visual approach
My understanding of a visual approach is that you do have to have the airfield in sight, and can maintain adequate visual contact to manoeuvre visually onto final approach. There are minimium cloud ceilings and minimum RVR criteria as well; you remain IFR.
Reduced separation in the vicinity of the airfield can be applied by ATC.
An initial "not below" level may be imposed by ATC for separation purposes.
Increasingly, Operators do not permit crews to make visual approaches at night even though it might be CAVOK.
A visual approach is not the same as a VMC, or VFR approach.
Further details in MATS part one.
Last edited by ecj; 12th August 2003 at 03:17.