6 ms·

I watched the video - fair coverage. The importance of being on top of licenses and other paperwork is that if you can't get the paperwork right, how can you g

I watched the video - fair coverage. The importance of being on top of licenses and other paperwork is that if you can't get the paperwork right, how can you get the rest right? Some other notables: - India has identical fake license problems as Pakistan - South Korea has CRM and sim evaluation issues with ex-military crews (resulting in the SFO crash) - SFO has struggled with ILS maintenance in the past decade. (Foreign air crews expect to do ILS approaches, not visuals. See SK SFO accident above.) - African operators have problems with cabin crews opening doors after landing during taxi to let thieves steal luggage, etc. as the airliner is moving! - Australia had an issue with drug smugglers accessing luggage. Hope that's resolved. - Philippines had an issue with airport staff inserting bullets into luggage, then extorting tourists. Resolved after numerous news reports.

t0mas88 6y ago
The SFO case is interesting, because it's not just "foreign crews don't like visual approaches". It's because the US is commonly using visual approaches kind of as a loophole to reduce separation. All major carriers require that crews use the ILS (or RNAV) as a backup to a visual approach if it's available. But by clearing for a visual approach the controller is no longer required to keep the planes on approach separated. I know a few European airlines that encourage their crews not to accept visual approaches in the US and request an ILS approach instead, because it's safer. Europe has solved the same "we need more planes per hour" problem by allowing a reduced 2.5nm separation when both planes are established in the localizer and are radar monitored by the controller. As a pilot I prefer the European way, because it's more structured and has a few more safeguards. The US method puts the problem with the pilot, who has far worse means to judge separation than the controller
- nitrogen 6y ago
  far worse means to judge separation than the controller Those cockpit windows don't seem like they provide the best view... Out of curiosity, do civilian aircraft have onboard radar? If so, what directions can it see (up/down/front/back/sides)?
  - dmurray 6y ago
    Yes, it's the TCAS. It sees in all directions. It's secondary radar so it only sees planes with a transponder, but that's usually all of them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_sy...
    - tialaramex 6y ago
      > It's secondary radar so it only sees planes with a transponder, but that's usually all of them. In particular we're talking here about aeroplanes on an approach to a major airport (if they aren't on approach then by definition they aren't choosing between ILS and a visual clearance, and if it isn't a major airport why are we trying to bunch them up more?). All US major airports have a "Mode C veil" which means there's a regulation requiring aircraft near those airports to have transponders ("Mode C" is a transponder mode in which the aircraft reports its own assessment of its altitude based on air pressure as well as a four octal identifier).
      - bencoder 6y ago
        Since January 1st 2020 the requirement is for ADS-B out. So they will be reporting their GPS position also, now.
  - t0mas88 6y ago
    Airliners have radar in the nose, you can see the different colored part of the nosecone on some, that's where the antenna is. It points forward, scanning horizontal, with stabilization to compensate for climbing/descending and the pilots can control the tilt to scan above/below the current altitude. But it's weather radar, so it mostly sees water droplets (rainshowers, thunderstorms etc), not other planes. The TCAS system scans for transponders from other planes in all directions, checks their path and altitude and will play audible alerts (it shouts "traffic, traffic!") when there is a potential collision risk. You can use it to see other planes on the navigation display, but you cannot legally call that "visual separation". If a controller asks you whether you have traffic in sight (they must ask that before they can tell you to follow it for example), you cannot say you have it on the screen. That doesn't count, you have to see it out the window.
- andybak 6y ago
  > by allowing a reduced 2.5nm separation Rather alarming to read that as nano-meters briefly!
  - t0mas88 6y ago
    Haha, just millimeters from crashing in that case. Aviation is terrible at any kind of SI or even any kind of sane standardization of units at all. Distance is commonly measured in nautical miles (1852 meters), but visibility in the US is in statute miles (1600ish meter?) or feet, while Europe uses km or meters for visibility. Both US and Europe use feet for altitude, but China/Russia use meters for altitude.
  - navaati 6y ago
    I did, too, but I still don't get it. Is it a typo for "min" (as in minutes) ?
    - tialaramex 6y ago
      nm is "nautical miles". A "nautical mile" is a unit that feels more natural to people concerned with the globe shape of the Earth than the conventional mile (of 1609.34 metres) because it was equivalent to one minute of latitude. Today it's just defined as 1852 metres.
    - repiret 6y ago
      Nautical miles
- redis_mlc 6y ago
  Well, the SK airliner basically couldn't find the ILS and descended below a safe level, ultimately hitting approach light stands in the Bay, and then the pier(!), and cartwheeling, possibly twice. It was actually filmed by a dude in Oakland. I would call that uncomfortable with visual approaches. The only good news in this accident is that aeronautical structural engineers were quite impressed the plane stayed intact. For more detail, one of the SFO ILS has been out of service or shutdown for about a a decade. They cost around $2 million (max) to install, so I don't get it. Major US airports charge over $10,000 per landing, so they can afford to maintain navaids. The other notable thing was that the pilots sat stunned in the cockpit after the accident (likely knowing their careers were over), and a stewdardess took charge and ordered the evacuation after 90 seconds passed.
godzillabrennus 6y ago
Philippines still has the cash fees/bribes scam for all when you fly out of Clark. After you pay for the ticket, and checking you bag, you have various cash fees to pay as you get through security. Woe is you if you didn’t bring cash as you’ll be unable to board unless you pull cash out when there.
- newyankee 6y ago
  What do you mean ? This is run by the employees or someone else. I used to bemoan the corruption in India but at least recently a lot of things have reduced. e.g. When you came back from an international flight, 'agents' would court you and suggesting skipping customs for a bribe (they did the dirty work), this has been mostly eliminated at least in Mumbai airport. I cannot imagine what a sour taste it will leave if you cannot board a plane. In any case what reason will the authorities have to detain you ? I am assuming you are talking about some official fees and not bribes.
  - mrghn 6y ago
    This is just the official airport tax that is normally included in your airline ticket price for most other airports/countries. It's cash only, and they'll gladly accept major foreign currencies at greatly inflated rates if you're caught unaware: https://www.clark-airport.com/ https://www.clark-airport.com/
chetangole 6y ago
what is the source of your statement - _"India has identical fake license problems as Pakistan"_
- manojlds 6y ago
  I only see news articles from 2011.
  - galtwho 6y ago
    his claim was even more extraordinary.. apparently the problem is IDENTICAL
siddlv 6y ago
> India has identical fake license problems as Pakistan Can you provide a source for this?
galtwho 6y ago
you should provide sources for your list of notables, atleast for extraordinary claim like the first 2
redis_mlc 6y ago
2011: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nose-wheel-landing-DGCA-cancels-pilots-licence/articleshow/7586108.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nose-wheel-landing... https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fake-pilots-scam-police-issue-lookout-notice-against-4/articleshow/7807587.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-natio... https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-more-pilots-land-in-trouble-for-fake-licences/articleshow/7658947.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-more-pilots-la...

t0mas88 6y ago

The SFO case is interesting, because it's not just "foreign crews don't like visual approaches". It's because the US is commonly using visual approaches kind of as a loophole to reduce separation. All major carriers require that crews use the ILS (or RNAV) as a backup to a visual approach if it's available. But by clearing for a visual approach the controller is no longer required to keep the planes on approach separated. I know a few European airlines that encourage their crews not to accept visual approaches in the US and request an ILS approach instead, because it's safer. Europe has solved the same "we need more planes per hour" problem by allowing a reduced 2.5nm separation when both planes are established in the localizer and are radar monitored by the controller. As a pilot I prefer the European way, because it's more structured and has a few more safeguards. The US method puts the problem with the pilot, who has far worse means to judge separation than the controller

nitrogen 6y ago
far worse means to judge separation than the controller Those cockpit windows don't seem like they provide the best view... Out of curiosity, do civilian aircraft have onboard radar? If so, what directions can it see (up/down/front/back/sides)?
- dmurray 6y ago
  Yes, it's the TCAS. It sees in all directions. It's secondary radar so it only sees planes with a transponder, but that's usually all of them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_sy...
  - tialaramex 6y ago
    > It's secondary radar so it only sees planes with a transponder, but that's usually all of them. In particular we're talking here about aeroplanes on an approach to a major airport (if they aren't on approach then by definition they aren't choosing between ILS and a visual clearance, and if it isn't a major airport why are we trying to bunch them up more?). All US major airports have a "Mode C veil" which means there's a regulation requiring aircraft near those airports to have transponders ("Mode C" is a transponder mode in which the aircraft reports its own assessment of its altitude based on air pressure as well as a four octal identifier).
    - bencoder 6y ago
      Since January 1st 2020 the requirement is for ADS-B out. So they will be reporting their GPS position also, now.
- t0mas88 6y ago
  Airliners have radar in the nose, you can see the different colored part of the nosecone on some, that's where the antenna is. It points forward, scanning horizontal, with stabilization to compensate for climbing/descending and the pilots can control the tilt to scan above/below the current altitude. But it's weather radar, so it mostly sees water droplets (rainshowers, thunderstorms etc), not other planes. The TCAS system scans for transponders from other planes in all directions, checks their path and altitude and will play audible alerts (it shouts "traffic, traffic!") when there is a potential collision risk. You can use it to see other planes on the navigation display, but you cannot legally call that "visual separation". If a controller asks you whether you have traffic in sight (they must ask that before they can tell you to follow it for example), you cannot say you have it on the screen. That doesn't count, you have to see it out the window.
andybak 6y ago
> by allowing a reduced 2.5nm separation Rather alarming to read that as nano-meters briefly!
- t0mas88 6y ago
  Haha, just millimeters from crashing in that case. Aviation is terrible at any kind of SI or even any kind of sane standardization of units at all. Distance is commonly measured in nautical miles (1852 meters), but visibility in the US is in statute miles (1600ish meter?) or feet, while Europe uses km or meters for visibility. Both US and Europe use feet for altitude, but China/Russia use meters for altitude.
- navaati 6y ago
  I did, too, but I still don't get it. Is it a typo for "min" (as in minutes) ?
  - tialaramex 6y ago
    nm is "nautical miles". A "nautical mile" is a unit that feels more natural to people concerned with the globe shape of the Earth than the conventional mile (of 1609.34 metres) because it was equivalent to one minute of latitude. Today it's just defined as 1852 metres.
  - repiret 6y ago
    Nautical miles
redis_mlc 6y ago
Well, the SK airliner basically couldn't find the ILS and descended below a safe level, ultimately hitting approach light stands in the Bay, and then the pier(!), and cartwheeling, possibly twice. It was actually filmed by a dude in Oakland. I would call that uncomfortable with visual approaches. The only good news in this accident is that aeronautical structural engineers were quite impressed the plane stayed intact. For more detail, one of the SFO ILS has been out of service or shutdown for about a a decade. They cost around $2 million (max) to install, so I don't get it. Major US airports charge over $10,000 per landing, so they can afford to maintain navaids. The other notable thing was that the pilots sat stunned in the cockpit after the accident (likely knowing their careers were over), and a stewdardess took charge and ordered the evacuation after 90 seconds passed.

godzillabrennus 6y ago

Philippines still has the cash fees/bribes scam for all when you fly out of Clark. After you pay for the ticket, and checking you bag, you have various cash fees to pay as you get through security. Woe is you if you didn’t bring cash as you’ll be unable to board unless you pull cash out when there.

newyankee 6y ago
What do you mean ? This is run by the employees or someone else. I used to bemoan the corruption in India but at least recently a lot of things have reduced. e.g. When you came back from an international flight, 'agents' would court you and suggesting skipping customs for a bribe (they did the dirty work), this has been mostly eliminated at least in Mumbai airport. I cannot imagine what a sour taste it will leave if you cannot board a plane. In any case what reason will the authorities have to detain you ? I am assuming you are talking about some official fees and not bribes.
- mrghn 6y ago
  This is just the official airport tax that is normally included in your airline ticket price for most other airports/countries. It's cash only, and they'll gladly accept major foreign currencies at greatly inflated rates if you're caught unaware: https://www.clark-airport.com/ https://www.clark-airport.com/

chetangole 6y ago

what is the source of your statement - _"India has identical fake license problems as Pakistan"_

manojlds 6y ago
I only see news articles from 2011.
- galtwho 6y ago
  his claim was even more extraordinary.. apparently the problem is IDENTICAL

siddlv 6y ago

> India has identical fake license problems as Pakistan Can you provide a source for this?

galtwho 6y ago

you should provide sources for your list of notables, atleast for extraordinary claim like the first 2

redis_mlc 6y ago

2011: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nose-wheel-landing-DGCA-cancels-pilots-licence/articleshow/7586108.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nose-wheel-landing... https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fake-pilots-scam-police-issue-lookout-notice-against-4/articleshow/7807587.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-natio... https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-more-pilots-land-in-trouble-for-fake-licences/articleshow/7658947.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-more-pilots-la...