Visual Approach - Runway assignment

SnowAviation Senior Member Escondido, CA

Ok brain trust. here's another Visual Approach question.

When you clear an aircraft for a visual approach do you specify the runway?
and if so why?

I'm talking about any situation, towered airport with multiple runways parallel or crossing and non towered or closed tower airports.

This came up recently when I was training a guy and I'd like to hear other impressions.

Ed

xxDYxx Rookie Florida (KPAM)

To controlled airports I specify the runway because there is a runway in use. To uncontrolled airports I clear them visual to the airport and let them choose. REF: 7-4-3



Just wondering, how do you pratice/teach it?

yonte Newcomer

yes specially if u have multiple runways, because the pilot might be line up with lets say runway 28 left but u wanted him to land on 28 right plus it states that on 7110...

garlandatc Junior Member

Towered - parallel specify rwy # no do not specify rwy L or R (unless running approaches to multiple runways simultaneously), intersecting, etc. yes specify rwy. For - Non-towered do not specify rwy.

ATCinWI Senior Member Illinois

Do you have a reference for that? Don't specify left or right? Every single pilot would come back and ask "was that 9 left or 9 right?".

MikeATC Retired FAA, NATCA Member Nashville TN

You are required to state the runway at towered airports, but at non-towered you should clear the acft for the visual approach without stating the runway.

MattJordan Junior Member

For non towered airports, would you just switch them to unicom/ local freq. as long as they report the field in sight?

ATCinWI Senior Member Illinois

For an IFR aircraft, you would clear them to a visual approach to that airport, tell them how to report their IFR cancellation, then switch them to the local freq (I usually tell them if I see any other aircraft near the airport as well). For VFR aircraft, when they are about 10 miles out, I usually tell them if I see any other aircraft in the vicinity of the airport, tell them to squawk VFR, and give them a frequency change.

SnowAviation Senior Member Escondido, CA

Plenty of good answers out there. The 7-4-3 paragraph isn't that helpful except for the Pharaseology example:

As I recall from wayyyyy back, the rule was if the airport is uncontrolled or the tower was closed you never stated the runway because you obviously don't know which runway is in use or favorable due to wind. In my first radar facility we had an LOA with all the towers that specified the IFR runway in use unless otherwise coordinated so it was a no-brainer.

Where I work now, we have no such specification in our tower LOA's.

The other day I was training a guy who cleared an aircraft for a visual approach and switched him to the tower. I said; "you didn't specify the runway" he said "I don't care which runway he goes to." So instead of argue on positon I thought I'd get him some 7110 references to show him.

I searched and realized that the 7110.65 isn't clear on the subject, and if taken at face value you could indeed clear the pilot either way.

Now there are lots of reasons why you woulnd't want a pilot to choose a runway of his/her liking (Separation being one) but from a strictly legal standpoint it's seems quite vague at best.

Personally I clear a pilot to the specific runway including left or right when there is an operating tower and just to the airport when there is not. It'd be nice if the 7110.65 would back me up clearly on this as a rule and not just a good operating technique. If you believe as I do, you can see that in paragraphs 7-4-3 a. 1 & 2. "implies" that you assign the runway to the towered airport but doesn't actually state it that way.

But this had me wondering that if the 7110.65 isn't clear, and the LOA's don't specify which runway to use, then what is to stop the tower from changing the pilots runway after he's shipped over to them? They never do and I'd probably chew ass if they did but still, when separation is lost it's back to what's written and not what you have "always done."

Any more ideas?

MattJordan Junior Member

After you clear them to the airport, and the airport is uncontrolled, is it correct that at that point there's a change of freq to local occurs or is it then the pilots responsibility to either call from the ground or cancel the IFR?