EWR-PHL failures and how safety is the FAA’s number 1 priority

sorrygottarunway said:
Approach control for EWR went down again two days ago for a few minutes, heard guard lighting up with an exasperated controller giving final vectors and altitudes.
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Did that happen again today too? We heard an approach controller working on guard and it was massively distracting. We mentioned it to Center and they said they would check down the line but we never heard anything back.
 
sorrygottarunway said:
Approach control for EWR went down again two days ago for a few minutes, heard guard lighting up with an exasperated controller giving final vectors and altitudes.
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It was the frequency that • the bed this time. Ever since they started the construction part of this project our frequencies have been terrible. It’s why we weren’t using 128.55 for so long. They told us nothing changed and it had nothing to do with the move but when 3 freqs all start sucking on the same day something up. Then it turns out they actually moved the antennae smh. A few weeks before the move so many freqs were ots we actually ran out of frequencies to use and couldn’t open up positions that we needed open.
 
///AMG said:
Pretty unrelated, or at least only marginally tangential, but WTF is going on at Seatac? "Network outage" that has been going on since last weekend? Monday, the baggage system was degraded and the arrival/departures screens in the terminal were off. KCM was cancelled too. Today, I figured it was better, I think they brought KCM back online last night. And then I just got an email that the employee lot phones are down. What is happening? Did one of those terminal construction crews take a sawzall to something/somewhere they shouldn't have?
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What happened?

SEA happened. :)
 
NovemberEcho said:
So today the radar for EWR area at PHL went down for about 5 minutes as well as some frequencies. Apparently, this happened as well a couple weeks before cutover but nobody bothered to tell anyone who actually uses the radar. Afterwards, we tried to limit the arrival rate because no one trusts it not to fail again. Command Center and higher FAA has been fighting to keep ops normal saying everything is fine and no need to worry.

Also, it was discovered yesterday that the LLWAS (low level wind shear advisory system) in the Tracon doesn’t work after 6 planes were cleared for the ILS straight into a microburst that we didn’t know was happening.

These are both legitimately highly dangerous failures. It was sheer luck that when the radar failed it wasn’t in the middle of a push or an IMC day. The FAA says it’s fine everything’s fine just keep working like normal. So, next time you fly into EWR/TEB/CDW/MMU, just remember that maybe the equipment is a bit unreliable, and that life is pain and you don’t really have anything worth living for anyway.
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Been doing the LA to EWR redeye a lot this month, landing at about 5am.


PENNS at 9,000 and then cleared direct PATRN for the ILS 22L works for me.


Keep up the good work!

K thx bye
 
just cut out the middle man.

Have ARTCC vector to final and change them to tower. :) :)
 
///AMG said:
Pretty unrelated, or at least only marginally tangential, but WTF is going on at Seatac? "Network outage" that has been going on since last weekend? Monday, the baggage system was degraded and the arrival/departures screens in the terminal were off. KCM was cancelled too. Today, I figured it was better, I think they brought KCM back online last night. And then I just got an email that the employee lot phones are down. What is happening? Did one of those terminal construction crews take a sawzall to something/somewhere they shouldn't have?
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Mrs was through there with the kids today and no wi-fi.
 
MikeD said:
Oh wow, it’s that bad? That’s saying a lot there.
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To give an example, most of the focus has been on N90 for years because of how they coded delays.

So say ZNY calls down and says they need 20 miles in trail over BIGGY. But there’s 2 BIGGY airborne already and 3 more just took off from jfk/ewr/teb. That means N90 needs to make 100 miles of airspace to get the in trail that ZNY needs. That means we call the towers and tell them to stop BIGGY departures. This causes delays. This delay was attributed to N90 even though it was the result of a ZNY demand.

This changed earlier this year, and now that delay would be attributed to ZNY. Since that change, delays attributed to N90 have dropped 97%. That’s not a made up number either, that’s the official one. But those misattributed delays is why so much focus was placed on N90. Meanwhile, ZNY needs that 20 in trail because only two people showed up for the swing shift in that Area.
 
Ok so it wasn't me the other day then.

Getting vectored for 11 (vfr).

"Maintain 2000 fly heading 120 report airfield in sight"

"Airfield in sight"

*static*, no sound, then regular radio resumes*

A minute later, after I've blown through final at 2,000 and 3 miles from the airport I get a word in. "You're supposed to be with tower!" Well, ya, obviously, but I didn't get the switch.

It's a Seneca, so chop-and-drop works good;last long time. No harm no foul.

That's not a good frequency to be having reliability issues.
 
Fixtur said:
Ok so it wasn't me the other day then.

Getting vectored for 11 (vfr).

"Maintain 2000 fly heading 120 report airfield in sight"

"Airfield in sight"

*static*, no sound, then regular radio resumes*

A minute later, after I've blown through final at 2,000 and 3 miles from the airport I get a word in. "You're supposed to be with tower!" Well, ya, obviously, but I didn't get the switch.

It's a Seneca, so chop-and-drop works good;last long time. No harm no foul.

That's not a good frequency to be having reliability issues.
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You’re VFR what kind of rookie ass • is the controller doing asking you to report the field? If it was me your ass would be on the tower and out of my hair soon as you were deconflicted with any of my stuff lol
 
That’s what I was expecting too but hey man I’m just following orders up here.

Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been cleared an approach going vfr into a busy bravo.

“Uhhh. Cleared straight in 22L…”

I get it though. You guys are slammed and vfr traffic into EWR isn’t too common.
 
Fixtur said:
That’s what I was expecting too but hey man I’m just following orders up here.

Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been cleared an approach going vfr into a busy bravo.

“Uhhh. Cleared straight in 22L…”

I get it though. You guys are slammed and vfr traffic into EWR isn’t too common.
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Did the controller sign off with “byeeeee” by any chance?
 
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