Posted on 05/23/2005 12:53:40 PM PDT by SmithL
This pilot strayed much further into the restricted area than any of the previous ones had, and he did this by ignoring the arrival of flare-dropping fighter jets and helicopters for quite a while after they started trying to intercept him. This is what caused the alert to be raised to the highest level, and the evacuation undertaken. He not only didn't know how to avoid the restricted airspace, but he also demonstrated dangerous cluelessness when he failed to react to the arrival of his "escorts". His actions were consistent with those of a pilot who has no intention of changing course even after he knows he is being directed to do so -- he was just clueless, but there was absolutely no way to confrim this, while there had been with the previous interlopers.
Can you confirm, that if you turn on your altimeter and have a working radio, air traffic control will often help you out even before you end in restricted space, and give you assistance in other ways, free of charge?
As if that would have made it okay.
Too dumb???? You need to read incident and accident reports for the airlines and military. Many of them make this man look like a genius.
When the plane does not respond to radio calls ,the Controllers are under orders to scrambled the Jets.
+++
And this did not happen with FOUR high-jacked planes on 9/11 because...?
This guy would lose a dogfight with a frozen turkey.
I think you mean Transponder not altimeter. An Altimeter measures the altitude a plane is above sea level. A Transponder answers a radar probe by returning a number that tells the controller the planes location. A Transponder can be linked to an altimeter to tell the controller your height as well as position over the earth.
A Transponder that returns the number 1200 says the plane is flying under VFR ( Visual flight rules). If one is flying IFR (instrument flight rules) one is always in contact with a controller. The controllers assign a Transponder Ident number for that flight.
Back in the 1970s when I was a student I got a bit confused while on a cross country solo trip. I was traveling from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Cincinnati Ohio. From Dayton Ohio to Cincy is all built up. And I was not able to determine my position from a map. I couldn't' tell one 4 lane highway from another. So I just called the controller on the radio and told him I was not sure of my position. "NOT quite sure of my position" is pilotese for "I am totally lost. For God's sake PLEASE help me!"
The controller gave me a number to dial into the transponder and told me to push its ident button. When I did the controller told me exactly where I was. I was only about a half mile off course. He asked me my destination and when I told hem Lunken Airport he offered to direct me there. Lunken is often called Sunken Lunken because it is hard to see. The controller gave me what are called vectors as in "come to a heading of 150 degrees." That means turn until the directional gyro says you are flying 150 degrees. As you travel on the controller will change your heading to keep you on course as needed.
When you are close enough to the destination airport the controller will say something like, "Lunken airport is 5 miles at 12 O'Clock. Let me know when you have the airport." That means your destination is five miles straight ahead. Look out the window and tell me when you can see it." You always can. The proper reply is , "I have the airport" The controller will then tell you to contact the tower and give you the tower frequency to call. One then calls the tower and requests to land.
Before I got my instrument and commercial rating, I often called controllers for help in navigation.
I remember my first trip into Chicago Midway. I had filed a flight plan and was using controller assistance. I failed to make a right turn to go to Midway. The controller asked me my destination.. which he already knew. When I told him Midway, he said,"In that case make a 90 degree turn to the right or let me know when you reach the Mississippi River." He was having fun with me.
There is no cost to the pilot or plane owner for controller help. My primary instructor always told me... NEVER EVER BE TOO PROUD TO ASK A CONTROLLER FOR HELP.
He said, "There are old pilots and bold pilots.. but there are NO Old Bold Pilots."
This guy is lucky to have is pilots and instructors licenses revoked before he kills himself or someone else.
Prior to 911 there were no military planes on instant call able to be scrambled instantly. It takes a ton of money to have a couple of jets ready to fly in seconds. Twenty four hours a day one has to have planes and pilots ready to take off in seconds.
I don't recall from where, but on 911 the planes to cover new york had to come from some distance... It took several minutes to get pilots in the planes and tens of minutes to get them to new york. It was too late.
You'll recall that a plane (a Cessna 150) crashed into the white house when Clinton was President.
I was talking about NOW.. In Washington DC.
If someone wanted to fly in resricted air space in Cleveland Ohio it would be much like 911.
The Pentagon, the Capital and the White House are a much different matter post 911.
At 69 years of age, I suspect this "punishment" is mostly an object lesson and symbolic.
Just a note, there USED to be fighters within a few miles of WTC - but Clinton closed the base during the period he was president.
Figures...
Can you confirm, that if you turn on your altimeter.
Yes if you have your earphones plugged into your altimeter.
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