(unhappy tone)
IO540 :
If you think that your IMC rating makes you "safer" when IMC...
Maybe it helps you handle the airplane without getting upside down, which is a good thing (but I think all PPLs should be trained to do that), but please remember that NO RATING in your pocket will never protect you from another airplane in IMC in front of you !
No piece of paper will build a wall arround your airplane !
So play with your own life if you want, be non legal if you want, that's your own business, but stop flying wild IMC in controlled airspace outside UK, and telling the ATC you are VMC !!!
Trying to convince anyone that this is a "good attitude" is just foolish, and proves you have a very poor idea of the ATC's job and environment.
(change of tone...)
Hello Broomstick,
All you say is really interesting and makes sense, thanks very much, that raises a lot of ideas.
You are right : one main problem is that procedures against pilots that commit violations abroad hardly fly over national boundaries, unless a real crash occurs.
Europe is only a dream and a paperwork nightmare, but those important things have still room for improvment.
To tell you how often this happens, there is now a common joke between ATCs when the weather is very very bad and one ATC has a VFR in radio contact.
- What ? You have a VFR today ?? Must be a Brit !
Sometimes we write a report, sometimes we don't, for I'm not convinced these violations reports will "fly" through the Channel and their authors be punished as they should.
I'll have a look at that next time.
The real worst thing is when they lie about their conditions. At least when they say the truth, we can handle that (more or less).
And do you know we even have some commercial G-reg airplanes (light twins), carrying passengers
for hire, that fly through the channel VFR (in order not to pay the IFR Eurocontrol fee) in a solid IMC, sometimes even intensive IMC ?
When it is "too obvious" (I mean, 200ft ceiling and 1000 meters vis) they sometimes request an IFR clearance on arrival... but spent 99% of the flight in solid IMC.
Now we try to treat them as IFR for safety purpose, and apply IFR separation rules with other IFRs, when we "can recognize" them (we had this "VFR airline" from Southampton for a while), but we had some fears at first when applying VFR/IFR separation rules...
I think there is a big problem with attitude, not only with Brits of course.
We also have other problems, that you probably have too : airspace violations, flights with no contact, very low altitude flights, poor preflight briefing, poor decision making, human factors, poor self-training, poor english abroad, etc.
There are many reasons for these violations, and it's quite a hard work to try to improve attitudes and provide safe and useful information to all.
That's also the reason why we'll organize some Safety Seminars (first one should be in June) on different topics.
I would be happy to write an article for any UK magazines (Flyer?), if someone can correct my non-native English :-).
Most pilots think that being a Pilot is just shaking controls of an airplane...
Which is completely false.
Being a Pilot is taking good decision (which often means cancel flight, land as soon as practicable, turn back home, divert, or go around).
Being a Pilot, is more in your head than in you hands !
(Copyright ATC_Frog
)
And thanks very much Broomstick to welcome me.
I must admit that if you have few French on PPRUNE, it's mainly because we (French people) usually do not speak English very well...
That's a real problem !
Frog_ATC
PS1 : For my own information : can you carry passengers for hire in UK, in IMC conditions, without IFR flight plan ? (with IMC rating)
I would say no, according to international rules, but I'm not sure.
PS2 : Second question for my own information : what legal equipement for the airplane is required to fly it under IMC rating ?