I deleted my original comment because what I wrote wasn't really that funny anyway.
Rainboe has it right. You can use a higher circling altitude if wx permits and you don't stray too far from the airport. It might even be worthwhile to ask ATC what they expect. They got a little excited with us once when we circled at MDA. Apparently, they were not expecting us to take the CTL clearance so literally! All the airliners were circling at 1,000' HAA as per their OpSpecs. Ours allowed us down to published mins. Perhaps It would be better if they cleared us to circle visually at a specified altitude and maximum DME from the VOR once we call the airport in sight.
Best regards,
Westhawk
Last edited by westhawk; 22nd September 2006 at 08:39.
Reason: Removal of witicism in favor of constructive comment.