AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023 - 88

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regarding ground visibility if they report
a runway visual range (RVR)-the horizontal
visibility down the runway. But
bottom line, it's the pilot's call when it
comes to the visibility ahead.
The approach light system can be a
big help in making the landing runway
" distinctly visible and identifiable, " as
the regulations put it. (Category II and
III approaches allow qualified pilots and
airplanes to land at lower minimums.) Of
course, lighting becomes of more central
importance at night, or in situations
involving dense overcasts and fogs.
shortly thereafter lost sight of them. What
to do? If you were flying under Category II
or III you might be able to legally proceed
to the runway and land, but since we're
addressing most GA instrument pilots,
we're talking about Category I rules in this
article. Nor are we addressing Garmin's
Autoland capabilities, which are meant to
be used in case of pilot incapacitation or
other emergencies.
Yes, FAR Part 91 does give us a
" look-see " privilege that lets us shoot an
approach even if the reported visibility is
below minimums. Look-see might work
The rules state that if you fly the approach and can't
see those red bars or lights, you cannot descend
below 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation.
The best-equipped approach lighting
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Supported by
system is the ALSF (approach light system
with sequenced flasher lights) configuration.
There are ALSF-1 and -2 variants,
with the -1 a Category I configuration and
the -2 for Category II operations. Both
have flashing lead-in lights-better known
as " the rabbit " -that give you blue rollalignment
bars, a set of red side row bars,
and red " terminating bars " positioned just
before the runway threshold.
If you see the threshold itself, threshold
markings, threshold lights, runway
end identifier lights (REILs), visual glideslope
indicators, the touchdown zone or its
markings, runway or runway markings, or
the runway lights, then you're well on your
way to a low-vis landing.
Remember those red side row and terminating
bars? The rules state that if you
fly the approach and can't see those red
bars or lights, you cannot descend below
100 feet above the touchdown zone (TDZ)
elevation. You did check the approach
plate for the TDZ elevation, right?
Let's say you flew a perfect approach,
flew the rabbit all the way down to the roll
alignment bars, only to discover that a fog
bank had suddenly become a factor and
prevented you from seeing the red bars
or lights. You passed decision height, but
88
AOPA PILOT / May 2023
if you can see through thin clouds or fog.
But in this example, we had our look-see-
and didn't see those red bars and lights.
That means it's time for a miss. No more
descending on this approach.
However, the rules do give you some
leeway during the initial part of the missed
approach procedure. A transient sink is
allowed, because it's well known that configuration
changes can cause an airplane to
momentarily lose a bit of altitude before it
enters a climb. You still have to perform
the missed approach-even if you catch
sight of the runway while you begin the
climb-but technically speaking you will
have gone below the DH, DA, or MDA. You
hear stories about airplanes momentarily
touching down on the runway while still
in IMC, but in no way is this permission
to continue with a landing.
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http://www.EFIRC.COM/PILOT http://www.AirSafetyInstitute.org/beyondproficient/ifr http://www.AirSafetyInstitute.org/beyondproficient/ifr
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023
