Use this forum to flag up examples of red tape and gold plate
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By kanga
#1701182
PaulSS wrote:... I really dislike being given 3/8 sm ... Tell me 600m and I'm good to go ..

...


In most (ie the metric) parts of the world, a pilot can request altimeter settings in "Hg rather than the local HPa default, and in my experience in UK (usually at RAF airfields being visited by US military) get it instantly. At a US airport with published IFR Approaches, can a pilot request and get distances, eg RVR, in metres ? Or would that typically flummox an American ATCO ?
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By PaulSS
#1701193
Good question, Kanga. I've never heard of them being able to give RVRs in metres. The typical attitude is that when in Rome...... :|
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By PaulSS
#1701320
Well, I suppose since we are in the Red Tape Forum I will accept the hair-splitting and admit the US do not (usually) use the term 'Approach Ban'. However, for US Part 121 and Part 135 carriers they are not allowed to make an approach beyond the FAF unless the weather is above minimums (never mind the qualification that if a FAF is not available then outer marker or 1000' ATDZE apply etc). However, this is all the same thing, no matter what you label it. It is an ICAO 'rule' as well as being adopted by EASA regs, FARs etc. Most of the time it only applies to the RVR/visibility/factored visibility but in some places e.g. China, they will also factor in the cloud base. So, no, not only a Company SOP (although all the companies I have flown for abide by it).

Nevertheless, when I'm approaching the point at which I decide if I can continue an approach (call it what you will) then hearing >= 75m RVR for a CATIIIB is better than trying to decode statute miles into metres, which most of the rest of the world uses, even if the US does not.
By tomtytom
#1725931
If out walking with the scouts, i imagine everything in Km for distance and Meters for height gain whilst walking.
Jump into a car/minibus and i'm now thinking of everything in Miles and MPH
Switch into a plane and its NM for distance, Kts/KPH for speed and feet for height.

When the missus is complaining the house is cold i set the central heating whilst contemplating how many BTUs its going to take.
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By T67M
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1725979
Those aren't too bad. The one that gets me is measuring a car engine's power output in kW rather than BHP.

Although people who measure power in BTU rather than BTU/hr are just plain wrong!
By condor17
#1726598
GTE , lovely rant .... but I'm opposed .
1 NM ..... 1 minute of arc at the equator , [ Gt circle ] therefore angular measurement ; and on this oblate spheroid of ours brill for navigation ... nautical , aeronautical , desert , and I suspect space . Not so good on the meandering , rolling English road .
Metres vis has been in since 1971 to my knowledge , that was decimalisation time , Old D to New p . Not sure 'wot it was B4 then , maybe yards ; which is nearly a metre ................
Calculator time ... 550m x 39 = '' ins devide [ no symbol ] by 12 = 'ft devide by 3 =yards ...... = nearly 600 yds .
600 m. was the old Cat 1 hand flown minma . That got changed to 550 m.
Maybe it was originally in yds , changed to m. Then realised they'd Not converted , and could gain an extra 50 yds/ms in landing limits .
I suggest that there are not so many pilots flying from pre 71' , thus everyone from that time on has M.s in their brain and muscle memory and a change could be V.V. difficult .

I'm with SS [ and he's a baby... Deffo not Babe ! ] on this . Briefing to the US , groping around looking at the forecast , time limited , Ops waiting on a fuel figure , trying to get head around Statute miles , not easy .
[ A least US changed temps to C from F , some while ago . Free'd up many brain cells ; not least 'wot to pack ] .
On tower freq , vis 1/4 sm , ...1/8 sm etc . '' WT+ '' does that mean ? Soon learned to have a small conversion chart on clipboard .
Yes we can learn new numbers , but it's easier on the brain to learn decent round numbers 1500 , 800 , 600 , 550 , 400 , 75 etc . they can be pulled from memory to go to work in brain , to compare with limit of the day ; more easily than 1/8 , 1/4 , 3/8 , etc .

No work today , as it's 9999 , gone to 7K , down to 5000 , tempo 1400 , prob30 tempo 0300 , sky obscured , RADZ ........... Hence time to type !

rgds condor .
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1726619
To me, runway length (landing distances etc) is thought of and specified in meters, so I relate RVR to the runway length, and so it makes sense.
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