HD

This thread is about hydraulic failure - when did engine failure come into it?

Mister Geezer is giving a perfectly valid explanation of the way he would operate if the situation that this thread is alluding to came up. It has to do with airmanship, company SOPS, and above all aircraft design.
If the emergency cards do not call for a LAND Immediately/ASAP/As Soon As Practicable (or whatever the wording is nowadays in civvy aircraft), then there is no need to call a PAN.

The pilot should in the event of hydraulics, inform ATC just in case there is runway contamination.

How ATC react to that info is up to the unit orders - be it a full emergency, local standby etc.

Maybe Mats part 2 for units needs to be updated or, as is more likely, they are fine as they stand because they work to the lowest common denominator i.e. not all aircraft have triple redundancy systems etc... better to go full emergency then have the AFS downgrade it. Hell, the AFS could even downgrade it on the advice of a company engineer.

HD, the good old days of when you were an ATCO have long gone I am afraid (and I don't mean that to be derogatory... I think that the opportunities for exchange of ideas etc were much better than they are now)... the flow of information and knowledge has reduced, in no small part due to the difficulties in getting a jump seat ride.

I'm sure Mister Geezer and the other professionals out there are not at all happy with such a sweeping statement either.

I would no sooner tell a pilot how I think he should fly his aircraft than I would expect a pilot to tell me how to control.
I have extensive military flying experience, but it's a moot point... it was military and it's in the past. I may have opinions and I may have an educated guess as to the mindset of a civilian pilot, but I would never deign to infer that I was more knowledgeable than them.

I agree that the fam flights for you guys can help in these situations but they are still available :ok: . I have arranged two fam flights for ATC staff (both post 9/11) with my present company and my last and it was all easily arranged and all above board. With regards to my present and previous employer, both had a blurb in the ops manual saying that fam flights were allowed for ATC staff providing prior permission was sought through the normal channels. I am not sure what the rules are for every UK operator but I would hazard a guess that most of them would still welcome you with open arms!! :)