TexasT
Active Member
This is probably a non-issue. But reading the posts and responses from you all, I've managed to come by some really great insight. So here's one for ya! Any input is certainly appreciated!
Storms rolled through my local Class-D airfield this afternoon and left some light rain and high overcast sky behind them. After things settled a bit, I went out north of town for a brisk review of maneuvers and some pattern work, where it was clear with even higher overcast. Coming back into home base, I pick up the weather and it's VFR, but FEW005 and OVC070. No problem, I thought, as I already had the field in sight from 10 miles away, and I was closing in fast.
Within the confines of the airspace, I was instructed to enter a left base for the landing runway. I complied, and began to slow to approach speed. As I'm within 2-3 miles of the field, the controller says "be advised, there is a broken layer at about seven-to-eight-hundred feet moving over the field' and asks 'is there an IFR-rated pilot aboard?' Well, yes, I am IFR rated. But the skies were certainly not broken. MAYBE scattered, but I was certainly maintaining VFR and I had the field in sight. So, feeling that turning back around for an approach was unnecessary and lacking the time to request SVFR as I was already descending and prepping for landing, I replied '123AB has the field in sight.' To which I received '123AB, runway one-two, you're cleared to land.'
Landing was uneventful. At that time or only minutes later, a new METAR reflected the BKN007, technically rendering the field IFR.
Am I correct in assuming that a controller cannot issue a VFR aircraft landing clearance without an IFR plan/clearance if the field is in fact IFR? Is this something I should be sending an ASRS report over? What are your thoughts?
Storms rolled through my local Class-D airfield this afternoon and left some light rain and high overcast sky behind them. After things settled a bit, I went out north of town for a brisk review of maneuvers and some pattern work, where it was clear with even higher overcast. Coming back into home base, I pick up the weather and it's VFR, but FEW005 and OVC070. No problem, I thought, as I already had the field in sight from 10 miles away, and I was closing in fast.
Within the confines of the airspace, I was instructed to enter a left base for the landing runway. I complied, and began to slow to approach speed. As I'm within 2-3 miles of the field, the controller says "be advised, there is a broken layer at about seven-to-eight-hundred feet moving over the field' and asks 'is there an IFR-rated pilot aboard?' Well, yes, I am IFR rated. But the skies were certainly not broken. MAYBE scattered, but I was certainly maintaining VFR and I had the field in sight. So, feeling that turning back around for an approach was unnecessary and lacking the time to request SVFR as I was already descending and prepping for landing, I replied '123AB has the field in sight.' To which I received '123AB, runway one-two, you're cleared to land.'
Landing was uneventful. At that time or only minutes later, a new METAR reflected the BKN007, technically rendering the field IFR.
Am I correct in assuming that a controller cannot issue a VFR aircraft landing clearance without an IFR plan/clearance if the field is in fact IFR? Is this something I should be sending an ASRS report over? What are your thoughts?