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Lost comms after radar vector
I had a "discussion" with my instructor about lost comms in IMC after
a radar vector. To illustrate, consider this scenario (gratuitously enhanced with specifics): Depart BJC (Boulder, CO) for a flight to EVV (Evansville, IN). You expect the flight to take 4:30. You depart at 1200Z. Once airborne, you get established on a clearance route and you realize that the tailwinds are much stronger than forecast. After 3 hours have passed, you find the GPS saying EVV is only another 30 minutes enroute (thus the flight now should take 3:30 instead of 4:30). You get the ATIS, using ILS RWY 22, relatively low IMC conditions at EVV. ATC then gives you a radar vector to bias your flight path north for the approach. At this moment, you loose comms. All attempts to establish comms are in vain. The weather is also low IMC in every direction. What do you do? My instructors answer was this: when lost comms is noticed and no attemp to establish alternate comms works, then proceed to the outer marker of the ILS22 approach (VICCI) and hold as diagrammed until your flight planned expected arrival time, then shoot the approach. In this particular case, this would be holding for about 1 hour due to faster than expected tailwinds (you arrive an hour earlier than planned). My answer was this: vector yourself around to the final approach course of ILS22 about 1-2 miles outside VICCI and directly shoot the approach with no holding. My thinking was to do what I expected the controller to do if I had comms and to get on the ground in the simplest and most direct way possible. My instructor justified his answers based on the regs and while he admitted his solution would effectively close an airport for an hour with a no comm airplane circling on the ILS, he claimed it was "by the book" and that's what you have to do. I thought that was silly and said that if presented with the above situation, I would disregard the book in favor of what I perceived to be the best response to the situation, namely get on the ground in the simplest and most straightforward way so I don't clog up airspace as a no comm airplane. I also was not going to do holds for an hour, in IMC, with some sort of failure which may grow to encompass more than the radios. I also did not believe the "book" says to do this. My answer could also be technically wrong since I didn't fly to the IAF and perform the procedure turn. But terrain avoidance is not a big issue in EVV (unlike BJC!), so I would feel comfortable lining up directly for the approach. This is really an academic question because I pretty much doubt anyone would convince me anything other than landing at my earliest and safest opportunity would be the right course of action, rules or no rules to the contrary. In fact, in any lost comm situation, I doubt I would hold for any reason. My thinking about ATC response is that they cannot assume any behavior of a lost comm aircraft, there could be more wrong than just the lost comms (such as the pilot is incapacitated and a passenger is flying, thus no behavior is predictable). So I would think they would vector everyone else away and hope the plane gets on the ground as soon as possible. Curious what the group reg gurus and ATC types think about this. -- Mike Ciholas (812) 476-2721 x101 CIHOLAS Enterprises (812) 476-2881 fax 255 S. Garvin St, Suite B Evansville, IN 47713 http://www.ciholas.com |
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