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Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?|ThinkAviation
Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?
March21,2016BySarahFritts
Thisissuchacomplicatedquestion.
HereisthequickbookanswerforcommercialPart121/135operators
only(andsometimesPart91).
Oneandtwoengines:onemilevisibility
Threeormoreengines:onehalfmilevisibility
Note:therearenoceilingminimums.Thismakessensebecauseyou
cantseeadeercrossingtherunwayorthecenterlinewithbadvisibility,
butyoucouldwithlowceilings.
Keepreadingifyouwantthefullanswerbecauseitsnotaseasyasone
mileoronehalfmilevisibility:
Youmustaskthreequestionsbeforeyoucananswerthisquestion:
http://thinkaviation.net/standardtakeoffminimums/
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Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?|ThinkAviation
1.IsthepilotoperatingunderPart121,Part135,Part91orthemilitary?
2.Wereyouassigned,anddidyouacceptaStandardInstrument
Departure(SID)fromATCwhenyougotourclearance?
3.Aretherealternatetakeoffminimumspublishedfortheairport?
Note:pilotswhouseFAAchartscallthisthetriangleTor
troubledT.Jeppesenplatesdontusethatsymbology.Instead
theypublishthetakeoffminimumsontheairportdiagramitself.
Canyouseenowwhythisquestionisnteasytoanswer?
Letsstartwiththeanswerwhichwillapplytomostgeneralaviationpilots:
Part91:
AsaPart91pilot,thecorrectanswertothequestionwhatareyour
standardtakeoffminimums?is:NONE/nada/nothing/nosuchthing.
TheseareyourtakeoffminimumsasaPart91pilot:
Zeroceilingandzerovisibilityunlessyouwere
assignedandacceptedtheSID.
Prettysimple,right?Exceptifyouhavehalfabrainitsnotsosimple.
Keepreading,itmaysaveyourlife.
AsaPart91pilot,youdontcareiftherearepublishedtroubledT
alternatetakeoffminimumsorstandardtakeoffminimumsbecausethey
dontlegallyapplytoyoubutaprudentpilotwillcomplywiththem
anyway.
Asmartpilotwonttakeoffinzerozeroconditionseither.
Irecommendyousetsomepersonalminimums.
http://thinkaviation.net/standardtakeoffminimums/
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Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?|ThinkAviation
Herearefourrecommendations.Youchoosewhichoneisrightforyou
orsetyourown:
1.Weatherisnolessthan2001/2.Thereisgoodreasontochoose
this.ThosearethestandardminimumsforanILSapproach.Ifyou
haveanemergency,youwillbeabletocomebacktotheairportin
thisweather.Italsogivesyouenoughtimetotransitiontoinstruments
whenyoutakeoffwhichcanbedifficult.
Note:TheArmysstandardtakeoffminimumsare200and1/2
(unlessthereisatroubledT).Thisisonlywaivedwhenthe
PilotinCommand(PC)haslogged50hoursofactualweather
atwhichtimetherequirementdropsdowntozerozero.Heres
thething:bythetimeArmypilotsget50hoursofweatherasa
PC,theyhaveexperiencedenoughtorealizetheywouldnever
takeoffinzerozeroconditions.
2.Weatherisnolessthanthelowestoperatingapproachintothe
airport.Thismaybehigherthanthestandard2001/2,anditrequires
alittlemoreworktofigureout.Youwillhavetolookthroughallthe
approaches.YoualsohavetochecktheNOTAMsandmakesurethe
lowestapproachisntoutofservice.Ihighlyrecommendthistacticif
youflyoutWest.Manyapproachesoutwestdontgodowntothe
standard200feetduetosteepterrainandclimbgradients.
3.Weatherisnolessthan500and1milevisibility.Thisis
aconservativeapproach.The1milevisibilityisinlinewithoneand
twoenginecommercialoperatorswhomusthaveonemilevisibility.
The500ceilingslineupwithtypicalcirclingminimums.
4.Weatherisnolessthanthealternatetakeoffminimumsifthey
arehigherthananyofthethreelistedabove.
Forexample,lookatthealternatetakeoffminimumsoutof
Astoria,OR.Theysaytheweathershouldbe800and3miles
visibilityfortakeoff.Theseminimumsarewellabove2001/2or
500and1youmayhavesetforyourpersonalminimums.So,I
recommendyoufollowthealternatetakeoffminimumsandraise
yourpersonalminimumstomatch.
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Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?|ThinkAviation
Note:youhaveanoutiftheweatherisnt8003.Ifyouraircraft
canclimbat320NMthenyoucanreducethatnumberanduse
thestdminimums(oneor1/2milevisibility).Asmalltwincan
probablyclimbat320NMontwoengines,butwillhaveahellofa
timemeetingthatclimbgradientononeengine.ThatsallIwill
sayaboutclimbgradientsfornow.Theyarecomplicated.
ForallofyouJeppesenplateusersherearethesametakeoff
minimumsforAstoriafoundontheairportdiagram:
Okay,rememberhowIsaidPart91pilotscantakeoffinzerozero
conditions?Well,thatisonlypartiallytrue.
IfATCassignsyouaStandardInstrumentProcedureANDyouacceptthe
procedure,thenyouarerequiredtofollowthetakeoffminimumspublished
ontheplate.
YouhavetherighttodeclineaSIDasaPart91pilotifyoudontwantto
meetthetakeoffminimums.
YouareobligatedtodeclinetheSIDifyoucannotmeettheclimb
gradients.TheywillusuallygiveyoutheObstacleDepartureProcedure
(ODP)orgiveyouvectorsthatmimictheODP(whichiswhymyfirstpoint
inmyIFRflightplanistheVORontheODP).
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Whatarestandardtakeoffminimums?|ThinkAviation
LetslookattheSalemThreeSIDoutofSalem,OR.Herearethe
requiredtakeoffminimums:
Salem3SID
Inthissituation,becauseyouacceptedtheSID,yourPart91zerozero
minimumshavegoneawayandnowbecomestandard.Youalsohaveto
meettheclimbgradient.
LookatwhatIhighlightedinpinkforRunway16.Letspretendyouhave
twoengines.Youcantakeofffromrunway16withonemilevisibility
ONLYifyoucanmeeta570NMclimbgradientto2000feet.
IflyaKingAir200.TheKingAircannotclimbononeengineat570NM,in
factitcantclimbononeengineabove360NM.
ThatisthecutoffIlookfor.Iknowmyairplanesmaxclimbgradient
limitationononeengineandsoshouldyou.
So,inthisinstanceIhavetoraisemyminimumsfromstandardto4002
1/2.Thebenefitisitlowersmyclimbgradient,butnowIhavetowaitfor
theweathertoimprove.Or,Icouldtakeofffromadifferentrunway.
Note:asanArmypilotIamrequiredtouseoneenginenottwoengine
climbgradientnumbers.Part91pilotsarewelcometokillthemselves
byusingperformancenumberswithtwoengines.
So,whattheheckarestandardtakeoffminimumsagain???
Oneandtwoengines:onemilevisibility
http://thinkaviation.net/standardtakeoffminimums/
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