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Old 27th Feb 2014, 18:43
  #563 (permalink)  
DozyWannabe
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Originally Posted by CONF iture
How does it justify to not look one step further ?
Haven't we all been looking at least one "step further" for nearly 30 pages and nearly 600 posts now?

Why speculation should be your exclusivity ?
That makes no sense - OG's specifically inviting you to speculate there.

What would be the point to benefit from alpha max only in case of 'optimum conditions' ?
That's when you're in deep problem you want to rely on it and that's how Airbus is selling it.
"Optimum conditions" in this case meaning only enough airspeed and time for the systems to stabilise at or as near as possible to 17.5deg AoA. Asseline had neither, largely down to his own decision-making. The systems can't defy the laws of physics.

Airbus promoted the systems as being able to help pilots get themselves out of trouble, and in that respect they do. But by disabling A/THR/Alpha Floor or getting the aircraft so low that Alpha Floor is inhibited, a pilot is going outside of Airbus's recommended operation techniques and will therefore be responsible for the consequences.

Asseline writes on Page 29 :
Apologies for rough Google translation:
It is in this particular atmosphere, very different from the usual work of an airline pilot, I have been tasked to present this aircraft [at] Habsheim.
...
The test drivers were using Airbus and abusing [highlighting?] this feature each public release of the aircraft. Pilots received training in the demonstration lap in Toulouse, above cities.
Such equivocation stands in marked contrast to Asseline's confident attitude during the briefing on the CVR:

Bon alors, décollage, virage à droite, on laisse le volet 1, enfin on fait un décollage normal, on rentre le train et avec les volets 1, tranquillement on va chercher notre truc. Dès qu'on l'a formellement identifié, on sort la tôle jusqu'à volets 3 train sorti, on fait un passage à cent pieds, train sorti et là, tu me laisses faire. Je t'amène en alpha max, je débraye l'alpha floor et à ce moment là, si je te dis que c'est dur, tu m'aides et tu tiens les gaz à vario zéro.

where in response to a query from his F/O as to how to increase thrust and escape:

Tu veux t' faire reluire là-hein ?
he says:

Ben, ça. J' l'ai fait vingt fois, c'lui-là.
Which I believe is along the lines of "I've done this twenty times". If he had indeed done it twenty times over Toulouse, I strongly doubt he'd have been doing it at 100ft.

Note also this phrase in the briefing itself :
...je débraye l'alpha floor et à ce moment là...
Which clearly indicates that his intent *was* to disable Alpha Floor, and it seems he missed it in the event.
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