PART 135 FO COMPLAINT REGARDING NO ATIS BROADCAST AVAILABLE AT RAP; SD.

Narrative

THIS RPT IS ADVISORY AND SUGGESTIVE IN NATURE. AT THE TIME A RATHER LARGE SYS OF WX WAS MOVING THROUGH THE ROCKIES. THIS WAS THE 3RD LEG OF A 6 LEG SHIFT. BEFORE DEPARTING DENVER; STAPLETON FOR RAPID CITY; WX RPTS AND FORECASTS INDICATED MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT SNOW AND NO NEED FOR AN ALTERNATE LNDG ARPT. DEN TO RAP IS A SOMEWHAT LONG LEG FOR US; SCHEDULED AT AM20. DEP AND ENRTE PHASES WERE NORMAL WITH SOME IMC; LIGHT RIME AND LIGHT OCCASIONAL TURB ENCOUNTERED. DSCNT AND APCH INTO RAP IS WHERE THINGS GOT OFF TRACK. ON APCH TO RAP; ZDV HANDS YOU OFF TO ELLSWORTH (AFB) APCH (RADAR) CTLR APPROX 30 MI FROM RAP. IN AN E-120 UNDER NORMAL OPS; THIS IS ABOUT 6-8 MIN OUT. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH ELLSWORTH; CREWS ARE GIVEN CURRENT RAP WX; INCLUDING APCH IN USE. ALTHOUGH THE CAPT AND I HAD DISCUSSED APCH OPTIONS ENRTE IF THEY WERE NECESSARY; THE LACK OF AN ATIS FREQ AND BROADCAST LEFT US IN A POS TO SET-UP FOR OUR APCH AND DO OUR IN RANGE CHKS IN MINIMAL TIME. THE RESULT WAS I WAS VERY HURRIED AND HAD THAT TERRIBLE SENSE OF KNOWINGLY GETTING BEHIND THE ACFT. OUR FIRST CIRCLING APCH ENDED MISSED AS I GAVE THE CAPT A BAD VECTOR DOWNWIND TO BASE; WHICH NEGATED ANY TIME WE MIGHT HAVE SAVED IN THE FIRST PLACE. NOW LATE AND HAVING MISSED ONCE ALREADY; WE CUT NO CORNERS ON THE NEXT APCH AND LANDED SAFELY. ALTHOUGH WE COULD HAVE; IN RETROSPECT; SLOWED MUCH MORE PRIOR TO THE FIRST CONTACT WITH ELLSWORTH AND BRIEFED/SET-UP ALL APCH OPTIONS; THE FACT IS MOST ARPTS WE FLY INTO THE SIZE OF RAP AND WITH THE VOLUME OF TFC AS RAP; HAVE AN ATIS FREQ/ RAP NEEDS AN ATIS. WHEN HELD TO TIGHT SCHEDULES IN AN ACFT THAT DOES EASILY 5 MI PER MIN OR MORE; FLC'S NEED TO STAY WAY; WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME -- THIS MEANS RECEIVING AN ATIS 60-70 MI (AT LEAST) OUT AND PLANNING AND REHEARSING AN IAP (IF NECESSARY) ACCORDINGLY.