What are the criteria for alternate airport?

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.



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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.

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Airports without weather reporting, or approaches with unmonitored approach equipment, can't be used as an alternate.

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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.

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Basically, to qualify as an alternate airport, the alternate must have certain forecast weather conditions (600-2 for precision approach, 800-2 for non-precision.) These are the alternate minimums.

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In aviation, the rule of three or 3:1 rule of descent is a rule of thumb that 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of travel should be allowed for every 1,000 feet (300 m) of descent. For example, a descent from flight level 350 would require approximately 35x3=105 nautical miles.

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So you can file with the destination or the alternate having only a GPS approach, but not both. WAAS-equipped aircraft can file for destinations and alternates having only GPS approaches. In both cases, the weather at the time of arrival must satisfy the LNAV or circling minimums or higher if noted.

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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.

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Private-use airports must comply with 14 CFR Part 157, Notice of Construction, Alteration, Activation, and Deactivation. Part 157 applies if you are proposing to construct, alter, activate, or deactivate a civil or joint use (civil/military) airport or alter the status or use of the airport.

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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 ...

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Scotland's windswept island of Barra has the only airport in the world where scheduled flights land on a beach. Get a pilot's-eye-view of touchdown on this unique runway.

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The alternate airport For helicopters: Ceiling 200 feet above the minimum for the approach to be flown, and visibility at least 1 statute mile but never less than the minimum visibility for the approach to be flown.

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