7
$\begingroup$

I was reading a question about flying under the hood for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) training when this question popped to mind. Are pilots flying under the hood required to notify the tower? Does it change the towers approach to that plane at all (especially in VMC conditions)?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
3
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Possible duplicate of When are pilots required to have approval to conduct practice approaches? $\endgroup$
    – Ron Beyer
    Commented May 31, 2016 at 22:37
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I asked that question referenced in the 1st comment, and I will agree that this is not a duplicate, but it is certainly related. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Commented Jun 1, 2016 at 4:58
  • $\begingroup$ @RonBeyer Ryan and Ralph hit it on the head. My question is in regards to all phases of flight, not just approaches. $\endgroup$
    – Jae Carr
    Commented Jun 1, 2016 at 13:47

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6
$\begingroup$

No, because the responsibilities aren't any different. And, with a safety pilot on board, the capabilities really shouldn't be either.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
7
  • $\begingroup$ I disagree, what about aircraft that would need to hold short of the ILS hold line rather than the runway hold short? The AIM also pretty clearly states that practice approaches should be informed to the handling airport, although the AIM is just a reference. $\endgroup$
    – Ron Beyer
    Commented May 31, 2016 at 23:18
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ I've NEVER seen tower hold anybody short of the ILS critical areas for a practice approach. Even down to 800-2, you can be flying a "real" ILS without the critical areas in effect. Where it's most important to have the ILS protected is when aircraft are flying approaches below Cat I, where any disturbance in the ILS beam can cause abrupt control inputs from the autopilot; practice approaches (being hand-flown) are far less sensitive to these perturbations. $\endgroup$
    – Ralph J ♦
    Commented May 31, 2016 at 23:39
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I've been in this scenario multiple times. We don't need to tell them that we're doing simulated instrument training, but we do need to tell them that we want practice approaches. I'm pretty sure that if you request a practice approach the controller can figure out that you're doing training or currency. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Commented Jun 1, 2016 at 5:01
  • $\begingroup$ @RalphJ, well, I suppose if somebody requested practice Cat II (or III) approach they would, but how many GA airports even has Cat II ILS. $\endgroup$
    – Jan Hudec
    Commented Jun 1, 2016 at 7:13
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @RyanMortensen That does seem like it would make some amount of difference (however minor) in the process they would normally follow on a clear day. Might be nice if some of those considerations were put into the answer (or another answer) just for the sake of completeness. $\endgroup$
    – Jae Carr
    Commented Jun 6, 2016 at 3:14

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .