Funny how they go to all the trouble of interviewing that numpty (the SLF not the controller) and then cannot bother to get on tape one of these go-arounds that happen all too often. On the other hand maybe they did and it showed it for what it is - a complete and utter non-event that does nothing for the dramatic impact of the story. Boneheads.
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I particularly like the write up to the vid.
Quote:
Each year thousands of planes are forced to pull up at runways at major American cities. The manouver is called a 'go around'. As Ted Shaffrey reports, some are concerned about the safety of this practise.
Surely, going around is safer than crashing into another aircraft or continuing with a bad approach configuration, or have I missed something here?
I can see the TV report now...."Motorists across the US avoid literally hundreds of collisions each and every day using a procedure known as braking.... Car passenger Howard Kronberg told our reporter 'These near collisions are an accident waiting to happen' "
Still, almost as bad is the radio report on Reading 107FM this morning which told listeners that the Air France Concorde crash was caused by its "tyres catching fire".
Gee… I thought landing on top of another aircraft whilst on the runway was more dangerous than going around. Can someone please clarify which is safer?
While a go-around is a perfectly safe proceedure you do have to wonder about the wisdom of operating in a way that makes them a regular occurance. Isn't it a bit like operating with one of the holes in the cheese lined up.
You have to give these journalists credit. It takes real talent to find the least qualified (and most ignorant) person to interview for these pieces. Since the piece was filmed in the US, the journo probably encouraged the hapless SLF to contact his attorney immediately in order to file a suit against the airline for scaring him.
Whoever put that piece of tosh together certainly isn't a journalist, not in my book. Journalists do research and gather facts. If it's unresearched and isn't factual, there's no journalism involved. End of story.
While a go-around is a perfectly safe proceedure you do have to wonder about the wisdom of operating in a way that makes them a regular occurance. Isn't it a bit like operating with one of the holes in the cheese lined up.
Cwatters, you are absolutely correct. Whilst most of us, including myself, have been responding to this as a bit of a wind up, the root cause is what is really worth examining. I've had a few go-arounds that were due to extreme crosswinds, but most often it has been due to runway incursions.
And your point is, why can't something be done about that? I think we know the answer, i.e., through BALPA, ALPA, etc., but since the real solution relies in persuading governments to mprove infrastructure, it doesn't seem that message always gets through.
At least not very quickly, and unfortunately it too often takes a tragedy to get the attention of the politicos.
SLF here.....Was a PAX on a WX induced situation years ago aboard Delta.
We had been delayed due to severe thunderstorms all around the southeast but finally departed to ATL. Then WX became worse 10 miles out ATL. Cptn took the hole ATC offered but right around 500' (and I swear it was closer to 200') he initiated not a go around, but aborted the landing into ATL all together due to windshear. It was undoubtedly the worst I've ever experienced with the turbulence and lightning as we were now going back up into the storm (people screaming, praying, crying and puking). We were directed to TYS and once at the gate, I was sitting in the cockpit chatting with the crew about the events and as passengers disembarked, they were either grateful to be alive or gave him S#iT for risking their lives. Most had no appreciation he'd probably saved them.
My point is that having seen the ungrateful PAX for myself, the Captain told me that Delta would undoubtedly get calls about his flight and his decision. These days, my guess is that PAX want immediate gratification on "being heard" and the media indulges them. What a waste of time and attention. There just isn't the level of respect for flight crew anymore and I think the media are to blame.
There was a similar story in a Hong Kong newspaper last week. There seems to be a new movement developing amongst passengers... Here is the article:
Scare for 170 Cathay passengers as pilot forced to abort landing May Chan Updated on Jun 26, 2008 A passenger described frightening scenes aboard a Cathay Pacific flight that aborted its landing shortly before it was due to touch down at Chek Lap Kok yesterday morning.
Peter Krien, one of the 170 passengers aboard flight CX829 from Toronto, said it was the scariest flight he had ever taken. The Airbus A340 approached Chek Lap Kok at 6am when both the No 8 typhoon signal and the red rain warning were in force. "As the plane began to descend, the weather was so bad that I could not see anything but a grey mass outside the windows," Krien, who is a journalist, said. "And there was turbulence ... little kids were scared and some people clasped their hands and started praying." He said that when the screen on the seat back read that the flight was one minute away from landing, he felt the plane pick up speed rapidly and gain height. "In all those years I have flown, this was the scariest flight," Krien said. "Finally, the flight landed after making a big circle. We were so happy that it landed safely. Everyone was clapping and shook hands with the pilots as we left the cabin." A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman confirmed that the flight was forced to abort a landing. She said pilots had the power to make decisions about landing when there were safety concerns over bad weather. The Airport Authority said Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen had delayed 135 inbound and 182 outbound flights and caused 25 flights to be cancelled.
Love the bit which says "The manouver is called a 'go around'. As Ted Shaffrey reports, some are concerned about the safety of this practice".
What a muppet! Hasn't it sunk in that not going around is far more dangerous. Gutter journalism at it's worst!!!!!
It's been at least 20 hours since my last go around. ATC told us to go around and we got as close as 1000' from the ground during the procedure. Expect to see it soon on CNN!
2 Career go-arounds and 1 as positioning SLF. Of the first two, 1 was runway incursion, 1 because of poor sequencing. The 1 as SLF was backed up by a cabin anouncement as soon as the AC was reconfigured, explaining the situation - The press would be distraught - no screaming, crying, puking or near deaths in the cabin - can you believe it!!!!!!!
The point I am making is that timely cabin announcements can work wonders (workload permitting).
.... OMG!!!! DAN!!!! How could you endanger the AC by being so wreckless! The honourable thing to do would be to inform AP so that they can add this near catastrophic event to their list of near-death experiences. They should start to keep a global portfolio - It would surely be brimming with stories of all us wreckless pilots who take pleasure in trying to kill our PAX and ourselves!
I think you are all missing the point of the video which is that ATC induced go-arounds are the problem. They are saying if air traffic is so heavy and ATC so busy that they are having to make people go-around then something is up. Pushing tin. Sounds fair enough to me. This isn't about the actual go-around manoeuvre rather one of the reasons for us having to do it.
Mungo Man - This is a valid point for busy terminal areas, and yes, protected airspace is finite - but the spin of this report (as with almost ALL media reports of aviation) is both uninformative and misleading - Did the reporter and editor wish to convey a true and accurate story, or were they looking for viewing figures - you decide.
Remarkable lack of any useful information whatsoever in that "news report" except for the fact that there is an IKEA store right besides Newark airport. Isn't that just so handy? Must remember that for the next time I'm there
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