Charted Visuals

Recently, as is customary when I give an instrument proficiency check (IPC), before the flight I review en route and approach charts with the pilot. While randomly going through the Florida approach book, we saw the North Bay Visual RWY 18L charted visual flight procedure (CVFP) at the St Pete-Clearwater airport (KPIE) and a couple questions came up.

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Monday, January 08, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Charted Visual Flight Procedures (CVFPs) are distinct visual procedures, not instrument approaches, primarily designed for turbojet aircraft to address noise abatement, safety, and efficiency at busy airports by depicting landmarks, courses, and recommended altitudes.
CVFPs rely on prominent visual ground references, often augmented by navigation aids, require an operating control tower, and are managed by ATC as go-arounds if an approach cannot be continued.
Modern GPS navigators, such as Garmin GTN, offer non-FAA-approved "visual procedures" that provide supplemental lateral and vertical guidance for runways, enhancing situational awareness for general aviation but without guaranteeing obstacle clearance.
The author advocates for the FAA to chart more visual procedures for general aviation airports to improve safety and better integrate IFR and VFR traffic into the same flow.

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What is a CVFP?

Can a pilot in a Cessna 172 fly a CVFP? Yes, but approaching KPIE from the north, the Cessna will most probably be in TAMPA Class B airspace (depending on the altitude) and hopefully will have a VFR clearance through the Class B. Chances are that vectors will be given to stay west of KTPA, possibly outside the Class B. This might be a great excuse for the proverbial $300 hamburger. Of course, if you’re entering Tampa Class B you need to talk with Tampa Approach—it is a busy airspace.