Take-off alternate.

[Flughaven]

Just wondering if you have any requirements for declaring your take-off alternate when your departure aerodrome is in LVP.
I personally tell OPS and ATC when getting the clearence as I would like them to know where I will divert in an emergency with a comms failure.
Had a look in the Jeppesen manuals but could find no referance in there stating that you have to inform ATC.
What do YOU do?

[conch]

There is no requirement to inform ATC about your takeoff alternate. You have to determine for yourself if you need one or not according to the wx minimum you need to fly an OEI approach. In our company if we need one the takeoff alternate is stated on our operatioal flight plan. You have to be able to reach it within 1 hour OEI cruising speed and the wx there has to be within your limits for ETA +/- 1 hour.
Some airplanes are able to perform an OEI CAT IIIa approach like the SAAB 2000 using the head up display. So in this case you do not even need a takeoff alternate!
The procedures in case of com failure are clearly stated in the emergency section of Jeppesen (communications). So in case 7600 appears on the screen of the controller he knows exactly what you are going to do (if you read the appropriate section....).

[Flughaven]

Thanks for the info and just to claify I don't mean a diversion with just a comms failure but a serious failure with a comms failure, which is not going to allow you to continue to your destination, but an immediate Div. to your T/O Alt.

[Notso Fantastic]

Flughaven, this really needs some sort of cost/benefit analysis. In all of Europe in a year, I wonder how many aeroplanes had a serious failure after take-off with associated Communications failure with bad weather at Departure point with the need to divert to a Departure alternate? I would hazard a very wild guess at 1/10 of an aeroplane per annum (ie one aeroplane fulfilling that scenario every 10 years). So to counter that threat, every IFR flight departing a limits Departure point cluttering up the airwaves with virtually un-needed Departure Alternate information (after all in the event of an emergency and loss of contact, many eyes will be watching you on radar) that will be passing this information on air may block someone else's clearance information communication and prevent some vital piece of information getting through! So by you passing what many may feel is irrelevant safety information may cause a greater hazard to someone else that would not have otherwise occured if you had not been so conscientious. I can think of 2 accidents that have happened because of communications mixups, and I know there have been very many more- Tenerife 747s and Milan MD9.

I would say it is not at all needed. If you have to pass that information, put it on your IFR Flight Plan, but don't waste radio time on it. It will be obvious to your contollers that the weather is bad and you can't come back.