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Private Approaches

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article introduces the concept of an aviation operation that can be safe but illegal, contrasting with the more common "legal but not safe" discussion.
  • It highlights private instrument approaches, which are FAA-coordinated but privately funded and require specific authorization for use, as their charts are not publicly published.
  • Despite being unauthorized, the data for these private approaches can appear in aircraft navigators, creating a dilemma where a pilot could safely fly them using the navigator's guidance, but would be doing so illegally without official authorization and charts.
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Frequently we discuss that complying with the regulations isn’t necessarily safe. The common example is instrument currency where six in six isn’t always enough to remain proficient. But, I just encountered an opposite situation where an operation could be safe, but not legal.

This year’s Twin Cessna Flyers owners’ organization convention was held at the Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas. This is a large resort with extensive facilities, including their own private airport (KDZB) that’s open to the public. It’s a nice airport with a 6000-by-100-foot runway, a jet center, and predictably expensive fuel. To serve the heavy iron that frequents the airport (in 2020, 40 percent of the based aircraft were jets), the airport has private GPS approaches to each end of the runway.

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