Note: Information is for operations in Canada, although similar procedures exist in other jurisdictions.
Are you sure? The approach ban is based on visibility.
Yep. But I’ll grant you that it does require a trip through the CAP GEN and an understanding that TCCA lets commercial operators do things that GA pilots cannot do. I don’t have one with me or I’d provide the page references, but it’s in the approach section. I think it’s still titled as Approach Ban - Commercial Operators - Ops Spec.
The Approach Ban prohibits you from continuing an approach inside the FAF if the visibility is below a certain value, however it does not constitute “minimums.”
This is because the Approach Ban is modifiable through Special Authorizations (what used to be called Ops Specs) for commercial operators. Minimums cannot be modified by anyone.
Take a CAT I ILS for a commercial operator with the appropriate Special Authorization. Let’s say the Advisory Visibility is 1/2 SM. The Special Authorization for commercial operators can reduce this to 1/4 SM. The DH, however, will always stay at 200 feet AGL.
Furthermore, there are a few “gimmes” with the Approach Ban - it’s not applicable to training flights intending to go around, it’s not applicable to NPA’s and CAT I Precision Approaches if the visibility fluctuating, it’s not applicable if a below-Approach Ban condition begins when inside the FAF for an NPA or CAT I Precision Approach, and it’s not applicable north of 60.
There are no gimmes with minimums.