Originally Posted by
Hipper
I'm not in the aviation industry, just interested, and I would like to ask a couple of questions please.
1. In relation to VFR and IR flying, firstly, I presume it is reasonable to assume that a VFR only pilot will have a fair knowledge of the cockpit instruments and how to use them, but not so much of instrument landing techniques.
When flying over sea on a moonless night, is that still considered a VFR flight?
2. Not being a commercial pilot, he will be restricted to 6,000 feet. If there was an emergency would he be allowed to fly higher then 6,000 feet to deal with that emergency?
3. I've read the interim AAIB report and it says that 'at 1958 hrs, the controller asked the pilot to check if the aircraft’s altimeter pressure setting was correctly set to 1013 hPa, because the information on the radar indicated FL53. The pilot acknowledged and, shortly afterwards, the aircraft climbed to FL55'. I also notice wayward height movements of the aircraft as seen by radar in the last three minutes of flight.
If flying into foul weather can the pressure as seen by the aircraft vary enough to give wrong readings?
Hi,
1. Yes
2. Not restricted to 6000'. Ironically, a private flight could have been undertaken legally (although this wasn't) but a commercial flight with pax in that aircraft is illegal at night.
3. Yes sort of. But the reason for the instruction to check 1013 was because he was flying to a "flight level" eg he sets 1013 and then FL55 is when the altimeter reads 5500'. The controller could see he was either low or had the wrong setting. Above a certain altitude known as transition altitude, aircraft always fly flight levels. The height of the transition altitude varies from place to place.