IFR Alternate Requirements: Boldmethod Live

[@MrSuzuki1187]

I am a retired airline pilot who now flies a Pilatus PC-12NG professionally. There is a huge omission in the FAA's requirements for needing to file an alternate, and that is the possibility of thunderstorms. The TAF could show a forecast that does not require an alternate, but that has a PROB 40 or TEMPO of TRSA. Keep in mind that TEMPO means a 50% chance OR MORE of a thunderstorm, yet if the forecast is for better than a ceiling of 2000 feet and 3 miles viz, no alternate is required. My former airline dispatchers would file us an alternate if the TAF showed Prob 40 or TEMPO of TRSA because you cannot not land a commercial airliner safely in a thunderstorm, much less a GA airplane.

[@RodSerling-y6p]

Sounds like Wisconsin in July and August............. Florida too. Good post. Thanks for your input.

[@MrSuzuki1187]

Well done!! I like that you say that you can fly to the published minimums at your alternate rather than the 600-2 or 800-2. I also like that you said that you do not need to divert to your filed alternate.

[@ltinfpr2j247]

Absolutely amazing, your depth of knowledge and experience is commendable.

[@alxaer]

I find it a little confusing when we mix talking about “WE DO NOT need an alternate if” with clauses from when we say “WE NEED an alternate if" For the first one, “we do not need and alternate if” both conditions need to be met according to the FARs wording, weather is at or above the 1-2-3 rule “AND” the destination airport has an available IAP. On the other side, when “we need an alternate if” only one condition on the negatives needs to be met, weather is below the 1-2-3 rule “OR” the destination airport does not have an IAP available. Same thing, looked at from the other side. What I find confusing is when we say, “weather at least 1-2-3….”OR” your destination does not have an IAP…” , that’s one condition to not require an alternate, and one condition to require an alternate, plus the conjunction or, implies only one must be met.

[@joshjohnsonslc]

These videos should have 50,000+ views. Every private or instrument pilot should be directed to watch your content (and pay for it). If you’re watching all their content, please consider supporting them

[@AsH-fp3fx]

Great video as usual, If an airport has only 1 approach and it is marked with NA to not be used for alternate calculation but the weather forecasted there is CLR can consider the airport visual approach as your alternate for planning as you can descend from MEA VFR.

[@pisymbol]

Yes. You can even cancel IFR and fly VFR the last 10 miles too.

[@josephwhite4716]

Yup 17:30 he mentions it

[@drinkduff7715]

Late to the party here but I'm interested to get opinions on this....On the Newport, OR alternate chart (30:35) the RNAV 34 is under the 'Authorized Only When Local Weather Available' column in the Jepp table. In the FAA chart (31:39), the RNAV 34 doesn't have the '1' note next to it, indicating that in fact the procedure is authorized for planning when local whether is not available. Is the Jepp table wrong here? It seems that there is a discrepancy between the two.

[@flywithmikefromchicago]

If there is no ‘1’ next to the approach or note in the TPP alternate minimums , I believe that means the note applies to all approaches at the airport. This is common for several airports when local weather is not available.

[@RamaFebryan]

What does the letter at the end of every approache charts mean ? Is it the app category ?

[@KeffelewAssefa]

Thank you.

[@jakew9887]

Great presentation. Thanks

[@daffyduck9673]

So what happens if your weather at the alternate goes below minimums even though it was forecasted to be above minimums, how does THAT change things?

[@pisymbol]

Doesn’t change anything. Alternates are for *planning* not flying. You can try any approach no matter the weather when you are in the air (doesn’t mean you’ll land though).

[@kens962]

23:52

[@MrSuzuki1187]

You are not required to fly to your filed alternate as it is for planning purposes only. Once in the air and your filed alternate goes below mins, yet your destination is at or above minimums, press on to your destination. No need to re-file a different alternate. If you cannot land at your destination, fly to any other airport that has at or above minimums and where you have the fuel to do so safely. Also, if your filed alternate requires either 600-2 or 800-2, and you divert only to find it is 300 and 1, you are legal to shoot the approach and land. The 600-2 and 800-2 are again, for preflight planning purposes only.

[@SameRt10]

I am not really satisfied with the MEA explanation. I understand that you created your GPS-based DCT route and calculated an MEA 4nm circle around the airport? The weather must be forecasting basic VFR FROM the latest fix you reach at the airport (you should at least be MEA right?) TO descend to the airport. there could be clouds north of the airport but if I arrive from the south it should be okay. Of course in real life I choose safe and wise options, we are just talking about rules here. Overall perfect job informing us.

[@johndillinger6263]

Hi, I have a question,so if the ceiling at an alternate and MEA are the same, I can’t fly it? Or do I need to maintain a 500 feet below clouds and stay above MEA under basic VFR? Thank you!

[@Senseigainz]

John Dillinger if you fly above MEA and the ceiling is at the MEA how will you descend through the cloud? You need to be able to fly from MeA to the alternate under VFR rules.

[@mytech6779]

As for the cloud VFR clearance rules it isn't a violation to be near a cloud, its a violation to approach the cloud; say you are flying VFR and a cloud forms around you, you are allowed to fly away from the cloud just not toward the cloud. (happened to me near the coast, I was 1000 below the ceiling and could see almost 10 miles with light rain and a minute later cloud was thickening all around me, fixed with a 180 turn and broke back out in about 30 seconds. That cloud formed all the way down to about 800ft and was a couple miles wide. All of the local AWOS were reporting 4000ft ceilings) Now the basic cloud clearances exist to give IFR traffic that is breaking out of IMC and transitioning to VFR time to see VFR traffic or be seen by VFR traffic. Since you are starting out as IFR at the MEA you already have separation from other IFR traffic and VFR traffic should already be at least 500 feet below. Also you are allowed to descend below MOCA, MEA and sector minimums for the purpose of landing; noting the following, if you are in class E this is still ATC controlled airspace(not always radar controlled) and they provide IFR-IFR separation, ATC radar may well have a minimum vectoring altitude well below your route's MEA, and class G to 1200ft agl only requires clear of clouds. You could descend to the MOCA. The decent below published altitudes for the purpose of landing comes back to pilot planning and judgment of the specific situation, normally not recommended, but it is possible to essentially build your own unpublished approach. If the MEA and ceiling are fairly high you could also use the first part of a published approach at a nearby airport to get below the ceiling and then fly VFR from there to your final destination. Around here many MEAs can step down 5000 feet at some fixes or the direction of travel on the route can make a 3000ft difference in MEA. Another option is to climb over the top, look for a hole and switch to VFR over-the-top, (cancels the IFR flight. And you should keep flight following.) fly down the hole. Around here the clouds look solid from the ground but in flight you find they are often only a few hundred feet thick and may be broken or scattered just 10 miles away. All of this can be used.