Canada's 2021 Approach Ban

[Jean LaRoche]

(Please advise me if this topic was posted before)

Following TSB's recommendation A20-01, a revised and simplified Approach Ban Regulation will be submitted to CARAC later this year. It will mark the end of the Advisory Visibility and will focus on Prescribed Visibility. This will (or should) mean one minimum to conduct the approach for all. Special Authorizations (Ops Specs) will be used for reduced visibility. In a nut shell, the new Canadian rules will basically match FAA's. At this point, airport closure, or runway closure when Wx is below minima is not considered.

Attached is the road show presentation by TC dated 2021-01-01.

This link points towards a video capsule I made in 2020-09 on actual approach ban rules: https://vimeo.com/461924337

 

APPROACH_BAN_DISCUSSION__ATAC_NATA_January 19 2021.pdf

[J.O.]

It's about time! Jean, I recall having a very helpful discussion around the approach ban topic at your ACP course about 10 years ago.

If this change were a human baby, it would have stayed in the womb about 10 years past its' due date. I remain convinced that "Level of Service" was someone's way of forcing airports to come to the table. Too bad he didn't give a moment's thought to the implications for flight crews having to do the mental gymnastics on a dark and dirty night.

[Jean LaRoche]

Hi J.O. !

(I am not sure who I say hi to, but it's nice to read you... hehehe)

The Airport Advisory Visibility was introduced as a dispatch (departure) limitation, affecting the taxi out from the terminal to the runway (via the de-icing area when necessary). But later, an Advisory Circular quietly came out implying it also affected the post landing taxi to the gate. Hopefully this will be corrected for good: if you can land, you can taxi in. 

[IFG]

Not sure if that's any less confusing .

Unless I'm misreading, it seems like commercial operators operate under higher bans than private (even with op. specs?) & curious about the rationale if that is so.

As a general observation (confession?), I was among the bitchers when the first bans came out, based on years of short-haul ops and many, many successful approaches to MINIMUMS and safe landing with observed weather posted as below mins (often obscured ceilings in snow on non-precision, but often just better flight vis than observed on ground). But two factors set me straight, both data-driven. Exposure to some world-comparative Canadian Wxx-related accident stats, and the realization that quite a low % of total # of approaches are ultimately affected, and those stats were a gruesome price for a probably marginal 'improvement' in mission-accomplishment. Trumps the git'er-done attitudes from decades ago 

Cheers, IFG