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Arguing pilots fly 150 miles past runway
The Guardian ^ | 23 October 2009 | Haroon Siddique

Posted on 10/23/2009 4:53:30 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi

Many a person has missed their stop on a bus or train at one time or another because they were engrossed in a weighty conversation or a book.

But when the pilots of Northwest Airlines flight 188 became distracted it had more serious consequences as they overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles.

"They were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explained.

When the pilots got their "situational awareness" back they turned the Airbus A320 around and landed it safely on Wednesday evening, apparently without any of the 144 passengers realising they had taken a roundabout route.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: aerospace; airlines; flight118; northwest; nwa; oops; pilots
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To: zipper

Thanks for editing my post to change the meaning of it.


101 posted on 10/27/2009 9:24:35 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: zipper
I never heard of a handheld GPS with a built-in barometric altimeter.

No? Look here.

http://www.yenra.com/handheld-gps/

102 posted on 10/27/2009 9:27:15 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: ColdWater
Thanks for editing my post to change the meaning of it.

You're welcome, I enjoyed confusing you with the facts.

103 posted on 10/27/2009 9:34:15 PM PDT by zipper
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To: zipper
You're welcome, I enjoyed confusing you with the facts.

I really don't see how you came to that conclusion and I have no idea why you decided to rag on me. We were both responding to the same poster in the same manner when you started ragging on me. What's up?

104 posted on 10/27/2009 9:37:15 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: ColdWater
my post #30:

I never heard of a handheld GPS with a built-in barometric altimeter.

But they are available, and I’m sure it would come in handy for measuring cabin altitude.

http://www.yenra.com/handheld-gps/

105 posted on 10/27/2009 9:38:13 PM PDT by zipper
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To: zipper
my post #30: I never heard of a handheld GPS with a built-in barometric altimeter.

That's what I posted. Exactly. And then I gave you a link to to educate you.

106 posted on 10/27/2009 9:39:56 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: zipper

Truce? Just tell me where we clashed in the past?


107 posted on 10/27/2009 9:40:39 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: ColdWater

It’s all tongue-in-cheek, but factual. A gentle ribbing. Hey, we’re all brothers here — I save my ammo for Democrats!


108 posted on 10/27/2009 9:41:04 PM PDT by zipper
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To: ColdWater
That's what I posted. Exactly. And then I gave you a link to to educate you.

How many names are you posting under? I posted #30, in response to someone else, and you never posted anything before that. I was pointing out (with the link I provided) that GPS's with baro altimeters do exist, as a simple search produced (thus the link), and I could see why they would be handy for some pilots.

109 posted on 10/27/2009 9:48:17 PM PDT by zipper
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To: zipper
It’s all tongue-in-cheek, but factual. A gentle ribbing. Hey, we’re all brothers here — I save my ammo for Democrats!

I can have fun with the best here! I save my ammo for the marxists.

110 posted on 10/27/2009 9:49:38 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: zipper
How many names are you posting under? I posted #30, in response to someone else, and you never posted anything before that.

Correct. I just noticed that you had posted to him:

"I never heard of a handheld GPS with a built-in barometric altimeter."

and took the time to give you a link to examples.

111 posted on 10/27/2009 9:53:13 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: ColdWater
I can have fun with the best here! I save my ammo for the marxists.

Yes, once in a while one slips in over here, but for the most part they're over at DU, HuffPo, Daily Kos, and, sadly, ABC, CBS, MSLSD, CNN, PBS, Time, Newsweek, LA Times, NY Times, the WA Compost, both houses of Congress, and the White House. As a partial listing.

112 posted on 10/27/2009 9:54:43 PM PDT by zipper
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To: zipper

Here is a link to a Garmin response on why they have barometric altimeters in GPSs.

http://gps.about.com/b/2008/04/12/gps-vs-barometric-altimeters.htm


113 posted on 10/27/2009 9:56:46 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: zipper

At least we can count on the Chicago mob to keep them away.


114 posted on 10/27/2009 9:58:54 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: ColdWater
and took the time to give you a link to examples.

Which happened to be the same link I gave to him in my post #30, to illustrate that they do exist despite the fact I had never heard of them before.

All fine but I don't think (not 100 percent on this, but fairly sure) those handhelds are legal for primary navigation anyway. Put another way, a private pilot would be ill-advised to pull one out during an FAA examination in the aircraft, under normal circumstances.

115 posted on 10/27/2009 10:00:52 PM PDT by zipper
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To: ColdWater
Interesting link. Thanks.

But I would think without the local altimeter setting (made available to pilots while in the air, by radio with ATC or other means) there is no correction factor for the baro altimeter function, and the GPS is therefore probably more accurate (though I don't know their specs on the spatial error probability for that model).

That might explain why the first commenter complained about the altitude being 21 meters different in reading the second time he was in the same spot. 1/100 of an inch in baro setting is about 10 feet in altitude, so 21 meters is about 66 feet or about .06 inches difference, which is not an unrealistic change in baro settings if the weather is changing over the time period.

116 posted on 10/27/2009 10:13:02 PM PDT by zipper
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To: zipper
All fine but I don't think (not 100 percent on this, but fairly sure) those handhelds are legal for primary navigation anyway

Illegal for Instrument flight.

117 posted on 10/27/2009 10:25:14 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: TankerKC

I can’t help but laugh at the sheer stupidity of these pilots! If I had been on that plane I’d wonder were the hell we were going.


118 posted on 10/30/2009 9:28:17 AM PDT by POWERSBOOTHEFAN (Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord,For His Name Alone Is Exaulted)
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