What makes an airport NA for an alternate?

[EdFred]

What's the criteria? Weather reporting? I see airports with weather reporting that are NA as an alternate. (KIWD) Towered? I see airports with no tower that are authorized as alternates. (KRHI)

What's the rhyme or reason as to why one non-towered airport with an ILS and weather reporting would not be viable as an alternate while another one would be?

 

[ggroves]

I believe it has to do with the navigation facility that the approach is dependant on has to be continuously monitored.

Greg
182RG

 

[jdwatson]

Just because it's not a legal alternate for filing does not make it a viable alternate should you need to land there. I believe that the your filed alternate's primary use is if you go NORDO and can't make it to your destination... that gives ATC the heads up where you'll go next.

Here's a link to the AOPA article on Alternates & Minimums:
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/features/ii_9807.html

Please don't get the idea that I meant that this is the only function of the filed alternate. The idea is your alternate is not the only place you can land should you not make it into your intended destination.

 

[gismo]

Please don't get the idea that I meant that this is the only function of the filed alternate. The idea is your alternate is not the only place you can land should you not make it into your intended destination.

That's very true. The real purpose of the filed alternate is fuel planning. If an alternate is required you must have enough fuel on board to get there after missing at the intended destination. At any point that you decide to divert, you can go to any airport within reach, including ones with only GPS approaches, no approaches approved as an alternate, and even ones that are below published minumums (part 91). Of course from a practical perspective you still want to insure you have the fuel to get to somewhere well above minimums

 

[wsuffa]

Please don't get the idea that I meant that this is the only function of the filed alternate. The idea is your alternate is not the only place you can land should you not make it into your intended destination.

IIRC, a controller told me they never see your alternate. That answer wouldn't surprise me a bit. Even if they are supposed to get it, they may well not.

Slightly different but related topic, on my IFR flight yesterday out of Lamar, MO, I picked up my clearance airborne from Kansas City Center. When I was handed off to Razorback Approach, they asked me for ALL my flight plan info because they said they didn't have any of that information. The original flight plan was filed with Columbia FSS and KC Center apparently had the info to issue me a clearance "as filed". Something is really, seriously, wrong. Once in the system, you should be in the system.

 

[gismo]

Slightly different but related topic, on my IFR flight yesterday out of Lamar, MO, I picked up my clearance airborne from Kansas City Center. When I was handed off to Razorback Approach, they asked me for ALL my flight plan info because they said they didn't have any of that information. The original flight plan was filed with Columbia FSS and KC Center apparently had the info to issue me a clearance "as filed". Something is really, seriously, wrong. Once in the system, you should be in the system.

I'll bet someone accidently deleted your plan, perhaps intending to kill a different one.

 

[poadeleted20]

IIRC, a controller told me they never see your alternate.

That's correct -- it doesn't show up on the strip, and they can't retrieve it from the computer. If you go NORDO and then go missed, the controller has no idea what you're going to do next, so don't let your filed alternate constrain you in your search for the best choice at that point. They'll just have to watch you on the radar and figure it out as you go whether you go to your filed alternate or not.