Aspen (KASE)

If you've never flown into Aspen and see it on your flight schedule, you might want to consider some simulator time first. With or without the simulator, a little research is in order. Here's a video about how it's done: Aspen Approach.

If you find yourself going into Pitkin County/Sardy Airport, Aspen, Colorado for the first time (or even the tenth time), it pays to know what you are facing before you get there. Jason Herman the excellent familiarization course below. You can download the entire course here: Aspen Familiarization Course.

A reader provides a Hunter Creek Arrival depiction of the visual approach to Runway 33 as well as this: video.

You can also download a VFR Climb Quick Reference Guide.

A note about minimums in 2021 (From the NBAA):

Please be aware that on August 18, 2021, the circling approach minima for the LOC/DME-E and RNAV (GPS)-F procedures at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE) were amended via FDC NOTAM. These approaches had not previously been evaluated for the new circling criteria established by TERPS Change 21 until this time. When these procedures were evaluated using the new criteria, the circling radius increased by over double resulting in a new controlling obstacle in the circling area. Applying the required obstacle clearance to this new obstacle resulted in the Category C MDA being raised by 740 feet. This yields a new MDA of 10,960 feet or 3,112 height above airport. This is a significant increase over the previous MDA of 10,220 feet.

Additionally, a chart note restricting circling southwest of Runway 15-33 was added, although this should not affect operators since the terrain west of the airport effectively prohibits circling maneuvers in this area. Finally, note that Aspen is also a cold weather airport and requires temperature compensation to be applied when it the temperature is below -22ºC (see AIM 7-3 for more details on this). This may also raise the circling MDA further in very cold weather conditions.

If you are flying into Aspen, please be sure to review the associated FDC NOTAMs carefully and be sure to apply the correct approach minima per the NOTAM as these changes will not be charted until later this year. As of this writing, the amended minimums are not scheduled to be charted until the 11/4/2021 AIRAC cycle.

VFR Climb Quick Reference