AMC1 CAT.OP.MPA.192 Selection of aerodromes and operating sites - helicopters

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 47

Text in magenta in force from 30 October 2025

PLANNING MINIMA AND SAFETY MARGINS FOR A DESTINATION AERODROME AND SELECTION OF ALTERNATE AERODROMES

  1. When selecting the destination aerodrome, the operator should ensure that one of the following conditions is met:

    1. for a land destination, the duration of the flight and the prevailing meteorological conditions are such that during a period commencing 1 hour before and ending 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival at the aerodrome or operating site, an approach and landing is possible under VMC from the minimum safe altitude at the IAF or before;

    2. for a land destination:

      1. the available current meteorological information indicates that the following meteorological conditions at the destination aerodrome will exist from 2 hours before to 2 hours after the estimated time of arrival, or from the actual time of departure to 2 hours after the estimated time of arrival, whichever is shorter:

        1. a ceiling of at least 120 m (400 ft) above the DA/H or MDA/H of the instrument approach procedure; and

        2. visibility of at least 3 000 m;

      2. a runway and two published instrument approaches with independent navigation aids are available at the aerodrome of intended landing; and

      3. fuel planning is based upon the approach procedure that requires the most fuel, and 15-minute fuel is added to the trip fuel;

    3. one destination alternate aerodrome is selected, and the appropriate weather reports and/or forecasts indicate that during a period commencing 1 hour before and ending 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival at the destination, the weather conditions at the destination will be at or above the applicable planning minima as follows:

      1. RVR or VIS specified in accordance with point CAT.OP.MPA.110; and

      2. for type A instrument approach operations, ceiling at or above DH or MDH;

    4. one destination alternate aerodrome is selected, and based on the meteorological information that is obtained in accordance with the procedures of the operations manual (OM), there is a reasonable probability of landing at the destination;

    5. two destination alternate aerodromes are selected; or

    6. the destination aerodrome is isolated, and the appropriate weather reports and/or forecasts indicate that during a period commencing 1 hour before and ending 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival at the destination, the weather conditions at the destination will be at or above the applicable planning minima defined in Table 1.

  2. The operator should specify any alternate aerodrome(s) in the operational flight plan.

  3. If the site of intended landing is isolated and no alternate aerodrome is available, a PNR should be determined

PLANNING MINIMA FOR DESTINATION ALTERNATE AERODROMES AND ISOLATED AERODROMES

  1. The operator should select the destination alternate aerodrome(s) only if the appropriate weather reports and/or forecasts indicate that during a period commencing 1 hour before and ending 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival at the aerodrome or operating site, the weather conditions will be at or above the applicable planning minima as follows:

    1. if the destination aerodrome is selected by meeting the conditions in points (a)(3) or (a)(5), the planning minima for the destination alternate aerodrome(s) and an isolated aerodrome are as shown in Table 1:

      Table 1 — Planning minima for a destination alternate aerodrome and an isolated aerodrome

      Type of approach

      Planning minima

      Type A or type B

      RVR/VIS + 400 m

      Ceiling at or above DH or MDH + 200 ft

      VFR or visual approach

      VFR from a position on the instrument flight path to the destination alternate aerodrome

      2. Or

    2. if the destination aerodrome is selected by meeting the condition in point (a)(4), the planning minima for the destination alternate aerodrome(s) are as shown in Table 2:

      Table 2 — Planning minima for a destination alternate aerodrome with a reasonable probability of landing at the destination

      3. Type of approach

      Planning minima

      Type A or type B

      RVR/VIS + 800 m

      DH or MDH + 400 ft

      VFR or visual approach

      VFR from a position on the instrument flight path to the destination alternate aerodrome

DETERMINATION OF THE METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR A SAFE LANDING AT THE DESTINATION

  1. To assess the probability of landing at the destination, when flying under IFR to heliports / operating sites without the meteorological information from a certified service provider, the operator should use supplemental meteorological information, or the operator should select two destination alternates. Such meteorological information is usually available at aerodromes. In Europe, the certification of service providers is based on Annex V (Part-MET) to Regulation (EU) 2017/373. In addition, all the following conditions should be met:

    1. The operator should establish a system for observing and assessing the weather, as well as for distributing meteorological information.

    2. The operator should describe in the OM the system defined in point (1).

    3. The operator should assess the weather at the destination aerodrome and, if different, also at the location of the instrument approach. The assessment should be based on the following:

      1. an appropriate weather forecast at an aerodrome where it is reasonable to expect that the local conditions are not significantly different from the conditions at the destination and the location of the instrument approach;

      2. if the aerodrome described in point (e)(3)(i) is farther than 15 NM away from the location of the approach and the destination, the following conditions should be met:

        1. supplemental meteorological information should be available and confirm that the current weather conditions at destination and at the location of the instrument approach are expected to remain similar to the conditions at the aerodrome described in point (e)(3)(i); and

        2. low-level area forecasts should confirm that the weather is expected to remain similar at destination and at the aerodrome used for the weather assessment, at the expected time of landing; and

      3. any risk of adverse local weather condition forecast in the low-level area forecasts and relevant to the destination and the location of the instrument approach.

    4. The following should qualify as supplemental meteorological information:

      1. a reliable, timestamped image from a serviceable digital camera of known location, bearing, and altitude, which shows the weather conditions in the approach path at destination;

      2. a meteorological observation from a properly trained observer; and

      3. a report from non-certified automatic weather observation systems to which the operator should apply relevant margins based on the reliability and precision of the system.

    5. The operator should establish that there is a reasonable probability of landing at the destination only if the flight time to the destination and then to the alternate aerodrome is less than 3 hours, and if according to the assessment described in point (e)(3), during a period commencing 1 hour before and ending 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival at the location of the approach, the following conditions are met:

      1. the weather conditions will be at or above the planning minima for the approach; and

      2. if the location of the approach is different from that of the destination aerodrome, the weather conditions will allow to continue the flight to the destination.

    6. Weather observations from the aerodrome described in point (e)(3)(i), or the supplemental meteorological information that is described in point (e)(4), should be available, be no more than 30 minutes old, and be used to assess approach and landing conditions in accordance with point CAT.OP.MPA.300.

    7. The weather observations or information that are described in point (e)(6) may be transmitted to the flight crew using installed equipment, a T-PED, radio communication with trained personnel, or any equivalent means.

    8. The operator should store the weather assessments established in point (e)(3) and the weather observations referred to in point (e)(6) for a period of 3 months.

    9. In case a landing at the destination is not possible due to the weather, even though it was assessed that it would be, the operator should investigate and take all necessary measures to improve future weather assessments.