Originally Posted by
galaxy flyer
Which is why setting MSA is semi-useless, you won’t climb that high even in places like Denver. Set whatever you want, you don’t have a cleared altitude, so it’s not an issue. When you get a clearance, set that altitude.
But I think that is the entire problem with this discussion. It should never be a question what I will do if I can't talk to ATC. We have had plenty of unstable approaches, leading to GAs in visual conditions. And with ATC too busy to notice/give instructions, that has led to two near misses for just my airline in the last year that I was told about in recurrent, so who knows how many went unreported. Every visual should have a safe way out that is known in advance by both the pilots and ATC.