Flight Training - January/February 2022 - 47

MANY PILOTS LEARN THE SUB-SECTIONS OF THE
REGULATION AS A HIERARCHY, BUT IT'S EASIER TO THINK
OF THE REGULATIONS AS A PRIMARY DIRECTIVE WITH
CAVEATS.
It also says that whether or not the
situation is an emergency is up to you. But
the section quickly turns back to the regulations,
and says that ATC will expect that
you operate as laid out in FAR 91.185.
This section, and the specific
parameters it lists, is what trips up
many instrument pilots. It shouldn't.
In short, if you're in visual conditions,
ATC expects you to land as soon as
practicable. Notice it doesn't say as
soon as possible. Maybe you're talking
to approach and they switch you to
tower, and you're not able to reach
the tower. The regs don't dictate that
you must land at an airport two miles
behind you, rather than continuing to
your destination five miles ahead of
you. And you aren't expected to make
any abnormal maneuvers or go to any
particular airports. It might be preferable
to go to a bigger airport with
a radio shop that bypasses another,
smaller airport, for example.
The more complex scenario is if
you're in instrument conditions. Many
pilots learn the sub-sections of the regulation
as a hierarchy, but it's easier to think
of the regulations as a primary directive
with caveats. The primary directive
is simple. If you're on a cleared route,
continue on the route. The three other
instructions are for situations where you
aren't on a cleared route. For example, if
being vectored, simply fly from your current
location to the next cleared point on
your route, and continue. Maybe you're
on a cleared route, but the clearance limit
is before your destination, such as during
a hold. In this case, you are to fly the route
ATC told you to expect in the future. And
if you haven't been given that, fly the
route in your flight plan.
In terms of approaches, the instructions
are straightforward. If you're one
of the unusual pilots who files an initial
approach fix as part of a flight plan, proceed
to that fix and begin the approach.
If you're like most pilots and file your
destination airport, you are expected to
fly to the airport itself and then out to the
initial approach fix on the approach of
your choice. This rule is why some people
strongly advocate for filing an initial
approach fix as part of the flight plan. In
the pre-GPS days, navigating directly to
an airport may have been virtually impossible.
But with GPS it's straightforward
and easy. In either case, ATC expects you
to begin the approach as close as possible
to your filed estimated time of arrival.
Or, refer to the AIM, consider the
situation an emergency, and do what you
need to do in order to arrive safely at any
airport you choose. FT
ian.twombly@aopa.org
REGS
HOW HIGH?
Lost com and altitude
While lost communication routing is pretty
straightforward, altitude selection is a bit
more complicated. ATC expects you to
fly the highest of three options: the last
assigned clearance; the minimum altitude;
or the altitude you were given to expect.
Sounds simple, but it is segment specific.
Easy if you're already cruising along at
FL350, but challenging when you've just
departed and you're headed into the
mountains. That's because following the
letter of the regulation may require climbing
and descending, even in cruise. See the
AIM for particularly complex and esoteric
examples. -IJT
FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 47
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Flight Training - January/February 2022

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