Visual heading

[RobShan]

Listening to ATC (in Australia) I sometimes hear clearances for visual altitudes - eg descend 3000 visual - as I understand it this means that they are being descended below the minimum altitude for IFR but as the aircraft is visual they are cleared lower as the pilot can look out the window and avoid bumping into the terrain.

But I don't understand what a visual heading is (eg turn right heading 210 visual), can someone please explain.

[eastern wiseguy]

Never heard of that......however...might it be something along the lines of ,fly heading xxx unless you are VFR and that heading would take you in to cloud?
No doubt one of our Aussie colleagues will be along to clarify.

[Lightning Mate]

turn right heading 210 visual

I think that may mean heading 210 providing you can maintain visual contact with terrain, but I'm not sure.

In my opinion a very ambiguous term and does not conform to ICAO phraseology.

[In_Transit]

being told to turn "visual" would mean this aircraft's already been cleared to an altitude visual, and that the pilot is still responsible for visual separation with terrain, clouds etc while on that heading. if they can't maintain visual separation they should tell atc asap.

[RobShan]

Thank you, I've heard the term so rarely I hadn't connected it with a visual altitude.