Bob/Richard,

Just working my way through your IREX and have a quick question regrding one of the revision exams.

On page 3.56 Question 20 asks what the operation requirement would be for an ETA of 0410. Your answer says c) 20 minutes holding may be carried. However i beleive it is b) none

The question states that the minima of 1200ft ceiling applies with a VIS of 6km. If you look at the TAF, "1220/1308 2101KT 6000 SCT 010 FEW008". The next line states "FM130400 9999 RA FEW 015 SCT050". From this we can see that cloud is not a problem at its SCT. The visibility also shouldn't be a problem as its NOT BELOW THE ALTERNATE MINIMA. The AIP states that an alternate is required BELOW the Alternate minima, but the visibilty is equal to the Alternate Minima. The second line also poses no OPR requirement. Thefore no alternate is required?

Am i missing something?

Thanks for the question

Have another look at the TAF and you will see that it says SCT1000 FEW008. Since they are both below the alternate minima of 1200ft, you must add them together. That makes more than 4/8 so you must either carry an alternate or be able to hold until 0430 i.e.20 mins.

ahh, missed that. Thanks for clearing that up bob!

I'm a bit confused about the answer to Q31 in revision exercise 3.2. AIP 1.10 1.2.3 says that where an aerodrome forecast is required, or is provisional, and cannot be obtained an alternate is needed. AIP 1.1 57.1.3 says that where an aerodrome forecast is not available an alternate must be selected. The answer to the question says you can treat an aerodrome with no TAF as an airfield without an IAP so no alternate is needed.

I assume the logic of the answer is that where an IAP exist the aerodrome forecast is required in order to use the alternate minima. The lack of a forecast means that you have to impose much higher minima (LSALT+500) and you are effectively discounting any IAP but I can't see where this is allowed by the OPR's.

AIP ENR 1.10 para 1.2.1 says 'For a flight to a destination 'for which a prescribed instrument approach procedure does not exist, the minimum requirement is an area forecast'. So an aerodrome forecast is not required for such an aerodrome.

You could treat this as a flight to an aerodrome with no instrument approach procedure. AIP ENR 1.1 para 57.3.2a.

I find that often students have the idea that a visual approach is not an instrument approach procedure. A visual approach is one of the options that are available to an IFR pilot, and when you do a visual approach you are still an IFR flight.

Just as a golfer has a bag full of clubs from which he/she selects the most appropriate club for the shot to be played, so an IFR pilot has a 'bag' full of approaches from which he/she selects the most appropriate approach for the circumstances. A visual approach is just one of those options on an IFR flight.

The alternate minima for a visual approach are given in 57.3.

Thanks Bob.