LAX visual.... really?

3 miles and 500 above MVA is the legal minimum for vectoring for the visual. 3 miles and 1,000 AGL is the legal limit for issuing a visual. Below that its a contact approach.
Negative.

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATpubs/AIM/aim0504.html#aim0504.html.57

3/1 is the reported field conditions. Visual is an IFR procedure, and does not require cloud clearance limits.

Quoted from the faa, ". Reported weather at the airport must have a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater. ATC may authorize this type approach when it will be operationally beneficial. Visual approaches are an IFR procedure conducted under IFR in visual meteorological conditions. Cloud clearance requirements of 14 CFR Section 91.155 are not applicable, unless required by operation specifications."

There is no required flight visibility, and airport vis/ rvr is not flight visibility, where as a contact approach requires 1 mike flight visibility. The primary diuference being that a contact approach my st be requested, and the airport need not be in sight.

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I hate VFR at night in the mountains. I'm like, well there's rocks all around here, I'm descending and I can't see a damn one of them.
Simply solved. Any time I have ANY question whatsoever about obstacle clearance, I fly an instrument approach. I'm sure it causes all sorts of heartache and mean comments, but at the risk of being improper "FU, I used to fly in to Mexico". Mexico is a great place to learn about the omniscience (or lack thereof) of ATC. As far as I can tell, Mexican controllers exist with the sole purpose of decorating the mountains with stupid gringos.

"QUE? UNABLE."

Lol, yeah F Mexico, they tried to give me a DP that didn't exist, it straight up wasn't in the GPS, wasn't in my plates, got back and tried to find it elsewhere, the DP didn't exist.

If an IAP isn't available and you're in the hills - DON'T HIT THE MOUNTAINS!!! That's the first rule of flying where there are pointy granite things. If it's dark, and you can't tell, DON'T HIT THE MOUNTAINS!!! I don't even bother much more than a cursory look outside if the weather is less than optimal at night in the mountains - I can fly through clouds if I happen to run into one. I can't fly through granite.
 
Yes, I'm pretty sure I know the difference, thanks for that. Reference @genot's post. You cannot be issued a visual approach when visibility is less than 3 miles. You must remain clear of clouds as well.
Maybe you can ask him to quote 7-4-3 as well..
 
Negative.

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATpubs/AIM/aim0504.html#aim0504.html.57

3/1 is the reported field conditions. Visual is an IFR procedure, and does not require cloud clearance limits.

Quoted from the faa, ". Reported weather at the airport must have a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater. ATC may authorize this type approach when it will be operationally beneficial. Visual approaches are an IFR procedure conducted under IFR in visual meteorological conditions. Cloud clearance requirements of 14 CFR Section 91.155 are not applicable, unless required by operation specifications."

There is no required flight visibility, and airport vis/ rvr is not flight visibility, where as a contact approach requires 1 mike flight visibility. The primary diuference being that a contact approach my st be requested, and the airport need not be in sight.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Right before the blurb you quoted, it does say this:

a. A visual approach is conducted on an IFR flight plan and authorizes a pilot to proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport.

Genot is correct; you cannot VECTOR for a visual unless you have MVA +500. That doesn't mean you can't clear for it, you just can't vector for it. You must, however, have 3 miles of visibility at the landing airport to clear for it regardless, as it is an approach conducted in VMC.
 
Right before the blurb you quoted, it does say this:

a. A visual approach is conducted on an IFR flight plan and authorizes a pilot to proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport.

Genot is correct; you cannot VECTOR for a visual unless you have MVA +500. That doesn't mean you can't clear for it, you just can't vector for it. You must, however, have 3 miles of visibility at the landing airport to clear for it regardless, as it is an approach conducted in VMC.
Specifically 7.4.2-FAA

"b. Resolve potential conflicts with all other aircraft, advise an overtaking aircraft of the distance to the preceding aircraft and speed difference, and ensure that weather conditions at the airport are VFR or that the pilot has been informed that weather is not available for the destination airport. Upon pilot request, advise the pilot of the frequency to receive weather information where AWOS/ASOS is available."

This does not preclude IFR to class G airports, which do not have a 3 mile restriction.

You can shoot, and be cleared a visual app. With either the airport or traffic insight, and less than 3 miles visibility.
 
Negative.

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATpubs/AIM/aim0504.html#aim0504.html.57

3/1 is the reported field conditions. Visual is an IFR procedure, and does not require cloud clearance limits.

Quoted from the faa, ". Reported weather at the airport must have a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater. ATC may authorize this type approach when it will be operationally beneficial. Visual approaches are an IFR procedure conducted under IFR in visual meteorological conditions. Cloud clearance requirements of 14 CFR Section 91.155 are not applicable, unless required by operation specifications."

There is no required flight visibility, and airport vis/ rvr is not flight visibility, where as a contact approach requires 1 mike flight visibility. The primary diuference being that a contact approach my st be requested, and the airport need not be in sight.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I fail to see where I'm wrong in what you quoted. You must have at least 3 miles and 1,000 feet for a visual, which is borne out by what you quoted. I mentioned nothing about in flight visibility or RVR.

As far as class G is concerned, this thread is about LAX, so its a safe bet that most of the replies are based on class B airspace.
 
Scariest recovery I have had in a while was flying -2 in a section of jets coming back at night in crappy weather to Fallon. We were VFR to the initial, and descending through various broken layers over the mountains east of the field. I just told my lead "dude don't fly us into the mountains". We could see the field, but I knew some of the clouds under us had rocks in them depending on how far east they were. There is some peace in knowing that if you do ball it up in the process of such shenanigans, you won't live long enough to know it.....
MountainGoatClouds.jpg
 
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