What are your minimums...

Just out of curiosity. Can someone renting take them out if weather is below circling mins? Can the student take it out after he gets his ticket if it's below circling mins? Just curious about your schools policy.
Circling minimums are the limits set in both the instructor and rental agreement, so unfortunately no. Oddly enough, we just recently got two LPV approaches with LNAV MDA's higher than the previous circling minimums, which is especially unfortunate.
 
Circling minimums are the limits set in both the instructor and rental agreement, so unfortunately no. Oddly enough, we just recently got two LPV approaches with LNAV MDA's higher than the previous circling minimums, which is especially unfortunate.

That's no bueno.
 
Not really, no. We have a risk management program, and our "minimums" for dispatch to a particular airport go up if a pilot is less experienced in type, is fatigued, etc. Once you get there, the mins are on the plate, but we will delay a launch for inclement weather. We actually fill out a risk assessment prior to every flight we do for revenue. It is very common for us not to launch at minimums, one because it exposes customers to a little extra risk that typically they don't like, and two because it's too damn expensive to fly to a place, not make it in, then divert up to 70 miles to some other place and land and buy fuel there. Why not just wait a little while, then you're almost completely sure you're going to make it in. Your customers don't want to sit on the cold ramp in KBFE for 3 hours when they could sit in the office for 3 hours and drink coffee until "oh, it looks like it's coming up."
To be fair your company is based in Alaska. I would expect such a program up there to exist. As you know weather in AK is nothing like the weather in the lower 48.

I have no problems with companies establishing minimums that are more strict than the FAA (I can never complain about extra safety), however, a vast majority of fixed wing companies do not. No matter what a company expects you to be able to fly to the published/company mins. Not flying because of "personal mins" will get you fired.
 
To be fair your company is based in Alaska. I would expect such a program up there to exist. As you know weather in AK is nothing like the weather in the lower 48.

I have no problems with companies establishing minimums that are more strict than the FAA (I can never complain about extra safety), however, a vast majority of fixed wing companies do not. No matter what a company expects you to be able to fly to the published/company mins. Not flying because of "personal mins" will get you fired.
Our company has the same thing, and while we operate in Alaska as well, our HQ and 4 bases are in the NW. It's kind of dumb though because to get to a high risk number on it, I'd have already called the flight myself. Something like freezing rain 200 ft ceilings, 1/2 mile vis, 3000ft runway, llws, gusting 30kts across the runway at night into gravel.
 
Circling minimums are the limits set in both the instructor and rental agreement, so unfortunately no. Oddly enough, we just recently got two LPV approaches with LNAV MDA's higher than the previous circling minimums, which is especially unfortunate.
The next question is, does the representative of the company handing over the keys actually know that? ;)
 
That's right up there with "Blowing Rocks"

TSSNBLRK you're gonna have a bad time....


You don't have to be rich, you just have to want it bad enough.

Now to do it all the time, when you want to... That's another story..
LOOOOOOOOL, that's a new one! Friggen ROCKS??? :bounce:
 
There are a few things wrong with this. 1) The first time your student will be "allowed" to fly to mins is without a CFI.. 2) This is teaching students to not respect weather minimums, establish personal minimums, yes, but they should be flying to mins. 3) Put your flight school in the PacNW or Coastal Cali, they'd go out of business because they'd never be flying. 4) What's worse? Going to minimums or running out of fuel in IMC?

I really don't understand why some schools feel the need to re-write the FARs. It's not their job... They should be teaching to fly within the FARs. I remember having a talk with one student I took over from a southern Texas school. We were discussing airspace. I asked him what the weather mins at this (pointing at a Class D) airspace was and he said he didn't know but "it's okay because I would only fly when it's at least 3000 ft because that's safest and that's definitely higher than the minimum."
The place where I instruct is of the same type philosophy of having higher than published mins. It bothers me because these schools use safety as an excuse for lowering the bar for their students.
 
That's just like ... Never mind

I see what you did there....

I mean sometimes you want to fly a T-34 but have to settle for a Musketeer... Then there's always the Beech Skipper. Which can be a lot of fun until your friends catch you in... Errrrr yeaaaahhhh.


Personal minimums anyone?
 
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