CLOSE THE GAP
If an airport’s ceiling is below an IFR approach’s minimum descent altitude (MDA) or decision height/altitude (DH/DA), or the approach’s published visibility minimums, a pilot can’t complete the approach. A missed approach procedure is...
I mentioned, briefly, in one of my posts breaking down instrument approaches to the water that there is a rule of thumb that rate of descent to maintain a three-degree glide slope equates roughly...
As long as there is a departure alternate, Coast Guard policy permits pilots to depart from both a field with an out of service instrument approach and a field without an instrument approach. There...
In a non-runway environment where outside visual references cannot be maintained in a hover or are expected to be lost during the transition to forward flight, the instrument takeoff (ITO), with or without flight...
Early in the “weather flying” series of posts, I discussed IIMC, or transitioning to the instruments when visual cues are lost, however, I did not address slow flight to avoid going IIMC. Although the...
The MH60-T community often harnesses terrain banding in low visibility conditions, as it provides some excellent situational awareness and is a critical safety tool. However, because terrain banding is not a precision navigation tool,...
In the spirit of always leaving an out, a technique I appreciate is “leaving breadcrumbs.“ In other words, marking an egress route over the same path flown, or air taxied into, when entering an...
Auto depart – in addition to the coupled hover, the auto depart is also a tool that pilots could potentially harness more frequently in the MH-60T community. The auto depart is available any time...
Approaches to the water can occur amid high workload periods. Ideally, pilots are well ahead of the aircraft, having accomplished the approach to the water checklist prior to, or as they arrive, on scene....
The instrument approach to a hover is something few rotary wing operators train to do. Although instrument training can be tedious, monotonous, and tiresome (at least for swimmers and flight mechanics), crew proficiency effecting...