What are the standard alternate minimums?

What are the standard alternate minimums?

• A. Precision 800-2; Non-Precision 600-2
• B. Precision 600-2; Non-Precision 800-2
• C. Precision 500-1; Non-Precision 700-1
• D. Precision 700-2; Non-Precision 900-2

Answer: (B)

Alternate minimums are the weather requirements you must have at an alternate airport when planning an IFR flight. The standard set gives two different ceilings depending on the type of instrument approach available at the alternate, with the same visibility requirement for both. If the alternate has a precision approach, the weather must include a ceiling of six hundred feet and visibility of two miles. If the alternate relies on non-precision approaches, you need a higher ceiling—eight hundred feet—with the same two miles visibility. The reason is that precision approaches provide vertical guidance and a more reliable path to land, so you can accept a lower ceiling. Non-precision approaches don’t provide vertical guidance, so a higher ceiling is required to improve landing odds in marginal conditions. If an airport has published non-standard alternate minimums, you would follow those instead of the standard values.

Alternate minimums are the weather requirements you must have at an alternate airport when planning an IFR flight. The standard set gives two different ceilings depending on the type of instrument approach available at the alternate, with the same visibility requirement for both.

If the alternate has a precision approach, the weather must include a ceiling of six hundred feet and visibility of two miles. If the alternate relies on non-precision approaches, you need a higher ceiling—eight hundred feet—with the same two miles visibility. The reason is that precision approaches provide vertical guidance and a more reliable path to land, so you can accept a lower ceiling. Non-precision approaches don’t provide vertical guidance, so a higher ceiling is required to improve landing odds in marginal conditions. If an airport has published non-standard alternate minimums, you would follow those instead of the standard values.