Question

If filing a flight plan under IFR, and no standard or special instrument approach procedure has been published under Part 97 for the selected alternate airport, you may include that alternate in your flight plan as long as appropriate weather reports or forecasts indicate that at the estimated time of arrival the ceiling and visibility:

Answer 1

An alternate airport in an IFR flight plan without a published instrument approach procedure requires weather reports showing at least a 1,500-foot ceiling and 3 miles visibility at the estimated time of arrival.

Step-by-step explanation:

When filing an IFR flight plan, and there is no standard or special instrument approach procedure published under Part 97 for your chosen alternate airport, you can still include that alternate in the plan provided the weather reports or forecasts for your estimated time of arrival show that the weather conditions will be sufficiently good.

Specifically, the weather must meet certain minimums: a ceiling of at least 1,500 feet above the ground level and visibility of at least 3 statute miles. These requirements ensure that, even without a published instrument approach available, you will still have a reasonable expectation of being able to land visually or perform a successful approach and landing under IFR conditions.