Almost all flights require Destination Alternates but Take-off and En-route alternates are only required in specific circumstances and the departure aerodrome may also be an en-route or destination alternate for the same flight.
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If either the ceiling or visibility is forecast to be less than 2,000 feet or 3 statute miles during that arrival window, you are required to file an alternate. Also, the destination airport must have at least one instrument approach procedure or an alternate airport will always be required.
This is the ol' 1-2-3 rule. There are a couple of gotchas. If your destination has no approach, an alternate is always required. Curiously, though, the alternate need not have an instrument approach if the weather allows a descent from MEA under basic VFR, assuming the airport isn't otherwise disqualified.
14 CFR 91.169 (b) (2) (i) states that an alternate airport is not required if “for at least 1 hour before and for 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival the ceiling will be at least 2000 feet above the airport elevation and the visibility will be at least 3 statute miles.” To help remember those conditions of the ...
Ground-based navigation equipment is not required for en route IFR RNAV operations when using GPS WAAS navigation systems. To use GPS for IFRapproaches, you must use GPS avionics that are properly approved and installed, and all approach procedures to be flown must be retrievable from the airborne navigation database.
ATC receives only your filed destination, not the alternate. This is why ATC has to ask where a pilot wants to divert. To give ATC a heads up on where you want to go, you can write it in the remarks section, which is transmitted to ATC.
If you are in need of a last-minute booking or have sudden changes in your travel plans, the airport ticket counter may have more availability compared to online booking platforms. In some cases, tickets purchased at the airport may be more expensive compared to online options.
Airports with alternate minimums that are not authorized are denoted on the approach chart with the “ ” designation and are not listed in this section. NA - means alternate minimums are not authorized due to unmonitored facility, absence of weather reporting service, or lack of adequate navigation coverage.
Not more than one hour from the departure airport at normal cruising speed in still air with one engine inoperative. (2) Aircraft having three or more engines. Not more than two hours from the departure airport at normal cruising speed in still air with one engine inoperative.
If the airport of departure and arrival, and the route flown, are all in uncontrolled airspace, no ATC contact is needed. Your location will determine whether or not you need to contact Air Traffic Control. If you are within an airport traffic area that has a control tower, you'll need to contact atc.