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 conducted to an airport legally in VMC (1000 ft ceiling, 3 miles visibility), while a contact approach is a pilot-requested visual maneuver for an airport reporting IMC (less than 1000-3).
• For a contact approach, the pilot must maintain 1-mile flight visibility and remain clear of clouds, and the airport must have an instrument approach procedure (IAP) and report at least 1-mile ground visibility.
• Contact approaches place full responsibility for terrain and obstruction clearance on the pilot, are not offered by ATC (who cannot suggest them), and are often restricted by commercial operators due to their inherent risks.

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