Which Three Approaches?

Mark Kolber

Sunday, August 14, 2022 at 07:43 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Previous FAA interpretations (Glaser and Pratt letters) created a restrictive requirement for the instrument rating cross-country flight, mandating "three different kinds of *navigation systems*" for approaches and excluding radar approaches (ASR/PAR).
This restrictive interpretation became problematic due to the diminishing number of available ground-based navigation systems over time.
On February 28, 2022, the FAA Chief Counsel officially rescinded the Glaser and Pratt interpretations, clarifying that the regulation requires "three different kinds of *approaches*" and that ASR/PAR are indeed considered navigation systems.
As of the article's writing, the FAA's Flight Standards division had not yet issued final official guidance defining what constitutes "three different kinds of approaches," though a policy revision was in development.

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Aeronautical experience requirements for the coveted instrument rating include a dual cross country flight. On February 28, 2022, the FAA Chief Counsel rescinded two earlier interpretations regarding the required content of that flight. But the rescission doesn’t end the story or the questions. As of this writing, there is an important question outstanding. We will discuss some thoughts about what we think is likely, but we need to await final word from the FAA.

Three Different Approaches