PLT397: Destination Airport Visibility for Landing
What code PLT397 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Destination Airport Visibility for Landing before your checkride.
Recall regulations - destination airport visibility
What this means for your checkride
Under an instrument approach, no pilot may land unless the flight visibility is at least the visibility prescribed in the standard instrument approach procedure being used. Descent below the DA/DH or MDA likewise requires that the required flight visibility exist and that a specified runway visual reference be distinctly visible.
Landing decisions hinge on flight visibility measured against the published approach minimums.
Reported ground visibility is a gate to start the approach, but the pilot's flight visibility must meet the prescribed value to descend and land.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.