The real stupid thing is his name was Blaise not Hector! :confused:

"...because we think we know best ..." ok it's a morning duty so I'll rise to it.Having had numerous Yankee operators down the years read back a pressure setting in inches I see every reason why this was introduced.Check your facts and don't be an arse.

I smile every time I hear it on the Bournemouth ATIS, the automated voice almost sounds 'surprised' to be saying it. :)

The NOTAM about it that said 1mb = exactly 1 Hectopascal. Wonder who got a promotion/raise for changing things for change's sake?

Hooligan Bill - your observation made me laugh out loud!

I blame the French !! ;)

I personally think we should have at least split the difference and gone for "Hectobars"

The last aircraft i spoke to before the Christmas break, the pilot read it back 'hectobollocks', kinda summed it up for me.

At the UK Phraseology Working Group (UKPWG) meeting where this was discussed, it was originally decided (using evidence from other countries) that there would be no requirement to add 'hectopascals' where the pressure was below 1000. Post meeting, one single ANSP reversed their opinion and objected, so now we're lumbered.
NB: Use of the word 'hectopascals' as opposed to 'millibars' is ICAO standard to which the UK filed a 'difference', however, EASA required the UK to comply as it's standard throughout Europe.

Think the French may pronounce it, ''ectopascals'...

You back in the seat now, Jim (Hooli Bill)?

So maybe if the french start using millibars it would work? :ok:

Ee, I bet they're called 'ectopascles oop in Yorkshire and Lancashire. :ok:

Personally I thought the world had gone mad when aviation got rid of oktas to describe cloud cover. You knew where you were with 8 oktas; scattered, broken and whatever else it is doesn't do it for me. I blame the end of grammar schools and the EEC and lots of other things.

obwan,

Couldn't agree more, especially when Few, Scattered etc are defined with reference to oktas in the first place. Let's dumb down met reports even more: let's have just four visibility states - Excellent, Good, Medium and Poor. :E

radarman,
loving your work. Wx has not been the same since we ditched 'Oktas'. Hey, in a country with an expanding population, let's bring back met observers, you know, people with a genuine interest in the weather. Let's pay them for having an interest in applied physical sciences, rather than simply becoming a footballer, a footballer's wife, 'celebrity' or some pointless, marketing toss-pot.

Would just like to correct Zooker's earlier post. Surely Yaarkshire folk would say byecktopascals.:ok:

it's all about habit. I never worked with oktas and to me FEW SCT BKN and OVC are the norm. It's all I ever knew.
The same thing will happen with hPa.
It's not a big deal, we get paid a decent amount of money to adapt to small changes!

ZOOKER/LEGAL TENDER

Check out CAP 410 Part A, according to current version of this we haven't changed from either millibars or oktas. Appears that the CAA version of a Quality Management System and Safety Management System is not as robust as they keep telling us ours should be!

Hectopascals
 

Sounds to me like something from the sweetshop.

'A quarter of hectopascals please'.

No, you get hectopascals from the chemist...next to cough lozenges. Mealy bars were from the sweet shop!