Cardinal
26th May 2006, 02:21
When cleared for a visual approach what altitude do you set in the altitude alerter or Mode Control Panel? Looking for some input on your airline/operator's policies on this issue. We are in the U.S., flying B1900Ds. Our system is a dumb alerting box with no autopilot in the loop. As it stands, we are required to put pattern altitude (1500' agl) in the box. This generates a "bong" 1K prior at 2500 AGL, then 300' low at 1200 AGL.
Both of these bongs come during a very busy phase during the final maneuvering, configuring, and frequency changes of the flight. These "stray" bongs are perhaps acknowledged (we're not required to do so) if things are quiet at that instant, but ignored wholesale if we're in the midst of a checklist or radio transmission.
My personal feeling is that the C-chord of the altitude alterter should be a sacred sound, one that both crewmembers absolutely must look up, identify, and acknowledge. My fear is that our procedures condition us to pay less attention to the bong, a circumstance which will eventually bite us during another similarly busy period of terminal maneuvering. We don't have an autopilot that will level at the selected altitude if we are distracted. If the PF and PNF are simultaneuosly distracted, we bust the altitude - period.
Beyond that, what the heck is pattern altitude? We spend almost no time there, we occasionally fly it during a downwind leg at an uncontrolled field. That's it. At our Class B hub it is a completely superfluous, academic concept. I used to just ignore the manual on this issue, but now I'm tasked with teaching it and it's killing me. Thus I'm doing some research prior to taking my case to our operations people. If you could include your carrier that be helpful as well.
So what do you set in the alerter when you're cleared for the visual?
Both of these bongs come during a very busy phase during the final maneuvering, configuring, and frequency changes of the flight. These "stray" bongs are perhaps acknowledged (we're not required to do so) if things are quiet at that instant, but ignored wholesale if we're in the midst of a checklist or radio transmission.
My personal feeling is that the C-chord of the altitude alterter should be a sacred sound, one that both crewmembers absolutely must look up, identify, and acknowledge. My fear is that our procedures condition us to pay less attention to the bong, a circumstance which will eventually bite us during another similarly busy period of terminal maneuvering. We don't have an autopilot that will level at the selected altitude if we are distracted. If the PF and PNF are simultaneuosly distracted, we bust the altitude - period.
Beyond that, what the heck is pattern altitude? We spend almost no time there, we occasionally fly it during a downwind leg at an uncontrolled field. That's it. At our Class B hub it is a completely superfluous, academic concept. I used to just ignore the manual on this issue, but now I'm tasked with teaching it and it's killing me. Thus I'm doing some research prior to taking my case to our operations people. If you could include your carrier that be helpful as well.
So what do you set in the alerter when you're cleared for the visual?