FAA Instrument Flight Instructor (FII)IFR Procedures and ApproachesMedium
An approach chart depicts a hold-in-lieu-of-procedure-turn at the IAF, but no 'NoPT' notation is charted for the arrival route being flown. Under which of the following conditions may ATC omit the course reversal and clear the aircraft to proceed straight through the IAF to the final approach course?
- AWhen the flight is conducted by a student pilot receiving instrument instruction
- BWhen ATC is providing radar vectors to the final approach course
- CWhen the pilot requests to omit the turn to save time
- DWhen the approach will be flown in visual meteorological conditions
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. When ATC is providing radar vectors to the final approach course
A course reversal is not required when the aircraft is being radar vectored to the final approach course, when conducting a timed approach, or when the procedure specifies 'NoPT.' Pilot preference, VMC, or student status do not authorize omission of a charted course reversal.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Student pilot status has no bearing on whether a course reversal is required.
- C. A pilot may not unilaterally omit a required course reversal for convenience.
- D. Weather conditions alone do not eliminate the procedural course reversal requirement.
Course Reversal Omission Conditions
A charted procedure turn or hold-in-lieu-of-PT may be omitted when ATC provides radar vectors to the final approach course, during timed approaches from a holding fix, or when the chart is annotated 'NoPT.'
- Radar vectors to final eliminate the need for a course reversal
- 'NoPT' annotation also removes the requirement on that route
- Course reversal is otherwise mandatory unless one of these exceptions applies
Memory trick: 'Vectored, Timed, or NoPT' skips the turn.