Quote:
The point was that one does not need to have, or verify, approach weather minimums (ceiling or visibility) when approaching minimums. What's being reported isn't nearly as important as what's outside the window. One is looking outside, or half-in-half-out, depending on one's role for the approach, and at such time as one looks up and sees the required visual references (and acknowledges them, as one's SOP may dictate ("continue," "landing, etc), one isn't asking at that moment in time if the current, up-to-the-second weather is still reporting above minimums, because one is inside the FAF/GSIA and looking for visual references. Those references may be the runway, or simply pre-runway references that allow one to descend a little lower, until one acquires the runway (or must go around).
That was the point. The question regarded whether one must have legal reported weather minimums, when arriving at minimums, and the answer is that one has what one sees out the window, at that point. It was noted by some that one should have the charted (or approved; eg, OpSpec, etc) minimums, but this is not correct. Those were needed to begin the approach; arrival at MDA on a constant descent approach, or DH/DA, one isn't going to (and shouldn't) check weather to see if there are changes; one is looking for the necessary visual references (Except cat III procedures when one may not see the runway before touchdown). So long as the necessary minimums were reported in order to begin the final approach segment, that element of the approach has been satisfied. Upon arrival at minimums, what's seen out the window is the order of the day. What's required and the altitude to which we can go depends entirely upon the procedure, the nature of the approach, in some cases the aircraft, in all cases of certificate holders, the certificate holder's approvals and authorizations, and of course, also the pilot and his or her qualification (and currency).
Cat II & Cat III require the weather to remain at or above minimums throughout the approach. However, that’s not the flight crew’s job to determine. If ATC happens to provide an update to RVR while they’re inside the PFAF and that update is below the charted minima a missed approach is required.Originally Posted by JohnBurke
One can continue to one hundred feet, but that wasn't really the point.The point was that one does not need to have, or verify, approach weather minimums (ceiling or visibility) when approaching minimums. What's being reported isn't nearly as important as what's outside the window. One is looking outside, or half-in-half-out, depending on one's role for the approach, and at such time as one looks up and sees the required visual references (and acknowledges them, as one's SOP may dictate ("continue," "landing, etc), one isn't asking at that moment in time if the current, up-to-the-second weather is still reporting above minimums, because one is inside the FAF/GSIA and looking for visual references. Those references may be the runway, or simply pre-runway references that allow one to descend a little lower, until one acquires the runway (or must go around).
That was the point. The question regarded whether one must have legal reported weather minimums, when arriving at minimums, and the answer is that one has what one sees out the window, at that point. It was noted by some that one should have the charted (or approved; eg, OpSpec, etc) minimums, but this is not correct. Those were needed to begin the approach; arrival at MDA on a constant descent approach, or DH/DA, one isn't going to (and shouldn't) check weather to see if there are changes; one is looking for the necessary visual references (Except cat III procedures when one may not see the runway before touchdown). So long as the necessary minimums were reported in order to begin the final approach segment, that element of the approach has been satisfied. Upon arrival at minimums, what's seen out the window is the order of the day. What's required and the altitude to which we can go depends entirely upon the procedure, the nature of the approach, in some cases the aircraft, in all cases of certificate holders, the certificate holder's approvals and authorizations, and of course, also the pilot and his or her qualification (and currency).