Planning for an Alternate

T-45C TS INav-08

Fuel, Weather, and Alternate Airfield Planning

Next, study Situation 2, in which your destination forecast is above published minimums but below

3,000-3.

NOTE: When planning for an alternate with more than one published approach to the probable duty

runway, use the lowest of the approach minimums for which you qualify.

Naturally, you will not want to select just any aerodrome as your alternate. Exercising foresight and

judgment, choose an alternate suitable for your aircraft and mission requirement. Do you have sufficient

fuel to fly to the alternate given some delays? Does your alternate have NAVAIDs that are operable and

are compatible with your equipment? Also, are radar facilities available should you experience NAVAID

equipment failure? Is your alternate far enough away from your destination to be unaffected by the same

weather systems? Get in the habit of raising and answering these kinds of questions as part of your flight

planning for an alternate airfield.

After choosing an alternate, you must determine the most suitable approach to your alternate considering

crosswinds and T-45C requirements. Remember that although the maximum crosswind for the aircraft is

20 kts (15 kts on a wet runway), your maximum crosswind as a student pilot is 10 kts. This may require

that you utilize a circling approach with higher minimums.

Next, calculate that you have an adequate fuel supply to your alternate plus your required reserve of

300 pounds.

Finally, it is critical that you check NOTAMs to make sure that your alternate is available during the time

that you may need it. Your “best” alternate is best only if it is open, and runways may be closed for a

variety of reasons.

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