An "interesting" situation today at my CAT1 equipped airfield.
Visibility is 7KMS but cloud now drops to OVC at 200 feet therefore Safeguarding and Low Visibility Procedures are technically required, HOWEVER one of our standby generators is U/s so safeguarding cannot be completed.
ILS/Approach Lights?Runway Lights all working normally, but obviously with the possibility of losing one electrical circuit should a failure occur.
Aerodrome Authority ask that all aircraft are advised that they must now use an alternative non precision decision height (490 feet in this case).
Bearing in mind that a CAT 1 airfield doesn't actually
need safeguarding what would your action be from the Flight Deck? Do you use the non precision decision height or can Company SOPs override this in certain circumstances?
Probable that the cloud MAy be wrong of course!!
Situation resolved when it suddenly became BKN at 300 and Safeguarding was no longer required. As I understand it, one of the main reasons for introduction of CAT 1 safeguarding would seem to be runway protection from unauthorised vehicles, the good visibility would have precluded this allowing everything to be seen with no problem?
Discuss!!
Ed