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I was reading a question about flying under the hood for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) training when this question popped to mind. Are pilots flying under the hood required to notify the tower? Does it change the towers approach to that plane at all (especially in VMC conditions)?

Jae Carr
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No, because the responsibilities aren't any different. And, with a safety pilot on board, the capabilities really shouldn't be either.

Ralph J
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  • I disagree, what about aircraft that would need to hold short of the ILS hold line rather than the runway hold short? The AIM also pretty clearly states that practice approaches should be informed to the handling airport, although the AIM is just a reference. – Ron Beyer May 31 '16 at 23:18
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    I've NEVER seen tower hold anybody short of the ILS critical areas for a practice approach. Even down to 800-2, you can be flying a "real" ILS without the critical areas in effect. Where it's most important to have the ILS protected is when aircraft are flying approaches below Cat I, where any disturbance in the ILS beam can cause abrupt control inputs from the autopilot; practice approaches (being hand-flown) are far less sensitive to these perturbations. – Ralph J May 31 '16 at 23:39
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    I've been in this scenario multiple times. We don't need to tell them that we're doing simulated instrument training, but we do need to tell them that we want practice approaches. I'm pretty sure that if you request a practice approach the controller can figure out that you're doing training or currency. – Ryan Mortensen Jun 01 '16 at 05:01
  • @RalphJ, well, I suppose if somebody requested practice Cat II (or III) approach they would, but how many GA airports even has Cat II ILS. – Jan Hudec Jun 01 '16 at 07:13
  • @JanHudec I do hear aircraft notify tower that they're using auto-land (when the weather is well above when you'd need it), particularly in ATL, which I believe IS for exactly this reason... no incursions into the ILS critical areas during the coupled approach & landing. But, that's for the airplane's currency; neither pilot is at all "under the hood." – Ralph J Jun 01 '16 at 13:20
  • @RalphJ, yes, auto-land is Cat II. And if they forget (or tower does not approve), they end up like these. And yes, that's not under the hood. But I am not sure, may be it does count for pilot currency towards auto-land too? – Jan Hudec Jun 01 '16 at 13:29
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    @RyanMortensen That does seem like it would make some amount of difference (however minor) in the process they would normally follow on a clear day. Might be nice if some of those considerations were put into the answer (or another answer) just for the sake of completeness. – Jae Carr Jun 06 '16 at 03:14