Originally Posted by
ATC Watcher
Can you do that in the US ? Just curious. In ICAO land , which is basically the rest of the world, only the PIC can cancel IFR , never the controller.
Just checked with a colleague flying for LH on 747s: Denti is correct , the “daylight only” SOP restriction is not about visual approches but visual acquisition of other traffic .
Has apparently never been a real issue before probably because normal LH OPS to SFO are daylight.
Looks like this time some people became or were inflexible , the tone and language used did not help either .
As safety was never impaired I am even not sure the FAA will investigate . A diversion is not an incident , although DLH might see it differently .
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You are correct. Only the aircraft commander can cancel IFR - a very sensible internationally observed rule that avoids confusion & emphasises the fact that
only the commander is the ultimate boss. Also there are many airlines with SOP's that prohibit VFR at night (obviously very different to VMC). Again this can be a quite sensible rule - depending upon the operator / destination - but varying its actual implementation in differing circumstances means it is easier & more practical for many airlines' SOPs to just ban VFR at night - and you cannae blame the [any] commander for saying just that. It would seem that SFO needs more consultation (CRM if you like!) and to behave in a less aggressive
"you do it our way sonny - or else" attitude: unfortunately a trait within the USA that seems to be growing. As such it is unhealthy. There can be no excuse for the unprofessional manner exhibited here. If this industry is to stay safe & respected then this sort of attitude must be eradicated.