities.

• Use exterior taxi and landing lights when practical.

The sterile cockpit rule refers to a concept outlined in 14 CFR

Part 121, sections 121.542 and 135.100 that requires flight

crews to refrain from engaging in activities that could distract

them from the performance of their duties during critical phases

of flight.

NOTE:

InadditiontotheSMGCSprogram,theFAAhasimplemented

additionalprogramstoreducerunwayincursionsandother

surfacemovementissues.Theyidentifiedrunwayhotspots,

designedstandardizedtaxiroutes,andinstitutedthe

RunwaySafetyProgram.

RunwayHotspots

ICAOdefinesrunwayhotspotsasalocationonan

aerodromemovementareawithahistoryorpotentialrisk

ofcollisionorrunwayincursionandwhereheightened

attention bypilotsanddrivers isnecessary. Hotspots

alertpilotstocomplexorpotentiallyconfusingtaxiway

geometrythatcouldmakesurfacenavigationchallenging.

Whateverthereason, pilotsneedto beaware that

thesehazardousintersectionsexist,andtheyshould

beincreasingly vigilantwhenapproachingandtaxiing

throughtheseintersections.Thesehotspotsaredepicted

onsomeairportchartsascircledareas.[Figure1-6]TheFAA

OfficeofRunwaySafetyhaslinkstotheFAAregionsthat

maintainacompletelistofairportswithrunwayhotspots

athttp://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_safety/.

StandardizedTaxiRoutes

Standardtaxiroutesimprovegroundmanagementathigh-

densityairports,namelythosethathaveairlineservice.At

theseairports,typicaltaxiwaytrafficpatternsusedtomoveaircraftbetweengateandrunwayarelaidoutandcoded.

TheATCspecialist(ATCS)canreduceradiocommunication

timeandeliminatetaxiinstructionmisinterpretationby

simplyclearingthepilottotaxiviaaspecific,namedroute.

AnexampleofthiswouldbeLosAngelesInternational

Airport(KLAX),whereNorthRouteisusedtotransition

toRunway24L. [Figure1-7]Theseroutesare issuedby

groundcontrol,andifunabletocomply,pilotsmust

advisegroundcontroloninitialcontact.Ifforanyreason

thepilotbecomesuncertainastothecorrecttaxiroute,a

requestshouldbemadeforprogressivetaxiinstructions.

Thesestep-by-steproutingdirectionsarealsoissuedifthecontrollerdeemsitnecessaryduetotraffic,closedtaxiways,

airportconstruction,etc.It isthepilot’sresponsibilityto

knowifaparticularairporthaspreplannedtaxiroutes,to

befamiliarwiththem,andtohavethetaxidescriptionsin

theirpossession.Specificinformationaboutairportsthat

usecodedtaxiwayroutesisincludedintheNoticesto

AirmenPublication(NTAP).

TaxiandMovementOperationsChange

AsofJune30,2010,controllersarerequiredtoissueexplicit

instructionstocrossorholdshortofeachrunwaythatintersectsataxiroute.Followingisasummaryofthese

proceduralchanges:

• “Taxito”isnolongerusedwhenissuingtaxi

instructionstoanassignedtakeoffrunway.

• Instructionstocrossarunwayareissuedoneata

time.Instructionstocrossmultiplerunwaysarenot

issued.Anaircraftorvehiclemusthavecrossedthe

previousrunwaybeforeanotherrunwaycrossing

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At Long Beach/Daugherty Field Airport, the following areas have been

designated as hot spots, posing a special challenge to pilots.

HOT6

Landing Runway 30

Be aware that this runway crosses every other available runway

at the airport. When exiting the runway, pilots should make surethey are turning with a “lead-off” taxiline onto a taxiway and not

onto another active runway.

HOT1

Runway 25R and Taxiway D

Aircraft exiting runway 30 at taxiway A turnleft on taxiway D, anticipate reaching their

destination, and fail to hold short of runway25R.

HOT2

Runway 12 and Taxiway B

Aircraft northbound on taxiway B for departureon runway 16R at taxiway intersection D miss

the right turn onto taxiway D and enterrunways 12, 7L, and 25R.

HOT3

Runway 25L/7R at Taxiway B

Aircraft southbound on taxiway B anticipatereaching their destination parking ramp and

fail to hold short of runway 25L/7R.

HOT4

Runway 16R/34L at Taxiway F

Aircraft taxiing to runway 16R from thesouthwest ramp miss the left turn onto

taxiway B, continue eastbound onto taxiwayF, and enter runway 16R/34L.

HOT5

Runway 25L at Taxiway D

After completing a runup on inactive runway34R, aircraft fail to hold short of runway 25L.

Figure1-6.ExampleofrunwayhotspotslocatedatLongBeach/DaughertyFieldAirport(KLGB).

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Standardized Taxi Routes for Los Angeles

International Airport (KLAX)

The following Standardized Taxi routes

may be issued to all taxiing aircraft.

North Route

Taxi via Charlie (C) towards taxiway Sierra (S) taxi northbound on taxiway Sierra (S),and at Check-point-1 contact Ground Control on frequency 121.65, hold short of

taxiway Delta (D). When advised by the north Ground Control, the North Route

continues on taxiway Echo (E) to Runway 24L or the gate, whichever applies.

South Route

If the aircraft is west of taxiway Romeo (R), taxi eastbound on taxiway Echo (E) andturn right on taxiway Romeo (R), if the aircraft is east of taxiway Romeo (R), taxi

westbound on taxiway Echo (E) and turn left on taxiway Romeo (R). And atCheck-point-2, contact Ground Control on frequency 121.75, hold short of taxiway

Charlie (C).

West Route

Taxi via taxiway Charlie (C) west-bound, hold short of taxiway Alfa Alfa (AA), contactGround Control on frequency 121.65 when number one approaching Taxiway AA.

Bridge Route

Taxi via taxiway Echo (E) then south on taxiway Alfa Alfa (AA), and at Check-point-3contact Ground Control on frequency 121.75, hold short of taxiway Charlie (C).

(AJV-W2 4/23/2010)

North Route

SW-3, 29 JUL 2010 to 26 AUG 2010

Figure1-7.LosAngelesInternationalAirportdiagram,NorthRoute,andstandardizedtaxiroute.

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isissued.Thisappliestoanyrunway,including

inactiveorclosedrunways.

• Nevercrossarunwayholdmarkingwithoutexplicit

ATCinstructions.Ifindoubt,ask!

Reminder:Youmaynotenterarunwayunlessyouhave

been:

1. Instructedtocrossortaxiontothatspecificrunway;2. Clearedtotakeofffromthatrunway;or

3. Instructedtolineupandwaitonthatspecificrunway.

Formoreinformationonthechange,refertoFAAOrder

JO7110.65,whichcanbefoundatwww.faa.gov.

WeatherandtheDepartureEnvironment

TakeoffMinimums

Whilemechanicalfailureispotentiallyhazardousduring

anyphaseofflight,afailureduringtakeoffunder

instrumentconditionsisextremelycritical.Intheeventof

anemergency,adecisionmustbemadetoeitherreturnto

thedepartureairportorflydirectlytoatakeoffalternate.If

thedepartureweatherwerebelowthelandingminimums

forthedepartureairport,theflightwouldbeunableto

returnforlanding,leavingfewoptionsandlittletimeto

reachatakeoffalternate.

Intheearlyyearsofairtransportation,landingminimums

forcommercialoperatorswereusuallylowerthantakeoff

minimums.Therefore, itwas possiblethatminimums

allowedpilotstolandatanairportbutnotdepartfromthat

airport.Additionally,alltakeoffminimumsonceincluded

ceiling,aswellasvisibilityrequirements.Today,takeoff

minimumsaretypicallylowerthanpublishedlanding

minimums,andceilingrequirementsareonlyincludedif

itisnecessarytoseeandavoidobstaclesinthedeparture

area.

TheFAAestablishes takeoffminimumsforeveryairport

thathas publishedStandardInstrument Approaches.

These minimums are used by commercially operated

aircraft,namelyPart121andPart135operators.Atairports

whereminimumsarenotestablished,thesesamecarriers

arerequiredtouseFAAdesignatedstandardminimums:

1statutemile(SM)visibilityforsingle-andtwin-engine

aircraft,and1⁄2SMforhelicoptersandaircraftwithmore

thantwoengines.

Aircraftoperatingunder14CFRPart91arenotrequiredto

complywithestablishedtakeoffminimums.Legally,azero/

zerodeparturemaybemade,butitisneveradvisable.If

commercialpilotswhoflypassengersonadailybasismust

complywithtakeoffminimums,thengoodjudgmentand

commonsensewouldtellallinstrumentpilotstofollow

theestablishedminimumsaswell.

AISchartslisttakeoffminimumsonlyfortherunwaysat

airportsthathaveotherthanstandardminimums.These

takeoffminimumsarelistedbyairportinalphabetical

orderinthefront oftheTPP booklet.Ifan airport has

non-standardtakeoffminimums,a T(referredtobysomeaseitherthe“triangleT”or“troubleT”)isplacedinthe

notessectionsoftheinstrumentprocedurechart.Inthe

frontoftheTPPbooklet,takeoffminimumsarelisted

beforetheobstacledepartureprocedure.Somedeparture

proceduresallowadeparturewithstandardminimums

providedspecificaircraftperformancerequirementsare

met.[Figure1-8]

TakeoffMinimumsforCommercialOperators

WhilePart121andPart135operatorsaretheprimaryusers

oftakeoffminimums,theymaybeabletousealternative

takeoffminimumsbasedontheirindividualOpSpecs.

ThroughtheseOpSpecs,operatorsareauthorizedtodepart

withlower-than-standardminimumsprovidedtheyhave

thenecessaryequipmentandcrewtraining.

OperationsSpecifications(OpSpecs)

Withintheairtransportationindustry,thereisaneedto

establishandadministersafetystandardstoaccommodate

many variables.These variables includea wide range

ofaircraft,variedoperatorcapabilities,thevarious

situationsrequiringdifferenttypesofair transportation,

andthecontinual,rapidchangesinaviationtechnology.It isimpractical toaddressthesevariablesthroughthe

promulgationofsafetyregulationsforeachandevery

typeofairtransportsituationandthevaryingdegreesof

operatorcapabilities.Also,itisimpracticaltoaddressthe

rapidlychangingaviationtechnologyandenvironment

throughtheregulatoryprocess.Safetyregulations

wouldbeextremelycomplexandunwieldyifallpossible

variationsandsituationswereaddressedbyregulation.

Instead,thesafetystandardsestablishedbyregulation

shouldusuallyhaveabroadapplicationthatallowsvarying

acceptablemethodsofcompliance.TheOpSpecsprovide

aneffectivemethodforestablishingsafetystandardsthataddressawiderangeofvariables.Inaddition,OpSpecs

canbeadaptedtoaspecificcertificateholderoroperator’s

classandsizeofaircraftandtypeandkindsofoperations.

OpSpecscanbetailoredtosuitanindividualcertificate

holderoroperator’sneeds.

Part121andPart135certificateholdershavetheability,

throughtheuseofapprovedOpSpecs,touselower-than

standardtakeoffminimums.Dependingontheequipment

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Figure1-8.Examplesofnon-standardtakeoffminimumsforColoradoSprings,Colorado.

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A

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t o

RVR (feet) Visibility (sm) 2 0 1 0

1,600 1/4

2,400 1/2Figure1-9. Examplesofweatherinformationof variousflight

informationpublications(FLIP). 3,200 5/8

4,000 3/4

Weatherreportingstationsforspecificairportsacrossthe 4,500 7/8

countrycanbelocatedbyreviewingtheA/FD.Weather 5,000 1

sourcesalongwiththeirrespectivephonenumbersand 6,000 11/4

frequenciesarelistedbyairport.FrequenciesforweatherFigure1-10.RVRconversiontable.

0 1 0

installedinaspecifictypeofaircraft,thecrewtraining,and

thetypeofequipmentinstalledataparticularairport,these

operatorscandepartfromappropriatelyequippedrunways

withaslittleas300feetRVR.Additionally,OpSpecsoutline

provisionsforapproachminimums,alternateairports,and

weatherservicesinVolumeIIIofFAAOrder8900.1,Flight

StandardsInformationManagementSystem(FSIMS).

CeilingandVisibilityRequirementsAlltakeoffsanddepartureshavevisibilityminimums(some

mayhaveminimumceilingrequirements)incorporated

intotheprocedure.Thereareanumberofmethodsto

reportvisibilityandavarietyofwaystodistributethese

reports,includingautomatedweatherobservations.Flight

crewsshouldalwayschecktheweather,includingceiling

andvisibilityinformation,priortodeparture.Neverlaunch

anIFRflightwithoutobtainingcurrentvisibilityinformation

immediatelypriortodeparture.Further,whenceilingand

visibilityminimumsarespecifiedforIFRdeparture,both

areapplicable.

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sources,suchasAutomaticTerminalInformationService

(ATIS),DigitalAutomaticTerminalInformationService

(D-ATIS),AutomatedWeatherObservingSystem(AWOS),

AutomatedSurfaceObservingSystem(ASOS),andFAA

AutomatedFlightServiceStation(AFSS)arepublishedon

approachchartsaswell.[Figure1-9]

Visibility

Visibilityis theability,as determinedby atmospheric

conditionsandexpressedinunitsofdistance,tosee

andidentifyprominent unlightedobjectsbyday and

prominentlightedobjectsbynight.Visibilityis reported

asstatutemiles,hundredsoffeet,ormeters.

PrevailingVisibility

Prevailingvisibilityisthegreatesthorizontalvisibility

equaledorexceededthroughoutatleasthalfthehorizon

circle,whichneednotnecessarilybecontinuous.Prevailing

visibilityisreportedinstatutemilesorfractionsofmiles.

RunwayVisibilityValue(RVV)

Runwayvisibilityvalueisthevisibilitydeterminedfora

particularrunwaybyatransmissometer.Ameterprovides

continuousindicationofthevisibility(reportedinstatute

milesorfractionsofmiles)fortherunway.RVVisusedinlieu

ofprevailingvisibilityindeterminingminimumsforaparticular

runway.

TowerVisibility

Towervisibilityistheprevailingvisibilitydeterminedfrom

theairporttrafficcontroltoweratlocationsthatalsoreportthesurfacevisibility.

RunwayVisualRange(RVR)

Runwayvisualrangeisaninstrumentallyderivedvalue,

basedonstandardcalibrations,thatrepresentsthe

horizontaldistanceapilotseesdowntherunwayfromthe

approachend.Itisbasedonthesightingofeitherhigh

intensityrunwaylightsoronthevisualcontrastofother

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targets,whicheveryieldsthegreatervisualrange.RVR,in

contrasttoprevailingorrunwayvisibility,isbasedonwhat

apilotinamovingaircraftshouldseelookingdownthe

runway.RVRishorizontalvisualrange,notslantvisualrange.

RVRisreportedinhundredsoffeet,sothevaluesmustbe

convertedtoSMifthevisibilityinSMisnotreported.[Figure

1-10]Itisbasedonthemeasurementofatransmissometer

madenearthetouchdownpointoftheinstrumentrunway

andisreportedinhundredsoffeet.RVRisusedinlieuofRVVand/orprevailingvisibilityindeterminingminimums

foraparticularrunway.

TypesofRVR

ThefollowingaretypesofRVRthatmaybeused:

• TouchdownRVR—theRVRvisibilityreadoutvalues

obtainedfromRVRequipmentservingtherunway

touchdownzone.

• Mid-RVR—theRVRreadoutvaluesobtainedfrom

RVRequipmentlocatedneartherunwaymidpoint.

• RolloutRVR—theRVRreadoutvaluesobtainedfrom

RVRequipmentlocatednearesttherolloutendof

therunway.

• FarEndRVR—whenfourRVRvisibilitysensors(VS)

areinstalled,thefarendRVRVSisthetouchdown

RVRVSonthereciprocalrunway.Thefarendsensor

willserveasadditionalinformation.

RVRistheprimaryvisibilitymeasurementusedbyPart

121andPart135operatorswithspecificvisibilityreports

andcontrollingvaluesoutlinedintheirrespectiveOpSpecs.

UndertheirOpSpecsagreements,theoperatormusthavespecific,currentRVRreports,ifavailable,toproceedwithan

instrumentdeparture.OpSpecsalsooutlinewhichvisibility

reportiscontrollinginvariousdeparturescenarios.

AdequateVisualReference

Anothersetoflower-than-standardtakeoffminimumsis

availabletoPart121andPart135operationsasoutlinedin

theirrespectiveOpSpecsdocument.Whencertaintypesof

visibilityreportsareunavailableorspecificequipmentisout

ofservice,theflightcanstilldeparttheairportifthepilot

canmaintainadequatevisualreference.Anappropriatevisualaidmustbeavailabletoensurethetakeoffsurface

canbecontinuouslyidentified,anddirectionalcontrolcan

bemaintainedthroughoutthetakeoffrun.Appropriate

visualaidsincludehighintensityrunwaylights,runway

centerline lights,runway centerline markings, orother

runwaylightingandmarkings.Withadequatevisual

referencesandappropriateOpSpecapproval,commercial

operatorsmaytakeoffwithavisibilityof1600RVRor¼

SM.

Figure1-11.AWSSinstallationatDriggs-Reed,Idaho.

Ceilings

Ceilingistheheightabovetheearth’ssurfaceofthelowest

layerofcloudsorobscuringphenomenathatisreportedas

broken,overcast,orobscurationandnotclassifiedasthin

orpartial.

AutomatedWeatherSystems

Anautomatedweathersystemconsistsofanyofthe

automatedweathersensorplatformsthatcollectweather

dataatairportsanddisseminatetheweatherinformation

viaradioand/orlandline.ThesystemsconsistoftheASOS/

AutomatedWeatherSensorSystem(AWSS)andtheAWOS.

These systems are installedand maintained at airports

acrosstheUnitedStatesbybothgovernment(FAAand

NationalWeatherService(NWS))andprivateentities.They

arerelativelyinexpensivetooperatebecausetheyrequire

nooutsideobserver,andtheyprovideinvaluableweather

informationforairportswithoutoperatingcontroltowers.

[Figure1-11]

AWOSandASOS/AWSSofferawidevarietyofcapabilities

andprogressivelybroaderweatherreports.Automated

systemstypicallytransmitweathereveryonetotwo

minutessothemostup-to-dateweatherinformationis

constantlybroadcast.BasicAWOSincludesonlyaltimeter

setting,windspeed,winddirection,temperature,anddew

pointinformation.Moreadvancedsystems,suchasthe

ASOS/AWSSandAWOS-3,areabletoprovideadditional

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information,suchaswindspeed,windgust,winddirection,

variablewinddirection,temperature,dewpoint,altimeter

setting,anddensityaltitude.ASOS/AWSSstationsproviding

servicelevelsAorBalsoreportRVR.Thespecifictypeof

equipmentfoundatagivenfacilityislistedintheA/FD.

[Figure1-12]

WEATHER DATA SOURCES: AWOS-3 119.675 (704) 735-6954.

AWOS/ASOS/AWSS information

Figure1-12.A/FDentryforanAWOSstation.

The use of the aforementioned visibi lity reports andweatherservicesarenotlimitedforPart91operators.

Part121and135operatorsareboundbytheirindividual

OpSpecsdocumentsandarerequiredtouseweather

reportsthatcomefromtheNWSorotherapproved

sources.Whileeveryoperator’sspecificationsare

individuallytailored,mostoperatorsarerequiredtouse

ATIS,RVRreports,andselectedreportsfromautomated

weatherstations.AllreportscomingfromanAWOS-3

stationareusableforPart121andPart135operators.Each

typeofautomatedstationhasdifferentlevelsofapproval

asoutlinedinindividualOpSpecs.Ceilingandvisibility

reportsgivenbythetowerwiththedepartureinformation

arealwaysconsideredofficialweather,andRVRreportsare

typicallythecontrollingvisibilityreference.

AutomaticTerminalInformationService(ATIS)

ATISisanothervaluabletoolforgainingweather

information.ATISisavailableatmostairportsthathavean

operatingcontroltower,whichmeansthereportsonthe

ATISfrequencyareonlyavailableduringtheregularhours

oftoweroperation.Atsomeairportsthatoperatepart-time

towers,ASOS/AWSSinformationisbroadcastoverthe

ATISfrequencywhenthetowerisclosed.ThisserviceisavailableonlyatthoseairportsthathavebothanASOS/

AWSSonthefieldandanATIS-ASOS/AWSSinterfaceswitch

installedinthetower.

EachATISreportincludescrucialinformationabout

runwaysandinstrumentapproachesinuse,specific

outages,andcurrentweatherconditionsincluding

visibility.Visibilityis reportedin statutemilesandmay

beomittedifthevisibilityisgreaterthanfivemiles.ATIS

weatherinformationcomesfroma varietyof sources

dependingontheparticularairportandtheequipment

installedthere.Thereportedweathermaycomefroma

manualweatherobserver,weatherinstrumentslocated

inthetower,orfromautomatedweatherstations.This

information,nomattertheorigin,mustbefromNWS

approvedweathersourcesfor ittobeusedin theATIS

report.

DigitalAutomaticTerminalInformationService(D-ATIS)

The digital ATIS (D-ATIS) is an alternative method of

receivingATISreports.Theserviceprovidestextmessages

toaircraft,airlines,andotherusersoutsidethe standard

receptionrangeofconventionalATISvialandlineanddata

linkcommunicationstotheflightdeck.Aircraftequipped

withdatalinkservicesarecapableofreceivingATIS

informationovertheirAircraftCommunicationsAddressing

andReportingSystem(ACARS)unit.Thisallowsthepilotsto

readandprintouttheATISreportinsidetheaircraft,thereby

increasingreportaccuracyanddecreasingpilotworkload.

Also,the serviceprovidesacomputer-synthesizedvoice

messagethatcanbetransmittedtoallaircraftwithin

rangeofexistingtransmitters.TheTerminalDataLink

System(TDLS)D-ATISapplicationusesweatherinputs

fromlocalautomatedweathersourcesormanuallyentered

meteorologicaldatatogetherwithpreprogrammedmenus

toprovidestandardinformationtousers.Airportswith

D-ATIScapabilityarelistedintheA/FD.

ItisimportanttorememberthatATISinformationis

updatedhourlyandanytimeasignificantchangeintheweatheroccurs.Asaresult,theinformationisnotthemost

currentreportavailable.Priortodepartingtheairport,you

needtogetthelatestweatherinformationfromthetower.

ASOS/AWSSandAWOSalsoprovideasourceofcurrent

weather,buttheirinformationshouldnotbesubstituted

forweatherreportsfromthetower.

IFRAlternateRequirements

OnAIScharts,standardalternateminimumsarenot

published.Iftheairporthasotherthanstandardalternate

minimums,theyarelisted inthe frontof theapproach

chartbooklet.Thepresenceofatrianglewithan Aontheapproachchartindicatesthelistingof alternate

minimumsshouldbeconsulted.Airportsthatdonotqualify

foruseasanalternateairportaredesignatedwithan AN/A.[Figure1-13]

Therequirementforanalternatedependsontheaircraft

category,equipmentinstalled,approachnavigational

aid(NAVAID),andforecastweather.Forexample,

airportswithonlyaglobalpositioningsystem(GPS)

approachprocedurecannotbeusedasanalternateby

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INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE CHARTS

IFR ALTERNATE AIRPORT MINIMUMS

Standard alternate minimums for non precision approaches are 800-2 (NDB, VOR, LOC, TACAN, LDA,VORTAC, VOR/DME, ASR or WAAS LNAV); for precision approaches 600-2 (ILS or PAR). Airports withinthis geographical area that require alternate minimums other than standard or alternate minimums withrestrictions are listed below. NA - means alternate minimums are not authorized due to unmonitored facilityor absence of weather reporting service. Civil pilots see FAR 91. IFR Alternate Airport Minimums: Ceiling

and Visibility Minimums not applicable to USA/USN/USAF. Pilots must review the IFR Alternate AirportMinimums Notes for alternate airfield suitability.

NAME ALTERNATE MINIMUMS NAME ALTERNATE MINIMUMS

AKRON, COCOLORADOPLAINS RGNL ................. RNAV (GPS) Rwy 11NA when local weather not available.

ALAMOSA, COSAN LUIS VALLEY RGNL/BERGMAN FIELD .............. RNAV (GPS) Rwy 2

RNAV (GPS) Rwy 20NA when local weather not available.

ALBUQUERQUE, NMALBUQUERQUE INTLSUNPORT ..................... VOR or TACAN Rwy 8Categories A,B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2 ;Category D, 900-2 ; Category E, 900-3.

CLAYTON, NMCLAYTON MUNI AIRPARK ............ NDB Rwy 2

NDB Rwy 20RNAV (GPS) Rwy 2

RNAV (GPS) Rwy 20NA when local weather not available.Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2 ,

Category D, 900-2 .Category D, 800-2 .

COLORADO SPRINGS, COCITY OF COLORADO SPRINGSMUNI .............................. ILS or LOC Rwy 17L

ILS or LOC Rwy 35LILS or LOC Rwy 35R

RNAV (GPS) Y Rwy 17LRNAV (GPS) Y Rwy 17R 4

RNAV (RNP) Z Rwy 17R5

Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2 ;Category D, 900-2 .ILS, Category D, 700-2.

NA when local weather not available.4Categories A, B, 1100-2; Categories C, D,1100-3.

5Categories A, B, C, D, 800-2 .

CORTEZ, COCORTEZ MUNI ............ RNAV (GPS) Y Rwy 21

RNAV (GPS) Z Rwy 21VOR Rwy 21

Category D, 900-3.Categories A, B, 1300-2; Categories C, D,1300-3.

CRAIG, COCRAIG-MOFFAT .................... VOR/DME Rwy 7

2 3 S E P

2 0 1 0 t o2 1 O C T 2 0 1 0

2 3 S E P

2 0 1 0 t o 2 1 O C T 2 0 1 0

City and state location

Airport name and applicable approach

Other-than-standard IFR alternate minimums

Other-than-standard IFR alternate minimums are published.

Figure1-13.ExamplesofIFRalternateminimums.

TSO-C129 or C196 users unless certain requirements

aremet(seeAeronauticalInformationManual)even

thoughthe"N/A"hasbeenremovedfromtheapproach

chart.Forselectareanavigation(RNAV)GPSandGPS

approachprocedures,the"N/A"isbeingremovedsothey

maybeusedasanalternatebyaircraftequippedwithan

approach-approvedWideAreaAugmentationSystem

(WAAS)receivercomplayingwith(TSO-C145orC146)

orTSO-C129orC196meeitngcertainrequirements(see

AIM).BecauseGPSisnotauthorizedasasubstitutemeans

ofnavigationguidancewhenconductingaconventional

approachatanalternateairport,iftheapproachprocedure

requireseitherdistancemeasuringequipment(DME)or

automaticdirectionfinder(ADF),theaircraftmustbe

equippedwiththeappropriateDMEorADFavionicsin

ordertousetheapproachasanalternate.

Forairplane14CFRPart91requirements,analternate

airportmustbelisted onIFRflight plansif theforecast

weather atthe destination airport, for atleast 1hour

beforeandfor1houraftertheestimatedtimeofarrival

(ETA),theceilingislessthan2,000feetabovetheairport

elevation,andthevisibilityislessthan3SM.Asimplewayto

remembertherulesfordeterminingthenecessityoffiling

analternateforairplanesisthe“1,2,3Rule.”Forhelicopter

14CFRPart91,similaralternatefilingrequirementsapply.

AnalternatemustbelistedonanIFRflightplanifattheETA

andfor1houraftertheETA,theceilingisatleast1,000feet

abovetheairportelevation,oratleast400feetabovethe

lowestapplicableapproachminima,whicheverishigher,

andthevisibilityisatleast2SM.

Notallairportscanbeusedasalternateairports.Anairport

maynotbequalifiedforalternateuseiftheairportNAVAID

isunmonitored,orif itdoesnothaveweatherreporting

capabilities.Foranairporttobeusedasanalternate,

theforecastweatheratthatairportmustmeetcertain

qualificationsat theETA. Standardairplane alternate

minimumsforaprecisionapproacharea600-footceiling

anda2SMvisibility.Foranon-precisionapproach,the

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minimumsarean800-footceilinganda2SMvisibility.

Standardalternateminimumsapplyunlesshigheralternate

minimumsarelistedforanairport.Forhelicopters,alternate

weatherminimumsareaceilingof200feetabovethe

minimumfortheapproachtobeflown,andvisibilityat

least1SMbutneverlessthantheminimumvisibilityfor

theapproachtobeflown.

AlternateMinimumsforCommercialOperatorsIFRalternateminimumsforPart121andPart135operators

areveryspecificandhavemorestringentrequirements

thanPart91operators.

Part121operatorsarerequiredbytheirOpSpecsand

14CFRPart121,sections121.617and121.625tohave

atakeoffalternateairportfortheirdepartureairportin

additiontotheirairportofintendedlandingiftheweather

atthedepartureairportisbelowthelandingminimums

inthe certificate holder’sOpSpecsforthatairport.The

alternatemustbewithin2hoursflyingtimeforanaircraftwiththreeormoreengineswithanengineoutinnormal

cruiseinstillair.Fortwoengineaircraft,thealternatemust

bewithin1hour.Theairportofintendedlandingmaybe

usedinlieuofanalternateprovidedthatitmeetsallthe

requirements.Domestic Part121operatorsmustalsofile

foralternateairportswhentheweatherattheirdestination

airport,from1hourbeforeto1houraftertheirETA,is

forecasttobebelowa2,000-footceilingand/orlessthan

3milesvisibility.

Forairportswithatleastoneoperationalnavigational

facilitythatprovidesastraight-innon-precisionapproach,astraight-inprecisionapproach,oracirclingmaneuver

fromaninstrumentapproachproceduredeterminethe

ceilingandvisibilityby:

• Adding400feettotheauthorizedCATIheightabove

airport(HAA)/heightabovetouchdownelevation

(HAT)forceiling.

• AddingonemiletotheauthorizedCATIvisibility

forvisibilityminimums.

This isoneexampleof the criteriarequiredforPart121

operatorswhencalculatingminimums.Part135operatorsarealsosubjecttotheirownspecificrulesregardingthe

selectionanduseofalternateminimumsasoutlined

intheirOpSpecsand14CFRPart135,sections135.219

through135.225,andaresimilartothoseusedbyPart

121operators.

Typically,dispatcherswhoplanflightsfortheseoperators

areresponsibleforplanningalternateairports.The

dispatcherconsidersaircraftperformance,aircraft

equipmentanditscondition,androuteofflightwhen

choosingalternates.Intheeventchangesneedtobemade

totheflightplanenrouteduetodeterioratingweather,

thedispatchermaintainscontactwiththeflightcrew

andreroutestheirflightasnecessary.Therefore,it isthe

pilot’sresponsibilitytoexecutetheflightasplannedby

thedispatcher;thisisespeciallytrueforPart121pilots.To

aidintheplanningofalternates,dispatchershavealistof

airportsthatareapprovedasalternatessotheycanquicklydeterminewhichairportsshouldbeusedforaparticular

flight.Dispatchersalsouseflightplanningsoftwarethat

plansroutesincludingalternatesfortheflight.Thistypeof

softwareistailoredforindividualoperatorsandincludes

theirnormalflightpathsandapprovedairports.Flight

planningsoftwareandservicesareprovidedthrough

privatesources.

Though the pilot is the final author ity for the fl ight

andultimatelyhasfullresponsibility,thedispatcheris

responsibleforcreatingflightplansthatareaccurateand

complywiththeCFRs.Alternateminimumcriteriaareonlyusedasplanningtoolstoensurethepilotincommandand

dispatcherarethinkingaheadtotheapproachphaseof

flight.Intheeventtheflightwouldactuallyneedtodivert

toanalternate,thepublishedapproachminimumsor

lower-than-standardminimumsmustbeusedasaddressed

inOpSpecsdocuments.

DepartureProcedures

Instrumentdeparture proceduresare preplanned IFR

proceduresthatprovideobstructionclearancefrom

theterminalareatotheappropriateenroutestructure.Primarily,theseproceduresaredesignedtoprovideobstacle

protectionfordepartingaircraft.Therearetwotypesof

DepartureProcedures(DPs):ObstacleDepartureProcedures

(ODPs)andStandardInstrumentDepartures(SIDs).

Whenaninstrumentapproachisinitiallydevelopedforan

airport,theneedforanODPisassessed.Ifanaircraftmay

turninanydirectionfromarunwaywithinthelimitsofthe

assessmentareaandremainclearofobstaclesthatrunway

passeswhatiscalledadiversedepartureassessment,and

noODPispublished.Adiversedepartureassessment

ensuresthataprescribed,expandingamountofrequiredobstacleclearance(ROC)isachievedduringtheclimb-out

untiltheaircraftcanobtainaminimum1,000feetROCin

non-mountainousareasoraminimum2,000feetROCin

mountainousareas.Unlessspecifiedotherwise,required

obstacleclearanceforalldepartures,includingdiverse,is

basedonthepilotcrossingthedepartureendoftherunway

(DER)atleast35feetabovetheDERelevation,climbingto

400feetabovetheDERelevationbeforemakingtheinitial

turn,andmaintaininga minimumclimbgradientof 200

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Positive course guidance must be acquiredwithin 10 NM for straight departures andwithin 5 NM for departures requiring turns.

Required climb gradient of 200 FPNM

Previous TERPS Departure Procedures

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