I4404

The reputed "hardest flight in flight school" you may want to come to this brief prepared for your check ride. To do so make sure you know everything in the I4590 briefing guide. Be ready to re-do the airspace brief, as well as a quiz on OPNAV weather regulations.

=Visual approach= http://www.spc.noaa.gov/coolimg/

VISUAL APPROACH (AIM 5-4-22.)
 * a.	A visual approach is conducted on an IFR flight plan and authorizes a pilot to proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport. The pilot must have either the airport or the preceding identified aircraft in sight. This approach must be authorized and controlled by the appropriate air traffic control facility. Reported weather at the airport must have a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater. ATC may authorize this type approach when it will be operationally beneficial. Visual approaches are an IFR procedure conducted under IFR in visual meteorological conditions. Cloud clearance requirements of 14 CFR 91.155 are not applicable, unless required by operation specifications.
 * b.	Operating to an Airport Without Weather Reporting Service _ ATC will advise the pilot when weather is not available at the destination airport. ATC may initiate a visual approach provided there is a reasonable assurance that weather at the airport is a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater (e.g. area weather reports, PIREPS, etc.).
 * c.	Operating to an Airport With an Operating Control Tower _ Aircraft may be authorized to conduct a visual approach to one runway while other aircraft are conducting IFR or VFR approaches to another parallel, intersecting, or converging runway. When operating to airports with parallel runways separated by less than 2,500 feet, the succeeding aircraft must report sighting the preceding aircraft unless standard separation is being provided by ATC. When operating to parallel runways separated by at least 2,500 feet but less than 4,300 feet, controllers will clear/vector aircraft to the final at an angle not greater than 30 degrees unless radar, vertical, or visual separation is provided during the turn-on. The purpose of the 30 degree intercept angle is to reduce the potential for overshoots of the final and to preclude side-by-side operations with one or both aircraft in a belly-up configuration during the turn-on. Once the aircraft are established within 30 degrees of final, or on the final, these operations may be conducted simultaneously. When the parallel runways are separated by 4,300 feet or more, or intersecting/converging runways are in use, ATC may authorize a visual approach after advising all aircraft involved that other aircraft are conducting operations to the other runway. This may be accomplished through use of the ATIS.
 * d.	Separation Responsibilities _ If the pilot has the airport in sight but cannot see the aircraft to be followed, ATC may clear the aircraft for a visual approach; however, ATC retains both separation and wake vortex separation responsibility. When visually following a preceding aircraft, acceptance of the visual approach clearance constitutes acceptance of pilot responsibility for maintaining a safe approach interval and adequate wake turbulence separation.
 * e.	A visual approach is not an IAP and therefore has no missed approach segment. If a go-around is necessary for any reason, aircraft operating at controlled airports will be issued an appropriate advisory/clearance/instruction by the tower. At uncontrolled airports, aircraft are expected to remain clear of clouds and complete a landing as soon as possible. If a landing cannot be accomplished, the aircraft is expected to remain clear of clouds and contact ATC as soon as possible for further clearance. Separation from other IFR aircraft will be maintained under these circumstances.
 * f.	Visual approaches reduce pilot/controller workload and expedite traffic by shortening flight paths to the airport. It is the pilot's responsibility to advise ATC as soon as possible if a visual approach is not desired.
 * g.	Authorization to conduct a visual approach is an IFR authorization and does not alter IFR flight plan cancellation responsibility. (Reference - Canceling IFR Flight Plan, paragraph 5-1-13.)
 * h.	Radar service is automatically terminated, without advising the pilot, when the aircraft is instructed to change to advisory frequency.

=Contact approach= CONTACT APPROACH (AIM 5-4-24.) EXAMPLE: "Approach, Navy 7E123, request contact approach." EXAMPLE: "Navy 7E123, cleared contact approach (and, if required) at or below (altitude) (Routing), if not possible (alternative procedures) and advise."
 * a.	Pilots operating in accordance with an IFR flight plan, provided they are clear of clouds and have at least 1 mile flight visibility and can reasonably expect to continue to the destination airport in those conditions, may request ATC authorization for a contact approach.
 * b.	Controllers may authorize a contact approach provided:
 * 1.	The Contact Approach is specifically requested by the pilot. ATC cannot initiate this approach.
 * 2.	The reported ground visibility at the destination airport is at least 1 statute mile.
 * 3.	The contact approach will be made to an airport having a standard or special instrument approach procedure.
 * 4.	Approved separation is applied between aircraft so cleared and between these aircraft and other IFR or special VFR aircraft.
 * c.	A Contact Approach is an approach procedure that may be used by a pilot (with prior authorization from ATC) in lieu of conducting a standard or special IAP to an airport. It is not intended for use by a pilot on an IFR flight clearance to operate to an airport not having a published and functioning IAP. Nor is it intended for an aircraft to conduct an instrument approach to one airport and then, when "in the clear," to discontinue that approach and proceed to another airport. In the execution of a contact approach, the pilot assumes the responsibility for obstruction clearance. If radar service is being received, it will automatically terminate when the pilot is instructed to change to advisory frequency.

=Standard terminal arrival (STAR)= (AIM 5-4-1) A pre-planned instrument arrival procedure published for pilot use to provide transition from the en route structure to an outer fix or an instrument approach fix/arrival waypoint in the terminal area. While most STARs are intended for IFR use, some VFR STARs do exist. A single STAR may serve multiple airports.

=OPNAVINST 3710.7U= Prescribes general flight and operating instructions and procedures applicable to the operation of all naval aircraft and related activities. Know the OPNAV. Look at I4590 for a lot of what you should know.

=Flight Information Handbook= The Flight Information Handbook is a DoD Flight Information Publication (FLIP) issued every thirty-two weeks by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)…. The Flight Information Handbook contains aeronautical information which is required by DoD aircrews in flight, but which is not subject to frequent change. This publication is intended for U.S. Military use, and procedures herein may not be applicable to other users.
 * A) Emergency procedures
 * B) National and International Flight Data Procedures
 * C) Meteorological information
 * D) Conversion Tables
 * E) Standard Time Signals
 * F) FLIP and NOTAM abbreviations/Codes

=Minimum Vectoring Altitude= MINIMUM VECTORING ALTITUDE/MVA (GP) The lowest mean sea level altitude at which an IFR aircraft will be vectored by a radar controller, except as otherwise authorized for radar approaches, departures and missed approaches. The altitude meets Instrument Flight Rules obstacle clearance criteria. It may be lower than the published Minimum Enroute Altitude along an airway or J-route segment. It may be utilized for radar vectoring only upon the controllers' determination that an adequate radar return is being received from the aircraft being controlled. Charts depicting minimum vectoring altitudes are normally available only to the controllers and not to pilots.

Established for use by ATC when they are vectoring you. Provides 1000 feet of clearance in nonmountainous and 2000 feet in mountainous. 300 feet above floor of controlled airspace. MVA sector boundaries are at least 3NM from the obstruction used to determine the MVA. Effectively, the MVA will keep you at least 1000/2000' above anything within 3NM.

check AIM 5-4-5 part e for more info

=Flight Rules and Regulations (FAR/AIM)= Read them, know them, love them. =Any aircraft limitation/emergency procedures= Something to think about: I had an IP kill my RMI while on a dog leg to intercept the FAC on the COPTER TACAN 004. I started to go through the SLAPD procedures to get the mag compass to be reliable, only to have my IP tell me to forget all that and just fly the CDI--I had no more turns to make, so what did it matter what heading I was on? Fooling around with the book procedure was only going to make it harder for me to get down in time. Same IP failed my stab while on an ILS final, wanting me to again ignore the NATOPS troubleshooting procedures in favor of keeping everyone's heads up and just finishing the approach.

As NATOPS itself says, none of the publications are a replacement for good judgement. Know your procedures and EPs, but realize that sometimes the best call isn't the book answer.