Alternate requirements

I've spent the past couple of hours researching this in the regs and
newsgroups... and am still a little confused

If I require an alternate airport for a IFR Flight plan, does that alternate
have to have official weather reporting? I read somewhere that:

"The requirements for an airport to qualify for alternate minimums are
weather reporting and approach facility (navaid) monitoring"

But I also read that I can file an alternate with no approaches and no
weather reporting as long as I can descend under Basic VFR from the MEA to
the airport (Part 91).

What gives?

"Anthony Chambers" wrote in
:

I've spent the past couple of hours researching this in the regs and
newsgroups... and am still a little confused

If I require an alternate airport for a IFR Flight plan, does that
alternate have to have official weather reporting? I read somewhere
that:

"The requirements for an airport to qualify for alternate minimums are
weather reporting and approach facility (navaid) monitoring"

But I also read that I can file an alternate with no approaches and no
weather reporting as long as I can descend under Basic VFR from the
MEA to the airport (Part 91).

You can file a destination with no approaches and no weather reporting as
long as you can descend VFR. But you have to have a legal alternate to do
so.

See FAR 91.169, http://tinyurl.com/no9h
--
Regards,

Stan

"Stan Gosnell" wrote in message ...


You can file a destination with no approaches and no weather reporting as
long as you can descend VFR. But you have to have a legal alternate to do
so.

That's not what he asked.

"Ron Natalie" wrote in
m:


"Stan Gosnell" wrote in message
...


You can file a destination with no approaches and no weather
reporting as long as you can descend VFR. But you have to have a
legal alternate to do so.

That's not what he asked.



I thought it was. Perhaps I wasn't clear. He can file a destination with
no approaches or weather, but he can't file an alternate with no approaches
or weather. I think he was confusing destination and alternate
requirements.

--
Regards,

Stan

"Stan Gosnell" wrote in message ...

I thought it was. Perhaps I wasn't clear. He can file a destination with
no approaches or weather, but he can't file an alternate with no approaches
or weather. I think he was confusing destination and alternate
requirements.

He specifically asked if the alternate had to have weather reporting.

There is no requirement that the alternate have an approach nor is their a strict
requirement for "on-field" weather at the alternate. If the forcast is for severe
clear with no "chance of" or "probability of" lower than VFR conditions from the
MEA down to the ground, it's legal to use that airport as an alternate.

Unless that airport is one that is not authorized as an alternate. As I understand it, most that don't
have wx reporting are so designated.

Ron Natalie wrote:

"Stan Gosnell" wrote in message ...

I thought it was. Perhaps I wasn't clear. He can file a destination with
no approaches or weather, but he can't file an alternate with no approaches
or weather. I think he was confusing destination and alternate
requirements.

He specifically asked if the alternate had to have weather reporting.

There is no requirement that the alternate have an approach nor is their a strict
requirement for "on-field" weather at the alternate. If the forcast is for severe
clear with no "chance of" or "probability of" lower than VFR conditions from the
MEA down to the ground, it's legal to use that airport as an alternate.

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

"Anthony Chambers" wrote in message ...
I've spent the past couple of hours researching this in the regs and
newsgroups... and am still a little confused

If I require an alternate airport for a IFR Flight plan, does that alternate
have to have official weather reporting? I read somewhere that:

The rule is:
(c) IFR alternate airport weather minima. Unless otherwise authorized by the Administrator,
no person may include an alternate airport in an IFR flight plan unless appropriate weather
reports or weather forecasts, or a combination of them, [600-2, 800-2, or VFR from MEA down
as appropriate].

Whether you can glean this from area forcasts in the absence of on-field reporting is
up for you to decide (as a non-commercial operator). Airports without weather that
have approaches will generally have NA Alternate Minimums.