AUS IFR Questions

[RotorParrot]

Hi,

I have been experiencingsome difficulties in answering some of these questions regarding to my upcomingIFR ground test. Please give me a hand

1)Assuming youwork at a location where all resources are available (instructors, aeroplanes,simulators, synthetic trainers), what is the minimum activity required tomaintain single pilot IFR recency?

2)Howshould the altimeter(s) be set for takeoff at YMDG, assuming no access to telephonesisavailable? (note Mudgee has no AWIS unless phones available)

3)What isthe takeoff (TO) minima for a TO from RWY 15 at YBCS, assuming a return to YBCSis required in the event of engine failure?

4)What isthe TO minima from YEML on a flight to YBCV, assuming the EML NDB isunserviceable and the GPS indicates a RAIM warning?

5)What isthe TO minima for a flight departing YSBK, RWY 29C? If you plan to fly to anaerodrome other than YSBK in the event of engine failure, what are the minimumconditions required for the TO at YSBK?

6)Why arethere different DAs for the ILSs at YSCB? Which DA should you use?

[neville_nobody]

1) CAO 40.2.1

2) If you can't get Comms you set the Airport Elevation.

3) You would use the landing minima if you are planning to land at your departure aerodrome.

3/4/5) ENR 4.3.1 and the approach minimas.

6) Has to do with the Missed Approach Gradient and what your aircraft is capable of maintaining.

[Oktas8]

4) For my employer, the answer is "don't depart", and I don't have the AIP to hand to check the general case. But I would think the answer is something like Grid LSAlt. You cannot be in IMC below this altitude without a functional primary means navigation system.

6) Use the lowest DA unless, at the start of the approach, you know that you cannot achieve the required gradient to make good the published missed approach. In this case, choose a higher minimum. It would be good airmanship to consider the possibility of an engine failure at DA when not visual, but not a legal requirement.

[gettin' there]

While we're at it, here's another IFR question.

I know how it happens in reality in a lot of cases but to the letter of the law......

No VHF coverage on the ground and the HF doesn't want to play nice when you go to make your taxi call. You don't have a company representative with access to ATS by telephone and there's no mobile reception, but you know you'll get centre not too long after you take off and you know you'll be able to remain visual.

I often hear people making a departure report to centre on VHF with the phrase "No Joy HF" and give all their details. If you depart VFR then who is holding your SAR?

If you havn't been able to establish contact on the ground then you havn't initiated a SARWATCH, so if you go end up going in between taking off and getting centre........no one knows to come looking for you? Yes you have a flight plan in but that on its own will not initiate a SAR response if you dont report by a certain time will it? How can you legally depart?

[seneca208]

Had to re-read the question..

[Ixixly]

gettin' there, you could always try bouncing the message through another aircraft? or use a ground phone or mobile if available to call them?

[seneca208]

From memory I think the law states you must attempt to contact Centre. Maybe that alone allows you to get airborne after making every possible attempt to lodge a sar?

[Ixixly]

Easy solution to crappy HFs and VHFs always needing fixing in places like gettin' there described, Spider Tracks!! Quick press of a button and base is now informed of your location!!

[gettin' there]

Actually it says that you must attempt to contact ATS on VHF or HF, and if that doesn't work, broadcast and contact them airborne, provided that for RPT, charter or airwork ops, you have radio contact with your company which has access to a phone, or other than RPT you can nominate a SARTIME for departure with a max of 30 mins from ETD.

That's how I understand it. So on a charter for example, in the middle of no where with no radio contact to company and no SARTIME for departure.......you cant legally go anywhere.:sad:

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

In an area where phone and VHF radio reception is an issue, company could provide a satphone.:ok:

[Ixixly]

Slam_Click, its not really necessary to have continuous contact is it? As long as you can contact to set your SAR and/or Cancel SAR wouldn't that be enough? Therefore a SatPhone to call center would be sufficient?

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

ENR 1.1
Para 40.1 The pilot of an IFR aircraft operating from a non-towered aerodrome must attempt to contact ATS on VHF or HF when taxiing. If the pilot is unable to establish contact, the flight may proceed on a broadcast basis provided contact is established as soon as possible after take-off, and
a. in the case of an RPT, CHTR or AWK flight, the pilot is assured of radio contact with his or her operator, or a representative of his or her operator who has immediate access to a serviceable telephone, until contact is made with ATS, or
b. for flights other than RPT, a SARTIME for departure has been established with a maximum of 30 minutes from EOBT.

Except that you need continuous contact with ATS
If it's charter, no you don't. Sub para (b.):ok:
You could also think ahead and amend your arrivar SAR to a SARTIME for departure? (Not suitable for all cases, I know, but good enough for most.)

Wondering if spidertraks comms or any of the similar units are approved for "radio contact".
ps. Amazing how easy it is to get a relay to ATS in Australia compared to many overseas locations. Tends to be only western operators who want to help out in many cases, although there are some who do live outside their own little world.:rolleyes:

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

But HF should be capable of maintaining continuous communication everywhere.
The question was for an unforseen problem with HF and ways around it.

As an aside, purely hypothetically, if I'm flying a VFR (and flying there at >5000') non-HF equipped aircraft into a good VHF coverage east coast location, say Stanthorpe, where ATS comms are available in the circuit, but not on the ground, wrt AIP GEN 1.5 Para 1.4 (as quoted in preceding post) am I now prohibited from landing there?

Just because you're not aware of any approvals, don't mean there aren't any.
Same reg you just quoted says Satphone can be approved. Agreed there is a limited scope (VHF coverage available at altitude, but a depress or OEI may require a descent to a level requiring HF, I did note the enroute ops stipulation).

[noclue]

If all fails on the ground can't you depart VFR and report airbourne out of xyz to initiate SAR services?

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

What if you have <5km visibility?
May be the reason you're flying IFR in the first place.

[T28D]

Then obviously you can't depart VFR for an IFR pickup.

[noclue]

From the posters question.
"but you know you'll get centre not too long after you take off and you know you'll be able to remain visual."

[gettin' there]

Yup. And the Regs won't save your bacon, you had no legal means of departing.

[noclue]

You could always drive out of whoop whoop, but then again no one will come looking for you if you crash that either. Guess you'll be stuck there for ever.

But on the other hand, you probably weren't able to cancel your SAR WATCH on arrival so grab a drink, find some shade and wait for the police/fire/ambo/rescue chopper what ever rocks up first and get a ride with them.

[T28D]

So if your SAR is 60 minutes hence and you manage to wrap your self and Pax around the upwind fence, tell me how the IFR departure helped you, not theory, practical help.

As opposed to a normal VFR departure, perfectly legal , intoan IFR pick up.

Just the practical bits please, not the interminable quoting of obscure reulation, in other words howdo you protect your passengers !!!!!!

[Ixixly]

Honestly, if you can't get them on HF or VHF, you can't call from a Mobile or a Fixed Line, you're unable to depart VFR initially, if you don't have someone on the ground holding some sort of SAR, If you don't have a SatPhone or SpiderTracks, you're unable to relay through another Aircraft AND this level of complete and total remoteness is so unexpected that you didn't give a SAR to ATC before going out of contact... Then I can only assume you got distracted on climb, missed your assigned altitude and somehow ended up on the Moon... In which case you've got bigger problems on your hands and you really should just throw the law books out the window cause I'm pretty sure no ones written any for up there yet so do as you please!!

[Nautilus Blue]

I wouldn't presume to argue legalities, but from a practical point of view;

- calling taxiing by sat phone makes little or no difference to ATS. Instead of the HF operator calling us, the supervisor wanders over with the cordless phone. Arguably you are out of comms once you hang up, but that is no different to single VHF only aircraft once on the CTAF freq anyway.

- most if not all "no joy on HF" flights are RPT, so presumably have someone on the ground.

- if there is no one one the ground watching/waiting, surely cancelling SAR in the cct on the way in is just as bad as departing without a sarwatch?

T28D - I guess it is a case of late vs no help. If the prang is bad enough, even having ARFF and a MASH prepositioned at the the crash site isn't going to help. Opens up another debate as to how useful any sarwatch is out in the GAFA.

[Tankengine]

For over 30 years I have wondered about cancelling SAR in the circuit just before the ( statistically) most dangerous part of the flight.:confused::hmm:

[aussie027]

Tankengine is absolutely correct. I have always had the same thoughts.
Even on a perfect VFR day, ANYTHING can happen at any time and you just cancelled SARWATCH before the most risky part of the flight.
It could be as simple as blowing a tyre on landing or have the gear collapse etc and you run off the runway etc.
It happens, and sure as s**t it is more likely to when you dont have a backup plan and no way of CYA when it does.

If someone is already definitely at the strip waiting for you before your specific ETA then if anything goes wrong close by, ie you physically crash ( and burn?) and they witness it at least they can raise the alarm somehow.