View Full Version : RC-135 'two near collisions' with civvy airliners (allegedly)...
Rhino power
25th May 2016, 21:28
https://theaviationist.com/2016/05/25/u-s-spyplane-almost-hit-two-passenger-jets-over-the-sea-of-japan-russia-mod-says/
-RP
Martin the Martian
26th May 2016, 12:27
That's a bit rich, the Russians accusing others of being unprofessional.
Wander00
26th May 2016, 12:47
MM - I agree
Treble one
26th May 2016, 12:47
Cos popping down the English Channel in a dirty great Bear with your transponder off is of course a very sensible thing to do....?
ExAscoteer
26th May 2016, 12:59
Kettle this is Pot, I have message, over...
tdracer
26th May 2016, 14:58
Does TCAS work if one of the aircraft has its transponder turned off?
Avtur
26th May 2016, 16:31
Don't think so: TCAS needs to see a squawk to know that something is there. The Rivet Joint TCAS should see a squawking aircraft even if its transponder is at Stby.
barnstormer1968
27th May 2016, 17:28
I'm wondering why the union flag is painted 'in distress' on one side of the fin. The 51 Sqn emblem manages to be correct on both sides.
SwitchMonkey
27th May 2016, 18:00
It isn't "in distress", see page 7 of the document below...
https://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flying_Flags_in_the_United_Kingdom.pdf
barnstormer1968
28th May 2016, 10:04
Switch monkey.
Thanks for posting that, every day's a schools day !
melmothtw
28th May 2016, 10:04
NATO aircraft flying in the Baltic routinely turn off their transponders so as not to 'spook' commercial air traffic and inadvertantly cause their TCAS to activate.
Now, if that's a safe thing to do when the Russians are called irresponsible for doing the same is open to debate.
ShotOne
5th Jun 2016, 20:46
I'm not sure which is most scarey; military aircraft routinely operating close enough to civilian traffic for this to be an issue, or some bright spark deciding that bypassing TCAS somehow "solves" things!
SwitchMonkey,
Thanks very much for the flag protocol link. Fascinating stuff.
What the document illustrates, however, is the 'awkward' nature of the UK. The UK comprises Great Britain (the mainland of England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. But there is not a single mention of Northern Ireland in that document, nor an illustration of its flag.
While we are at it, what about the title of 'Brexit'? This implies British Exit but, as already mentioned, GB does not include Northern Ireland.
Willard Whyte
6th Jun 2016, 09:23
'Ukexit' doesn't exactly trip off the tongue...