JET Linx

POSITION REPORT ITEMS REQUIRED IN NON- RADAR ENVIRONMENT

A PTA TEN R
(§91.183, AIM 5-3-2)

■ Aircraft ID.

■ Position. 
■ Time.

■ Altitude.

■ Type of flight plan (except when communicating with ARTCC / Approach control).

■ ETA and name of next reporting fix.

■ Name only of the next succeeding point along the

route of flight.

■ Any pertinent remarks.

MTA

MTA - Minimum Turning Altitude: Provides vertical and lateral obstacle clearance in turns over certain fixes.

Annotated with the MCA X icon and a note describing the restriction.

MOCA

MOCA - Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude: Provides obstacle clearance and navigation coverage only up to 22 NM of the VOR.

MCA

MCA - Minimum Crossing Altitude

MIN WX CONDITIONS REQUIRED AT AN AIRPORT

TO LIST IT AS AN ALTERNATE

The alternate airport minima published in the procedure charts, or, if none:

■ Precision approach:

600 ft ceiling and 2 SM visibility.

■ Non-precision approach:

800 ft ceiling and 2 SM visibility.

■ No instrument approach available at the alternate:

Ceiling & visibility must allow descent from MEA, approach and landing under VFR.

§91.169

VISUAL CLIMB OVER AIRPORT (VCOA)

■ A departure option for IFR aircraft in VMC.

■ The pilot visually conducts climbing turns over the airport up to the published "climb to" altitude, from which he proceeds to the instrument portion of the departure.

■ Designed to avoid obstacles beyond 3 SM from the departure end of the runway (DER), as an alternative to complying with climb gradients greater than the standard 200 ft/NM.

■ Advise ATC as early as possible prior to departure of the intent to fly a VCOA.

■ Published in the “Take-Of Minimums and (Obstacle) Departure Procedures” section of the TP.

■ May appear as an option on graphic ODPs

When should you start a speed reduction before hold?

3 Min before reaching hold fix

■ Contact approach (AIM 5-5-3)

▷ Requested by the pilot in lieu of

an instrument approach. (Cannot

be initiated by ATC)

▷ Requires at least 1SM ground

visibility and remain clear of

clouds.

▷ Only at airports with approved

instrument approach procedures. ▷ Pilot assumes responsibility for

obstruction clearance.

MORA

MORA - Minimum Off Route Altitude (Jeppesen):

▷ Route MORA provides obstruction clearance within 10NM to either side of airway centerlines and within

a 10NM radius at the ends of airways.

▷ Grid MORA provide obstruction clearance within a latitude / longitude grid block.

Holding pattern max speeds 

ALTITUDE (MSL) MAX AIRSPEED (KTS)

1. 6,000’ or below 200 kts
2. 6001 - 14,000 230 kts
3. 14,001 and above 265 kts

LEAVING THE CLEARANCE LIMIT  if I clearance limit is not a fix from which an approach begins?

At EFC or clearance limit (if no EFC given), proceed to a fix from which an approach begins and start the approach

FPNM to Feet-Per-Minute conversion:

FPM = FPNM X Groundspeed / 60

VOR check sign-off (§91.171) D.E.P.S –

D - Date

E - Error (bearing error)

P - Place

S - Signature

MOCA

MOCA - Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude: Provides obstacle clearance and navigation coverage only up to 22 NM of the VOR.

MVA

Minimum Vectoring Altitude: The lowest altitude at which an IFR aircraft will be vectored by a radar controller, except as otherwise authorized for radar approaches, departures, and missed approaches. MVAs may be lower than the minimum altitudes depicted on aeronautical charts, such as MEAs or MOCAs.

NEED A DESTINATION ALTERNATE?

“1-2-3” RULE –

A destination alternate is always required, unless:

■ An instrument approach is published and available for the destination, AND,

■ For at least 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA: ▷ Ceiling will be at least 2000’ above airport

elevation; and

▷ Visibility will be at least 3 SM.

§91.169

HOLDING ENTRY TYPES

HOLDING ENTRY

Direct - Upon crossing the fix turn to follow the holding pattern

Parallel - Upon crossing the fix, turn to a heading parallel to the holding course outbound for 1 minute. Then turn into the hold pattern to intercept

the inbound course.

Teardrop - Upon crossing the fix, turn outbound to a heading 30o into the

pattern. Fly it for 1 minute, then turn in the direction of the hold turns to intercept

the inbound course.

AT THE HOLD FIX, REPORT TO ATC:

“<callsign> Over <place><altitude> at <time>”

FILING AN ALTERNATE - GPS CONSIDERATIONS

■ Equipped with a non-WAAS GPS? You can flight plan based on GPS approaches at either the destination or the alternate, but not at both.

■ WAAS Without baro-VNAV? May base the flight plan on use of LNAV approaches at both the destination and alternate.

■ WAAS with baro-VNAV? May base the flight plan on use of LNAV/VNAV or RNP 0.3 at both the destination and the alternate.

AIM 1-1-17b.5, 1-1-18c.9, 1-2-3d

MAA 

Maximum Authorized Altitude. Annotated “MAA-17000” (17,000ft as an example) on IFR charts.

Calculate VDP DISTANCE AND TIME

By distance: VDP (in NM from threshold) = MDH / 300

By time: MDH / 10 = seconds to subtract from time between FAF and MAP

OROCA

Off Route Obstruction Clearance Altitude: Provides obstruction clearance with a 1,000 ft buffer in non-mountainous terrain areas and 2,000 ft in mountainous areas. OROCA may not provide navigation or communication signal coverage.

REQUIRED REPORTS UNDER IFR

“MARVELOUS VFR C500” -

(AIM 5-3-3, §91.183, §91.187 )

■ Missed approach

■ Airspeed ±10 kts / 5% change of filed TAS (whichever is

greater)

■ Reaching a holding fix (report time & altitude)

■ VFR on top when an altitude change will be made.

■ ETA changed ±2 min, or ±3 min in North Atlantic (NAT) *

■ Leaving a holding fix/point

■ Outer marker (or fix used in lieu of it) *

■ Unforecasted weather (§91.183)

■ Safety of flight (any other information related to safety of flight, §91.183)

■ Vacating an altitude / FL

■ Final Approach fix *

■ Radio/Nav/approach equipment failure (§91.187)

■ Compulsory reporting points ▲ * (§91.183)

■ 500 - unable climb/descent 500 fpm

* Required only in non-radar environments (including ATC radar failure)

MCA

MCA - Minimum Crossing Altitude

LOST COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE

ALTITUDE TO FLY

FLY THE HIGHEST OF: “MEA” –

■ M - Minimum altitude prescribed for IFR

■ E - Expected (as in: “Expect 5000 10 min after departure”) 

■ A - Assigned. Last altitude assigned by ATC.

DO NOT FLY A PROCEDURE TURN WHEN: 

“SHARP TT” –

■ Straight-in approach clearance.

■ Holding in lieu of a procedure turn.

■ DME Arc.

■ Radar vectors to final.

■ No PT depicted on chart.

■ Timed approach from a hold fix. 
■ Teardrop course reversal.

What does this mean?

Alternate minimums not authorized due to 

 unmonitored facility or the absence of weather

reporting service.

MEA

 - Minimum Enroute Altitude: The lowest published altitude between radio fixes which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage and meets obstacle clearance requirements. An MEA gap establishes an area of loss in navigational coverage and annotated “MEA GAP” on IFR charts.

HOLDING PATTERN TIMING 

■ Adjust the outbound leg so the inbound leg takes:

▷ At or below 14,000’ MSL – 1 minute

▷ Above 14,000’ MSL – 1.5 minutes

▷ DME/GPS holds – fly the outbound leg to the specified distance from the fix/waypoint.

MIN IFR ALTITUDES (§91.177)
 

▷ Minimum altitudes prescribed for the flown segment, or if none:

▷ Mountainous areas: 2,000 ft above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of 4 NM from the course.

▷ Non-mountainous areas: 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 4 NM from the course.

■ When can you descend to the next instrument approach segment?

▷ When cleared for the approach

and established on a segment of a published approach or route. (AIM 5-5-4)

LEAVING THE CLEARANCE LIMIT if the clearance limit a fix from which an approach begins?

Start descent and approach as close as possible to the EFC, or ETA

(if no EFC given)

LOST COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE ROUTE TO FLY

SELECT THE ROUTE BY THIS ORDER:

“AVEF” –

■ A - Assigned route, if none:

■ V - Vectored (fly to fix/route/airway last vectored to), if none: 

■ E - Last Expected route by ATC, if none:

■ F - Filed route

Visual References To Descend Below MDA/DA?

i. The approach light system, except that the pilot may not descend below 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation using the approach lights as a reference unless the red terminating bars or the red side row bars are also distinctly visible and identifiable.

ii. The threshold.

iii. The threshold markings. 
iv. The threshold lights.

v. The runway end identifier lights. 

vi. The visual glideslope indicator.

vii. The touchdown zone or touchdown zone markings. 

viii. The touchdown zone lights.

ix. The runway or runway markings. 

x. The runway lights.

Diverse Vector Area (DVA)

allows ATC to provide radar vectors instead of an ODP, while meeting the diverse departure criteria. DVA information is found in the US terminal procedures publication. It includes a statement that initial headings are provided by ATC and any applicable climb gradients.

MORA

MORA - Minimum Off Route Altitude (Jeppesen):

▷ Route MORA provides obstruction clearance within 10NM to either side of airway centerlines and within

a 10NM radius at the ends of airways.

▷ Grid MORA provide obstruction clearance within a latitude / longitude grid block.

Explain DIVERSE DEPARTURE PROCEDURE

■ All US airports with a published IAP but with no published DP meet the Diverse Airport criteria

■ This criteria requires that an airport has been evaluated for no obstacles within 200 ft altitude/NM up to a minimum IFR altitude.

■ Diverse Airport Departures provide obstacleclearance when a DP is not published.

■ Turns are allowed only after reaching 400 ft AGL.

What does mean?

Non-Standard TO mins / Departure Procedures.

IFR TAKEOFF MINIMUMS (§91.175)

No T/O minimums mandated for part 91 operations. Part

121, 125, 129, 135:

■ Prescribed T/O minimums for the runway, or, if none: ■ 1-2 engines airplanes: 1 SM visibility

■ More than 2 engines: 1⁄2 SM visibility

When can you descend below MDA / DA? (§91.175)

1. The aircraft is continuously in a position from which a descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made at a normal rate of descent using normal maneuvers.

2. The flight visibility (or the enhanced flight visibility, if equipped) is not less than the visibility prescribed in the standard instrument approach being used.

3. At least one of the following visual references for the intended runway is distinctly visible and identifiable to the pilot

MRA -

 Minimum Reception Altitude

Max Speed For Procedure Turn

200

TAXI BRIEFING - "'ARCH"

■ A - Assigned / planned runway.

■ R-Route.

■ C - Crossings and hold short instructions.

■ H - Hot spots & Hazards (e.g., NOTAMs, closed taxiways/runways, surface condition).

MEA

 - Minimum Enroute Altitude: The lowest published altitude between radio fixes which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage and meets obstacle clearance requirements. An MEA gap establishes an area of loss in navigational coverage and annotated “MEA GAP” on IFR charts.

What does this mean?

Non-Standard IFR alternate minimums exist.

Visual Approach Requirements 

▷ Initiated by either ATC or the pilot.

▷ Requires at least 1000’ ceiling and 3SM visibility. (IFR under VMC)

▷ Pilot must have either the airport or the traffic to follow in sight.

▷ Pilot is responsible for visual separation from traffic to follow.

Instrument approach types

■ Precision

Lateral + vertical guidance to a DA.

■ Non-Precision

lateral guidance only. Flown to MDA.

■ Approach with Vertical Guidance (APV). 
A precision-like approach, flown to a DA with lateral + vertical guidance, but does not meet precision approach standards.

TAKEOFF BRIEFING – “DEPARTS”

D - Departure review (e.g. takeoff type, initial heading, first fix & course, clearance readout).

E - Establish Expectations (e.g., flying pilot, PIC, positive transfer of controls).

P - Plan / special considerations (e.g., weather, visibility, terrain, unfamiliar field, inoperative equipment / MELs).

A - Alternate (takeoff alternate, if needed, or return plan) 

R - Runway conditions and length.

T - Trouble / Tactics (e.g., rejected takeoff, engine failure). 
S - Speak up! Questions / concerns?