What three criteria are you looking for on a TAF to figure out if you will need to file for an Alternate airport?

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Multiple Choice

What three criteria are you looking for on a TAF to figure out if you will need to file for an Alternate airport?

When deciding if you must file an alternate, you plan for the worst that the forecast might bring at your destination. A TAF provides forecasted ceiling, visibility, and wind for the airport, so you focus on the lowest forecasted ceiling, the lowest forecasted visibility, and the strongest forecasted winds during your expected arrival window. If those worst-case values fall below the destination airport’s instrument landing minimums, you would need to designate an alternate. Think of it this way: ceiling and visibility determine whether the published approaches can be used, and winds can affect whether you can safely land within those minimums. The other options don’t capture the risk of the worst-case weather you might face at arrival.

When deciding if you must file an alternate, you plan for the worst that the forecast might bring at your destination. A TAF provides forecasted ceiling, visibility, and wind for the airport, so you focus on the lowest forecasted ceiling, the lowest forecasted visibility, and the strongest forecasted winds during your expected arrival window. If those worst-case values fall below the destination airport’s instrument landing minimums, you would need to designate an alternate.

Think of it this way: ceiling and visibility determine whether the published approaches can be used, and winds can affect whether you can safely land within those minimums. The other options don’t capture the risk of the worst-case weather you might face at arrival.

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