The Contact Approach

There are three ways to arrive at an airport when operating under IFR: a standard instrument approach procedure (IAP), a visual approach and a contact approach. A great way to bring hangar flying to a screeching halt is to ask about a contact approach. A lot of IFR pilots know that it is some sort of visually-flown maneuver, but when asked how it differs from a visual approach, blank stares often ensue. Lets fix that.

Key Takeaways:

• A visual approach is flown to an airport operating in VMC (ceiling at or above 1000 ft, visibility 3 miles or greater), requiring the pilot to remain clear of clouds.
• A contact approach is a pilot-requested visual maneuver for an airport reporting IMC (less than 1000 ft ceiling, 3 miles visibility).
• To conduct a contact approach, the pilot must maintain at least one-mile flight visibility, remain clear of clouds, and is solely responsible for terrain and obstruction clearance.
• ATC can only approve a contact approach if the destination airport has an Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) and reports at least one-mile ground visibility, with pilot request being mandatory.

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