Lowkoon,
Excellent posts. How many radar courses taught by real experts have WE been to ? Other than online training slides, access to manuals somewhere, newsletters, and on-the-job training how much initial and recurring radar interpretation training do we or maybe this carrier get ? How detailed is it ? Other than windshear scenarios, How many sim scenarios of large lines and multiple areas of weather--along with airspace and ATC considerations (with the inherent limitations and problems of the Honeywell radar realistically presented) are trained to ? Do these include regional nuances to places some rarely go ? Do these include turbulence, icing, possible upsets, operating near maximum altitude etc. as part of it ? How qualified would one consider a newly checked out SO to be to operate our radars in a challenging weather situation by himself in cruise ?
How often are we given extra fuel as part of the CFP (especially with the emphasis on taking CFP fuel) to work around large areas of enroute (not terminal) weather ?
We deal with weather every day while one could likely go one's entire career without seeing an engine fail at V1.
Radar interpretation is still kind of an art--and requires both training and experience. While no one would fly through a storm because of borders or ATC direction, airspace, traffic, and fuel are always considerations when trying to formulate a plan to work around areas of weather and exactly where to go. Assistance in seeing weather which might not be yet seen or properly interpreted ranges from nonexistent in asia to very helpful in the US.
Marco, while nothing can be ruled out and everything is speculation I can't see how a power loss at cruise would preclude some form of emergency communication during what would be a controlled descent. Battery and standby power would be available, and even if the APU wouldn't start for whatever reason a ram air turbine would also deploy to provide some form of backup power for communications as well as battery charging. Also total power loss at altitude would result in a lengthy and controlled descent of over 100 miles and more than 20 minutes or so--with multiple radar hits and comm opportunities along the way.
Last edited by Shep69; 31st Dec 2014 at 11:54.