Forecast weather conditions one hour before and one hour after ETA at the STOP destination airport to be at least a cloud ceiling of 3,500 ft above the airport elevation and visibility of 5 SM, and appropriate wind velocity and direction.

Forecast weather conditions 1 hour before and 1 hour after ETA at the STOP destination airport to be at least a cloud ceiling of 3,000 ft AGL and visibility of 3 SM, and appropriate wind velocity and direction. If the STOP destination airport has an approved IAP the required release minimums are a ceiling of 1,500 ft above the airport elevation and visibility of 3 SM one hour before and one hour after ETA.

A destination’s primary alternate is always included for both domestic and supplemental operations when the STOP process is applied. It always includes the appropriate fuel requirements for the alternate. The destination primary alternate must have a TAF and all required reporting elements of a METAR and meet the air carrier’s alternate minimum requirements.

When weather conditions at the destination airport and the first alternate airport are marginal, 14 CFR § 121.619(a) requires that at least one additional alternate airport be designated. The term “marginal,” as applied to domestic alternate minimums, is not defined by regulation. To some extent this is because the definition of what constitutes marginal depends on the nature of the weather phenomena, the operation conducted, and the equipment used.

If marginal conditions at the primary alternate are forecast, the CH must, per 14 CFR §§ 121.619, 121.623, and 121.625, list a second alternate in the dispatch or ensure that the flightcrew is briefed prior to release. When marginal conditions are present at destination and primary alternates, the secondary alternate may not be less than 2,000 ft above the airport elevation and the visibility must be at least 3 SM. Both the primary and the secondary alternates must have a complete METAR and TAF at ETA.

When required by an MEL, flight operations to airports with weather reporting deficiencies are not to be initiated with, or continue with, the following items deferred or inoperative:

See Sections D.2, D.3, and D.4 for weather, airport data, and flight planning information.

Before releasing any flight, both the aircraft dispatcher or flight follower and the PIC should become thoroughly familiar with the reported and forecast weather conditions, including adverse weather phenomena, the status of communications, navigation, and airport facilities. This requires the dispatcher or flight follower to provide the PIC with information on each of these items. It also requires a preflight briefing between the dispatcher or flight follower and the PIC.

The preflight briefing is either delivered verbally or in writing. Communication facilities must be available for the aircraft dispatcher, flight follower, and the PIC in order to communicate directly by voice if direct communication is required or desired. If communications are conducted verbally, the preflight briefing communication is documented.

Prior to conducting a STOP flight operation on a flight to an unfamiliar destination over an unfamiliar route or a route they have not flown over in the last 90 days, the PIC and second in command (SIC) update themselves using all information pertinent to the safe conduct of the flight. This may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following resources: