Why they do that? a Q&A with NY approach.
#121
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Position: In the TRACON
Posts: 109
Hey TonyWilliams, everything you posted was fact.
Where did I say pilots should ignore TCAS RAs?
I think if you read the rest of that post, you'll see where I wrote an informative post about why controllers sometimes run airplanes 500' above or below VFRs...I have absolutely had pilots from different companies respond differently to RAs.
Where did I say pilots should ignore TCAS RAs?
I think if you read the rest of that post, you'll see where I wrote an informative post about why controllers sometimes run airplanes 500' above or below VFRs...I have absolutely had pilots from different companies respond differently to RAs.
#122
Well, as I understand, that controller was working a massive chunk of airspace, including several satellite airports as well as high altitude RVSM airspace -- all by himself (almost), and in the middle of the night. I understand that this mid-air occured in the high flight levels involving two IFR flights.
I don't know all the facts and I'm not saying the accident still couldn't have been avoided with proper RA procedures by the Russian pilots but my understanding of the events was that the primary errors by the controller led to the situation in the first place.
Finally, as to the large airspace, European airspace is virtually dead at night as most of Europe's airports have night flight bans. Of course there are overflights but there is less night traffic in Europe than in North America.
Anyway, I'm not calling anyone here out on anything. At this day all we can do is learn from what happened and try to avoid the same errors in our own flight decks. Humans operate aviation (still) and humans make mistakes. We try to learn from them and avoid repeating them. That is the lesson here.
#124
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2010
Position: N90-EWR
Posts: 91
Just got home from working a shift from hell at N90/EWR today. With JFk on the ILS 13L, and LGA on the ILS 13, very strong crosswinds made landing on 22L an adventure for most of the dayshift, and even when we tried rwy 11, we had more aircraft go around and divert than actual landings.
BTW on an earlier post I mentioned that when JFK and LGA go to the ILS 13 that it has very little impact on EWR I was referring to when EWR is landing rwy 22L or 4R. We can't land on ILS11 while JFK is on the ILS13L because a go around off RWY 11 (and boy we had a lot of those today) goes right into the JFK downwind on the river (they're at 2500 by the Verrazano bridge going up the river. We have to shut down JFK traffic (which we had to do several times during the shift) to run rwy 11's, and alternate airport hold/grounds stops. Same was going on with LGA and TEB all morning alternating holds/ground stops.
Total mess. It was one of the worst shifts I've had in a long time. I think we had more diverts than landings.
BTW on an earlier post I mentioned that when JFK and LGA go to the ILS 13 that it has very little impact on EWR I was referring to when EWR is landing rwy 22L or 4R. We can't land on ILS11 while JFK is on the ILS13L because a go around off RWY 11 (and boy we had a lot of those today) goes right into the JFK downwind on the river (they're at 2500 by the Verrazano bridge going up the river. We have to shut down JFK traffic (which we had to do several times during the shift) to run rwy 11's, and alternate airport hold/grounds stops. Same was going on with LGA and TEB all morning alternating holds/ground stops.
Total mess. It was one of the worst shifts I've had in a long time. I think we had more diverts than landings.
Last edited by Ajax; 12-01-2010 at 01:33 PM.
#125
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2010
Position: N90-EWR
Posts: 91
And as for that whole TCAS RA thing. Tony is correct. I wont speak for other facilities, but I know I personally try to either turn or stay more than 1000 feet from VFR traffic when and if feasible, however, due to the congested and complex nature of our airspace this is not always possible/practical. If I know that I'm going to be less than 1000 feet vertical, then I make sure to call out the traffic to both parties involved (assuming I am talking to the VFR), and alert you of any other traffic that may become a factor once you respond to an RA.
It is not uncommon to see an aircraft respond to an RA to known traffic in which both pilots have each other in sight, only to have that RA climb cause another conflict. One of the most common spots for this happens in the area just to the northeast of CDW where the MMU ILS23 localizer crosses the EWR and TEB downwinds. many times VFR departures out of either N07, or MMU, or CDW will climb below the bravo up to 2900, where they're "legal", but dangerous as hell, and force an RA climb of a TEB or MMU arrival into a EWR arrival, which sometimes has resulted in the EWR arrival to RA climb into one of our brezy departures going overhead. I filed a very interesting triple play TCAS RA NASA report not long ago with such an incident.
It is not uncommon to see an aircraft respond to an RA to known traffic in which both pilots have each other in sight, only to have that RA climb cause another conflict. One of the most common spots for this happens in the area just to the northeast of CDW where the MMU ILS23 localizer crosses the EWR and TEB downwinds. many times VFR departures out of either N07, or MMU, or CDW will climb below the bravo up to 2900, where they're "legal", but dangerous as hell, and force an RA climb of a TEB or MMU arrival into a EWR arrival, which sometimes has resulted in the EWR arrival to RA climb into one of our brezy departures going overhead. I filed a very interesting triple play TCAS RA NASA report not long ago with such an incident.
#126
Here's what the flight crews have for guideance; the actual RA's corresponding audio message:
"climb, climb"
"descend, descend"
"climb, crossing climb, climb, crossing climb"
"descend, crossing descend, descend, crossing descend"
"adjust vertical speed, adjust"
"adjust vertical speed"
"monitor vertical speed"
"maintain vertical speed, maintain"
"maintain vertical speed, crossing maintain"
"climb, climb"
"descend, descend"
"climb, crossing climb, climb, crossing climb"
"descend, crossing descend, descend, crossing descend"
"adjust vertical speed, adjust"
"adjust vertical speed"
"monitor vertical speed"
"maintain vertical speed, maintain"
"maintain vertical speed, crossing maintain"
#127
The actual TCAS Resolution Advisory (RA) Thresholds:
below 1000 feet MSL - RA inhibited-N/A
1000 - 2350 feet ------ 15 sec --- 300 ft
2350 - 5000 feet ------ 20 sec --- 300 ft
5000 - 10000 ft ------ 25 sec --- 350 ft
10000-20000 ft ------ 30 sec --- 400 ft
20000-42000 ft ------ 35 sec --- 600 ft
42000-above ---------- 35 sec --- 700 ft
below 1000 feet MSL - RA inhibited-N/A
1000 - 2350 feet ------ 15 sec --- 300 ft
2350 - 5000 feet ------ 20 sec --- 300 ft
5000 - 10000 ft ------ 25 sec --- 350 ft
10000-20000 ft ------ 30 sec --- 400 ft
20000-42000 ft ------ 35 sec --- 600 ft
42000-above ---------- 35 sec --- 700 ft
#128
Hey TonyWilliams, everything you posted was fact.
Where did I say pilots should ignore TCAS RAs?
I think if you read the rest of that post, you'll see where I wrote an informative post about why controllers sometimes run airplanes 500' above or below VFRs...I have absolutely had pilots from different companies respond differently to RAs.
Where did I say pilots should ignore TCAS RAs?
I think if you read the rest of that post, you'll see where I wrote an informative post about why controllers sometimes run airplanes 500' above or below VFRs...I have absolutely had pilots from different companies respond differently to RAs.
Didn't say you did, however I admit, I probably only got to the "TCAS / SOP / don't know" part of your post.
Company procedures for an RA should be identical. How would you know what command the flight crew is receiving from TCAS? I posted the actual commands on an earlier post.
If it says climb, you click off the AP and manually pitch the plane up for climb. It's a one half G maneuver. TCAS doesn't give turns, only climb, descend, or stay level.
I have specifically not addressed the Traffic Advisory from TCAS, because it's not compulsory to follow.
#129
I'm going to throw a question out to you pilots...are you able to safely fly on final and land behind a heavy/B757 with less than 5 miles by staying "above" the descent profile of that heavy? I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that if you stayed at a higher profile/angle, and touched down at a point further down the runway than the heavy, that you would stay above such wake. Again, I'll confess I'm not a pilot, so I may be misinformed on this.
Which brings me to another observation. Watching the Singapore heavy coming from Kuala Lumpur go around because of a conflict with a Rwy 11 Colgan arrival that took off 35 minutes ago makes me cringe my teeth every time it happens. Not fair but its just easier for the tower to have a 22L go around than the 11.
go
#130
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Joined APC: Nov 2010
Position: N90-EWR
Posts: 91
This is actually a great myth in our industry. I say that because it's not an exact science by any means or accounts. The problem here's that I know for a fact that you guys have been led to believe that we can follow a 75 by as little as 3.5 miles as long as we're above his glide.
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