Circling versus Mins

The whole thing started when a reader asked about an approach to a Runway 26 that had the note, Rwy 26 Straight-in and Circling minimums NA at night. Why doesnt it just say the approach is NA at night? the reader asked. We agreed thats what it seemed to say, but we also wondered why it was said in so awkward a manner. So, we investigated and the answer we found surprised all of us.

Key Takeaways:

• The note "Rwy 26 Straight-in and Circling minimums NA at night" does not mean the entire approach is unusable after dark.
• "Rwy 26 Straight-in minimums NA at night" prohibits straight-in landings on Runway 26 at night.
• "Rwy 26 Circling minimums NA at night" means the approach's circling minimums cannot be used to land specifically on Runway 26 at night.
• This specific phrasing still permits using the approach's circling minimums to land on other runways (e.g., Rwy 08) at night.

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