Prior authorization required for unauthorized pilots, FAA says

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As ski season approaches and pilots make flight plans to touch down in small mountain airports, the FAA recently issued a reminder that instrument-rated pilots must have prior authorization to request or perform special instrument procedures, including unique approaches or departures.

A recent FAA Information for Operators (InFO) notice reminds operators of business aircraft, commercial airlines, and medevac operations that specific authorization by the Flight Standards Service is required to perform or to request clearance for instrument procedures from air traffic control (ATC).

Special instrument procedures are developed for private use, or for use when special conditions, equipment, limitations or training require them. However, cockpit technology and downloadable aviation databases have created confusion about the availability of special instrument procedures.

“Special instrument procedures aren’t intended to be openly available to all operators, but technology has enabled their distribution to the broader pilot community,” Rich Boll, the chairman of Airspace, ATC and Flight Technologies Working Group of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), said.

Heidi Williams, the director of air traffic services and infrastructure, said access to procedural charts is tightly controlled, “but some operators are choosing to fly these special procedures anyway” after seeing them listed in downloadable aviation databases.

Confusion has persisted despite Garmin and other database providers warning that only authorized operators should perform special instrument procedures. In August, a special advisory from Garmin stated that “[inclusion] of the special instrument procedure in the navigation database does not imply specific FAA authorization to fly the procedure.”

“We often see special instrument procedures at mountain airports, and with ski season approaching, the InFO serves as a good reminder for our members to verify that they are flying these procedures with proper authorization,” Williams said.