This has come up here before a number of times, with no conclusive answers.
I have just come across this which throws a few more bits of meat into the debate.
It appears that, in the UK, the lowest vis you can depart on a private flight is 150m (N-reg or G-reg or any other reg). That is the figure I had come across before.
The airport is entitled to publish a more stringent (higher) figure, though in the UK the only ones that do so seem to be the slightly bigger ones and only if they have full ATC. Some are Class G however e.g. Exeter EGTE, so it is not confined to Class D airports which will have a procedure manual that lays down that stuff.
Fine for me. 150 meters is about my personal minimum for safely taxying from the apron and rolling down a runway without centreline lighting.
150 m would be enough for me if the rwy is (let’s say) 1200 m long … on a 650 m rwy i would not dare
Quite a comprehensive review by Vasa in the link!
I like the 1,000’/1800m UK PT rule for SE, but can appreciate that a BRS equipped SE might go for 150m visibility as a minima.
Despite having most of my time in MEP, with time you grow to appreciate the safety advantage of lower kinetic energy, brick s**thouse FG SE in a controlled forced landing. So SE IFR should attempt to preserve this advantage by ensuring some margin to go visual in a FL or EFATO scenario.
Also some thought should be given to rescue services in a low visibility environment.
I would not depart in less than it takes to get off the ground ie about 400m unless I could somehow be sure the runway is clear of vehicles, animals etc.
Yes Vasa is one of the very few people who can read the regs as they are published these days.
Would you takeoff from a runway with a bump in the middle so you can only really see 300m?
I can only see half of my 750m runway when taking off to the east due to the slope. The risk of hitting something is so small that this would be my least concern. I’d be more concerned about how to land safely in case I have a problem after takeoff. That’s where the Cirrus BRS is priceless. The only small aircraft where you can really do 0/0 takeoffs without risking much at all.
That was sort of my point Achim. The issue with low vis on takeoff is if you get above it and need to return.
Pulling the BRS is not exactly ‘not really risking much at all’ though.
That’s where the Cirrus BRS is priceless. The only small aircraft where you can really do 0/0 takeoffs without risking much at all.
How about Socata Rallye, a.k.a. The Tin Parachute? Or AN-2? In either of them, if the engine stops, just pull the stick/yoke full aft and get safely on the ground.
I can’t see how you can do a zero-zero takeoff unless the runway is very wide, so you can depart just using the heading bug.
During my PPL training I had one freewheeling instructor (whose wheels did come off eventually, following which he vanished) one of whose stunts was getting me to do a takeoff under the hood, just using the heading bug. It was at Manston which has a wide runway (cargo 747s) and it worked. Anyway he was looking out.
But there is no way one could do it at say Shoreham (18m wide). Also one could not even taxi in zero-zero. I know airline pilots who say they need 75m for a takeoff at say Gatwick.
The BRS is no good to you below about 500ft, so no good for an EFATO.
