Goldfish Jack
11th Oct 2003, 04:01
Just sitting here, picking my nose and was wondering what is a mercy flight?
Had an interesting one just now - here comes an aircraft from somewhere in Africa, apparantly on a mercy flight (anyone know the ICAO definition of this?) and he requests a visual approach because he is a mercy flight. No problem. Cleared, etc etc blah blah......
However at about 20nm miles out, we have a change of plan and an ILS is requested, for training purposes!!!
Now is this flight a mercy flight, with a patient that is dying, or is it a training flight (?) in which case, the patient cannot be dying and thus it cannot be a mercy flight?
I know I failed to pass standard 6, but surely this is misuse of the term MERCY?
ATCs are required to offer all possible assistance to a MERCY flight, if needs be even delaying other flights (ICAO prioritisation of flights) and now the pilot wants to practise an ILS.
Me thinks: (1) Do pilots file MERCY to try and jump the queue?
(2) Are MERCY flights a matter of life and death, or should they not be called hospital flights (ICAO) ie a patient is only moved once they are stable and able to fly?
(3) Will the next MERCY flight I handle actually be one, or is it a disguise for a training flight?
Now the cherry on the top - they want to return home, after off-loading their ill (?) passenger and file for a MERCY flight!!!!! (crew only).
Now I know why I failed standard 6 - MERCY was french for thank you, so this must be a THANK YOU flight!!!!
Such misuse of the term will only cause ATC to doubt further MERCY flights and it will affect all operators who try and file MERCY flights, because when is a mercy flight a mercy flight or not??? Thank you, sorry MERCI, for your time.
Had an interesting one just now - here comes an aircraft from somewhere in Africa, apparantly on a mercy flight (anyone know the ICAO definition of this?) and he requests a visual approach because he is a mercy flight. No problem. Cleared, etc etc blah blah......
However at about 20nm miles out, we have a change of plan and an ILS is requested, for training purposes!!!
Now is this flight a mercy flight, with a patient that is dying, or is it a training flight (?) in which case, the patient cannot be dying and thus it cannot be a mercy flight?
I know I failed to pass standard 6, but surely this is misuse of the term MERCY?
ATCs are required to offer all possible assistance to a MERCY flight, if needs be even delaying other flights (ICAO prioritisation of flights) and now the pilot wants to practise an ILS.
Me thinks: (1) Do pilots file MERCY to try and jump the queue?
(2) Are MERCY flights a matter of life and death, or should they not be called hospital flights (ICAO) ie a patient is only moved once they are stable and able to fly?
(3) Will the next MERCY flight I handle actually be one, or is it a disguise for a training flight?
Now the cherry on the top - they want to return home, after off-loading their ill (?) passenger and file for a MERCY flight!!!!! (crew only).
Now I know why I failed standard 6 - MERCY was french for thank you, so this must be a THANK YOU flight!!!!
Such misuse of the term will only cause ATC to doubt further MERCY flights and it will affect all operators who try and file MERCY flights, because when is a mercy flight a mercy flight or not??? Thank you, sorry MERCI, for your time.