Originally Posted by
EXDAC
My base airport KDVT has a long term, night only, closure of 7R-25L for construction. RNAV approaches are available for 7R and 25L but with a night circling limitation - "Circling NA north of Rwy 7R-25L at night". Runway 7L-25R is separated from 7R-25L by 680 feet.
At a recent pilot/controller forum pilots were told that the RNAV approaches were not available at night. The justification seemed to be that 7R-25L was closed, a sidestep is a circling maneuver, and circling North is prohibited at night.
I looked for any FAA regulation or guidance that said a side-step of 680 feet would be considered a circle to land but could not find any.
Does this help?
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publ...as%20conducted.
SIDESTEP MANEUVER- A visual maneuver accomplished by a pilot at the completion of an instrument approach to permit a straight-in landing on a parallel runway not more than 1,200 feet to either side of the runway to which the instrument approach was conducted.
(Refer to AIM.)
Heres the AIM entry: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap5_section_4.html#$paragraph5-4-19
It even uses RWY 7 as an example!