TCAS II saved my life more than once. I'm a believer.
Hallelujah, my friend.
TCAS II saved my life more than once. I'm a believer.
In my opinion, flying in and out of uncontrolled fields without TCAS with passengers in something like a 1900 is a little silly.
TCAS II saved my life more than once. I'm a believer.
I'm sure TCAS is awesome, but if you can MEL it, it's legal to fly without it. Refusing a legal airplane seems like a pretty good reason for disciplinary action to me. Firing seems a little extreme.
A plane that doesn't have a transponder (making TCAS irrelevant), probably will have a com. 4 eyes out front and 4 ears open. Make standard calls, monitor CTAF before getting to the end, and don't rely on the "any traffic please advise" crutch.
This was debated when it happened about a year ago.
It's a legit reason to terminate a pilot. Despite the fact that TCAS clearly adds a greater margin of safety.
However, this plus the A/C compressors from auto zone, and the falsified flight time records shows how management cuts corners.
TCAS II saved my life more than once. I'm a believer.
Says the guy that can hover.
You do what you want man. I've said my bit. I think the ounce of prevention is worth taking a little extra time to switch an airplane or even to get it fixed.
I believe it's an MEL-able system. At Eagle, refusing an MEL'd bird will get you disciplined, but it won't get you canned.
I'm sure TCAS is awesome, but if you can MEL it, it's legal to fly without it. Refusing a legal airplane seems like a pretty good reason for disciplinary action to me.
This was debated when it happened about a year ago......It's a legit reason to terminate a pilot.
Does anybody know if the SOP at Gulfstream is/was to blastoff VFR and pickup the clearance in the air?
I still think there is some missing info.
Ironically, well before he was terminated, Edwards had already turned in his resignation and informed Gulfstream that his last day would be Dec. 12. He had hoped to leave on good terms so he could use the airline as a reference.
Yet, airline officials fired him Dec. 10 after several events went sour, he said.
While flying from Nassau to West Palm Beach that day, the plane's traffic alert and collision avoidance system, or TCAS, sounded a warning that another aircraft was in the vicinity. That prompted Edwards and his co-pilot to immediately climb out of the way of a small Cessna.
On their next leg, from West Palm Beach to Tampa, the traffic avoidance system stopped working, Edwards said. Moreover, the plane had a pressurization problem, which would have required that it remain at a low altitude on the trip from Tampa back to West Palm Beach.
That caused concern because two days earlier, on Dec. 8, a twin-engine Piper arriving from North Florida and a small Cessna trainer based in Lantana collided in a student training area over the Everglades at the Broward- Palm Beach County line. Edwards said he would not have been able to fly around that area in his relatively large twin-engine airliner.
Because of a combination of darkness, thick clouds and the student pilot training area in his path, Edwards told company officials he would not make the flight without the traffic avoidance system in working order.
"One of my reasons was obvious," he said. "It had very likely just saved our lives."
While the plane was parked in Tampa, a mechanic found the system was operating properly. Edwards, however, didn't think it was and insisted he could not conduct the flight. At that point, Tom Herfort, the airline's director of operations, fired Edwards, according to the federal complaint.
In a subsequent letter to Edwards, confirming his dismissal, Gulfstream Chief Pilot James Bystrom said "the aircraft was legal to operate in revenue service. Your decision delayed the flight for over two hours and inconvenienced our customers without just cause."
Edwards said he now has been "blacklisted" from finding another pilot job because of a federal rule that makes his termination open knowledge to other carriers.
I'm sure TCAS is awesome, but if you can MEL it, it's legal to fly without it. Refusing a legal airplane seems like a pretty good reason for disciplinary action to me. Firing seems a little extreme.
While the plane was parked in Tampa, a mechanic found the system was operating properly. Edwards, however, didn't think it was and insisted he could not conduct the flight. At that point, Tom Herfort, the airline's director of operations, fired Edwards, according to the federal complaint.
I know this is coming down to the "can" vs "should" argument. The next flight was going through the alert area, right? He followed a risk assessment process by identifying new risks (the AA with an MEL'ed TCAS), but was anything proposed to mitigate the risk? The article mentioned that one of the issues was the planned altitude. We don't have the whole story. I can't see the whole article, but dx should not have had a problem with some modifications if the flight would get done. Heck, how many ATP or Riddle planes routinely fly above 10K?
It is amazing to me that portions of the aviation industry have gotten to the point that flying VFR without TCAS is considered....how did he say it....a "death sentence".
It is amazing to me that portions of the aviation industry have gotten to the point that flying VFR without TCAS is considered....how did he say it....a "death sentence".
It is amazing to me that portions of the aviation industry have gotten to the point that flying VFR without TCAS is considered....how did he say it....a "death sentence".
It is amazing to me that portions of the aviation industry have gotten to the point that flying VFR without TCAS is considered....how did he say it....a "death sentence".
Interesting, but there is no TCAS in most military planes.I'd say south Florida in a tprop without TCAS, even legally MEL'd could be a serious safety (based on judgement) no-no, purely based on the number of lower altitude mid-airs...
Of course, IMHHAO....