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Old 31st Oct 2011, 15:14
  #11 (permalink)  
B737NG
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Europe
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DH-25

There it comes where the individual person at the regulatories buddy has no technical clue nore any practical understanding what are the consequences of issueing these none sensed restrictions.

CAT IIIb was implemented for fail safe operation where the Autopilot is satiesfying the requirements for safe touchdown and rollout. Now with DHīs implemented of 25 feet, 22 feet, 15 feet or whatever the Regulatory Authority is excercising the "right" to do so, mainly to show that they are concerned of safety.

In the reality it jeopardizes and undermines that effort. Mostly at or below 27ft, 25ft, depends on Type, the Autothrottle walks back to idle and the flare mode starts. That is the moment the Airplane will touch the RWY, now you have that moment where you "decide" to Go-around. Pushing TO/GA button and the acceleration of the Engines takes much longer with, in most cases, the main wheels touching the RWY momentarily and then taking off again to. It does not demage the Airplanes, they are built to do so. TMīs tell you that, in some SIM-excercises you can also demonstrate that.

The common PAX will be the one who is not convinced by the fact that the wheels touched and we could not "land".

The surprised Pilot can revert his decission that the ground is reached and disconnects the Autopilot to "stay" on the ground and starts to fight with a out of trim plane that shows the nose into the sky and Centerline getīs lost quickly. Situation like that getting dynamic quickly and then out of hand / ability. Yes I know, when one Crew Member calls Go Around we do that and stick to the maneuver with a missed approach followed that bulked landing but the human is still the weakest part in the chain and there is, at least until today, not maintenance programm invented that integrates the human into the closed loop.

Food for thought, I am open to take another sight as well and be happy if someone could educate me further.

Fly safe and land happy

NG
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