PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Air France jet clips smaller plane at New York's JFK airport
Old 27th Apr 2011, 13:23
  #365 (permalink)  
Wino
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FMGC

Your smiley "" would seem to suggest that this is a silly suggestion but many, many non US airports do this. Many have more than 1 ground freq that will cover the ramp and the taxiways in that area (for example ground north or ground south). Then the aircraft on the taxiways and the stands in one particular area are all on the same freq.



You should think about what you are suggesting here. What MIGHT have happened was a result for moving from one sector frequency to another while taxiing around on the ground. What is the difference if it is at one arbitrary point or another on the ground. Infact JFK already has multiple ground frequencies (121.9 and 121.65). Then there are about 10 different ramp freqs...

If you made 12 different ground freqs how would that be safer? as you make the orbit around the airport on taxiway A or B, you are suggesting that having your head down for 12 freq changes would be safer? Not to mention all the extra transmissions required to sign on and off of each freq?

Here is reality. JFK is a large busy airport. No one person can possibly be watching all aircraft movements. On the other hand, every aircraft commander IS responsible for the safe operation of HIS aircraft and must know how wide a gap he needs to taxi his aircraft forward. If he doesn't know that, he's not qualified to fly his jet. Airfrance was not broad sided. It struck a non moving object. Quite simply, no matter how large the aircraft, there is no, I repeat NO excuse for it.
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