How should an aircraft be counted that conducts a VFR practice approach and decides to stay in the Towers traffic pattern?
The approach phase is counted as an itinerant IFR arrival, then all subsequent operations will be counted as local operations. • I work at a Stand Alone Tower that routinely conducts numerous practice approaches. Because of the limited instrument approach aids at our airport, we routinely conduct opposite direction approaches to our normal runway configuration. This causes us to break the aircraft off the approach usually at the outer marker and no later than the middle marker so we can depart off the opposite direction runway. For those VFR aircraft practicing instrument approaches, we are counting the arrival portion as an IFR arrival to the itinerant airport and when we break off the approach a VFR departure. Are we counting correctly? Practice approach aircraft that are provided separation services can be counted as both an IFR arrival and an IFR (or VFR) departure only if the practice approach aircraft actually penetrates Towers airspace before being broken-off the approach.
Related Questions
- Why does the controller tell me "maintain VFR no separation services are being provided" when I start a VFR practice approach to Lafayette?
- Does the Tower get the Local counts for the touch and go conducted by an aircraft on a practice approach returning to radar?
- How should an aircraft be counted that conducts a VFR practice approach and decides to stay in the Towers traffic pattern?
