Nigel on Draft, I imagine someone listening in alerted the media who then approached NATS for comment
What a joke. Nats blabbing to the media before any investigation. Is that a government organisation?
I could not agree more...
As a result of this NATS action, I certainly will re-think co-operating with ATC and accepting a "late landing clearance". Vlad shows as little understanding of multi-crew ops as the press tend to with:
I'm all for the pilot having a say now and again but when the man (or woman) in the tall pointy office says "go around", if I was down the back I'd much rather you did.
Vlad - a 737 has a 2 pilot crew. 1 flying the aircraft, the other handling the RT. A "late landing clearance" can be difficult because you (the ATCO) broadcast your "instruction" to 1 pilot, yet the action required is by the other pilot. Ideally a crew can discuss and ensure they have both understood an instruction in the same way.
Ab:
In my (admittedly limited) 15 yrs in UK London aviation I've never heard an ATC instruction to G/A given in other than an utterly authoratative, unmistakable form, typically, "Silverbird 123 GO AROUND!, I SAY AGAIN! GO AROUND!"
This isn't missable, it isn't mistakable, it isn't ignorable.
Even the NATS blub to the press admits the ATCO did
not do this in the incident in question, but combined the GA transmission (and preceded it) with the routine language used for a landing clearance.
Almost all ATCOs and pilots will have misheard, or misunderstood, an ATC transmission. If NATS at London (LGW/LHR), who I thought were "onside", are going to play out incidents in the press rather than allowing the AAIB/CAA to investigate, I for one am sorely disappointed and will rethink how I fly - particularly in terms of late landing clearances. At LHR, twice I have received a clearance so late even had we gone around we would have touched down in the process. We "knew" we would be cleared, having been forewarned, and the drawn out "XX123 t h e w I n d i s 2 4 0 at 1 5, y o u a rrr eeeee clear to land". Guess in future I'll just GA at 100'
Might one ask for the ATCOs on here to express their disapproval (if they agree) to their management over this "press comment"?