Canadian ATC facepalm moment....
- Thread starter Krystal
- Start date
Nick
Well-Known Member
I laughed a little when I saw the phrase baby captain. When I upgraded I was explaining the concept of high mins to one of my roommates (between my upgrade sim partner and I, we diverted six times during high mins).
After I got done listing the restrictions, she said, "Oh, so it's kind of like you're a baby captain!" I said, yeah, I guess you could think of it like that. A ripped off section of some paper towels/toilet paper plastic wrap that had a cartoon baby crawling on it then was taped outside my door. Actually, it's still there.
But I guess I can see how dispatch or scheduling might jokingly refer to a high mins captain as a baby captain in their cubicles at SOC.
Well, actually, my sim partner and I concluded that the problem was nobody at our company's SOC actually knew we were high mins. On his fourth diversion, he actually finished the pre-flight phone call to DX with, "Okay, we're legal and we'll go if you guys want to attempt this, and I'll talk to you in about an hour when I'm on the ground in [alternate airport]. Sure enough, an hour later...
Sorry for the topic hijack, but hey, facepalm was in the thread title after all.
fholbert
Mod's - Please don't edit my posts!
It one in one out and opposite direction rarely makes a difference. I've had my share of IFR departures from a uncontrolled airport and don't remember ATC ever asking what runway I'd be departing from. When you get a release a very large piece of airspace is sterilized until you're radar ID'ed.
Agree, the other aircraft was operating VFR.
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
Nick, you heard about us busting 3 hours in YYC a few weeks ago, right? My shift, of course because I always get the crummy canadian flying. They landed just after a thunderstorm and naturally the ramp was closed. We expected them to have to wait 20 minutes or so for the lightning to let up.....well, the lightning quit after about a half an hour.....but the ramp stayed closed an additional THREE HOURS because YYC has this ridiculous automated lightning detection system. Its a two part system....one detects actual strikes and the other picks up on ambient static.(Confirmed on a recorded line by YYC airport authority) Its run by the aiport authori-tay rather than the airline. Unfortunately, this means that the airlines have no pull. So even though the lightning ended...completely...that second system was still detecting "static" so the ramp stayed closed. So the lightning ended after half an hour.....but my flight sat on the ramp for 3:29 because of "static." That poor crew....I have all of the ACARS messages printed out and it reads like a horror novel...each one getting more desperate than the last, culminated in PAX threats to blow the slides because of their "right" to get off of the plane. And this was just from the cockpit, locked behind a ballistic door....I REALLY feel sorry for the poor FA's, trapped with 76 people shoving fingers in their faces, screaming "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" 3:29 on the ramp 50 yards from the gate, even though there hadnt been lightning in 3 hours (airport authori-tay confirmed that no actual strikes had been recorded after the first hour).... I frigging hate Canada. ( no offense to our Canadian members, but you guys have to admit that this situation was complete nonsense!) Had this happened in the US, we would have overrode the automated system and told the rampers to get off their butts and park the planes.
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
Because
Well, its my job to know what went on with my flights. I DO actually care about my pilots and my planes. That being said, it was nearly 2 am local and that time of night, there is no one to talk to at the company other than waking the on-call chief pilot. I was there, I was awake, and I represented the company...thats why he called. It didnt bother me. Im glad he took the initiative. That time of night, I field all kinds of calls. Crews will call me to ask about gate assignments for the next day, about crew meals, about the pair of sunglasses they left on the plane two days, 4 planes and 6 flights ago, to complain about station ops/airport ops/ATC/the creepy airport security guard with the lazy eye/the van driver who doesnt speak english etc...It comes with the territory. I keep track of "quirks" about particular airports...a busy, routine operation is something completely different late at night after most of the peeps go home. When you work the graveyard, its good to know these things so you know what to expect.
Dispatchers who would treat a pilot like they are "only making our night harderr" or as another poster put it "are you there? yes? ok, is your plane on fire? no? *click*"...well, they are the reason so many pilots hate dispatchers. Is it our job to be therapists? No....but is it our job to understand the airports we operate into? Youbetcha.
Well, its my job to know what went on with my flights. I DO actually care about my pilots and my planes. That being said, it was nearly 2 am local and that time of night, there is no one to talk to at the company other than waking the on-call chief pilot. I was there, I was awake, and I represented the company...thats why he called. It didnt bother me. Im glad he took the initiative. That time of night, I field all kinds of calls. Crews will call me to ask about gate assignments for the next day, about crew meals, about the pair of sunglasses they left on the plane two days, 4 planes and 6 flights ago, to complain about station ops/airport ops/ATC/the creepy airport security guard with the lazy eye/the van driver who doesnt speak english etc...It comes with the territory. I keep track of "quirks" about particular airports...a busy, routine operation is something completely different late at night after most of the peeps go home. When you work the graveyard, its good to know these things so you know what to expect.
Dispatchers who would treat a pilot like they are "only making our night harderr" or as another poster put it "are you there? yes? ok, is your plane on fire? no? *click*"...well, they are the reason so many pilots hate dispatchers. Is it our job to be therapists? No....but is it our job to understand the airports we operate into? Youbetcha.
SteveCostello
My member is well-known.
Oh, man, I HATE that guy!!
boondr
Penalty Vectorer
What you are alleging here is a serious error on the part of the controller and I'd advise caution in making such descriptive accusations that are largely based on speculation of the status of the KA and the accuracy of the story you received. If the controller really did release an IFR from an uncontrolled airport after issuing an Instrument Approach clearance into the same causing evasive action by one of the planes it is a TSB of CA investigation worthy event not "a facepalm moment". Once again in such instances it is probably better to avoid any and all speculation based accusations.
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
I wasnt accusing anyone of anything. I was asking why this would have happened.
Now, had I come on here yelling "Those Canadian fcuktards nearly caused a midair collision on one of my planes! They must have been asleep on the job or drunk! Thats it! ITS ALLLLLL ATCS FAULT!!!!!!"...... THAT would be accusing...
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
Or frikin' lazer beams! All I want some frikin planes with some frikin lazer beams on their noses!
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
That all sounds reasonable, but calling dispatch (unless he's a friend of yours) to complain about normal ATC issues is simply a little odd. Unless it's a flow issue that you can re-file for, there's not much you can do from SOC. I suppose I'm just of the school of thought that the least amount of company involvement in minutiae is the best policy.
amorris311
Well-Known Member
I've done it from time to time when our dispatch files us along a route that atc ges bitter anout. Then I scroll through the notams and see several vor's along our route of flight as being ots!
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Perfectly reasonable, since the dispatcher files the flight plans. Standard uncontrolled ops? They can't do anything about VFR aircraft in the vicinity. It's simply not a big deal, and advising dispatch of this kind of stuff may make them believe that it was. Next thing you know, you're getting a phone call from the chief pilot over it.
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
Lol. He was in Canada. Our guys wouldnt turn on their phones up there if their wiives were in labor, they were waiting on cancer screen results and their sons were being deployed in two hours! Goes back to the whole pilots and copper wire thing.
wheelsup
Well-Known Member
I work for a mom and pop operation and even we have an 800# you can call from anywhere in the world...on any phone...for free...