mm43's chart - visuals - flying testbed (huh?)
Two (2) questions, somewhat connected.
Charts, Plates, and angles/distances of REILs, PAPIs & etc. Readers' attention is respectfully requested to be directed to mm43's chart or graph, depicted in post no. 661, above. It depicts a range of approach information, altitudes and ground elevations especially, and related data points derived therefrom. QUESTION is, do there exist depictions of visual cues at distances along a given approach to a given runway? Let me attempt, at least, to illustrate the underlying predicate for this query using the current quasi-investigatory thread. A goodly number of members have analyzed and/or commented upon, or at least provided input of just an informational variety about, the ability of the 1354 pilots to see the PAPIs, and related stuff about the visual set on approach. Stuff like was there a beacon on a hill at some point, what could the CT guy see and whether that matters, and especially the possibly emerging consensus that the approach was flown so low that the visuals blocked the pilots from knowing they were too low -- no, let me make that harsher - the visuals worked in a very nice evil and ultimately fatal conspiracy to lock the pilots into a terribly wrong sense of complacency. So, are there Jepps of the visual variety? I'm asking this even though I am willing to gamble that the Flight Safety simulator programs depict approaches (duh) but how close or or far are those depictions from what the Mark 1 eyeball sees out in front of the aircraft? In terms of very specific alignments of PAPI at given combinations of altitude and distance, and terrain or obstructions, and so on.
Question two. Has anyone tried to build (I know, you'd need funding first, I get that) a testbed aircraft that would shoot approaches which experience has shown to be troublesome, for the purpose of finding out not just what the next approach plate will depict, but a truly safe approach? Let's say a souped-up ex-Pan Am DC-10-30, loaded with instrumentation, ramped up powerplants, and pilots holding zero bs tolerance for other than precision in measurement and analysis. I note this even though I once tried to buy exactly that type of Airplane using nothing but my own name to pay for it...no of course I had not figured the cost of redoing the livery so that it would read, in bright Maize letters outlined in a Blue border with a narrow white space in between THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. (Against a Gleeming white base coat all the way down to about 10 degrees port & starboard up from the nose gear doors.) Anyway, does somebody already operate such a testbed for getting better parameters for FAA to improve approach designs?
Thanks for reading. It is a privilege and an honor to be able to communicate with all the fine pilots and others on this board who actually know about this stuff - and I am loath to overstate my welcome, and hence welcome all comments and criticisms.
I'm WillowRun 6-3, la-covet (Hebrew for, 'in honor of') the Willow Run Laboratories of the University of Michigan. Good Day.
Last edited by WillowRun 6-3; 23rd Aug 2013 at 18:52.
Reason: adding THE is the reason