Blind Pilot?
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Blind Pilot?
Is this old? (well it wasn't obviously!)
Pilot goes blind in mid-air but RAF talk him down safely - The Daily Record
Pilot goes blind in mid-air but RAF talk him down safely - The Daily Record
Last edited by mustpost; 7th Nov 2008 at 19:43.
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-sto...5875-20874959/
The article in the paper describes both the Cessna & the Tucano as jets!!
The article in the paper describes both the Cessna & the Tucano as jets!!
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Thats the media for you.... My wife was watching a TV show about Jordan and Peter Andre (celebs apparantly) and they were off to S. Africa and flying around in their private jet. She called me through to see this "jet" and it was a Turboprop so technically a jet I guess, but the other aircraft looked suspiciously like a wheezy old cessna 172.
Needless to say I went back to what I was doing
Needless to say I went back to what I was doing
What a great story
What a poor piece of journalism
Best wishes to a VERY lucky pilot - I hope he defies the odds to get back in the pilot seat, although I guess it will be with some sort of NPPL or proximilty limitation now.
I have always been impressed with how the RAF deal with unusual situations and emergencies - D&D in particular, although I doubt that the pilot woud have been able to talk directly to them. Its reassuring that they are there when you need them (especialy when your emergency happens in Yorkshire).
Medals and cake all round
What a poor piece of journalism
Best wishes to a VERY lucky pilot - I hope he defies the odds to get back in the pilot seat, although I guess it will be with some sort of NPPL or proximilty limitation now.
I have always been impressed with how the RAF deal with unusual situations and emergencies - D&D in particular, although I doubt that the pilot woud have been able to talk directly to them. Its reassuring that they are there when you need them (especialy when your emergency happens in Yorkshire).
Medals and cake all round
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Does anybody know for sure what plane type this was? The reports are everything from a 2-seater Cessna to a Citation 
If it was something reasonably equipped then a coupled approach on the autopilot would perhaps be the best way?
If it was something reasonably equipped then a coupled approach on the autopilot would perhaps be the best way?
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To be honest, I'd really like to know more about what he could and could not see, exactly. One report suggests "blind" while another suggests "a blur".
Now a blur would allow you to see the horizon, more or less. Or maybe just the direction where the sunlight is coming from. So you have a reasonable chance of keeping the aircraft right side up without outside assistance. But if the pilot was indeed 100% blind he would not even see the real or artificial horizon and had to be kept right side up by sense and outside coaching alone.
The fact that he attempted three landings before the RAF scrambled a plane (or at least before the RAF plane formed up with him) suggests that he had some vision left, at least good enough to keep the plane upright, accept steering directions (I hesitate to call them vectors because I don't think he could see a compass) and get reasonably close to a runway, on final approach.
Well done all around. And I think 18 years of experience must have helped!
Now a blur would allow you to see the horizon, more or less. Or maybe just the direction where the sunlight is coming from. So you have a reasonable chance of keeping the aircraft right side up without outside assistance. But if the pilot was indeed 100% blind he would not even see the real or artificial horizon and had to be kept right side up by sense and outside coaching alone.
The fact that he attempted three landings before the RAF scrambled a plane (or at least before the RAF plane formed up with him) suggests that he had some vision left, at least good enough to keep the plane upright, accept steering directions (I hesitate to call them vectors because I don't think he could see a compass) and get reasonably close to a runway, on final approach.
Well done all around. And I think 18 years of experience must have helped!
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From Dan Dare; 'I have always been impressed with how the RAF deal with unusual situations and emergencies - D&D in particular, although I doubt that the pilot woud have been able to talk directly to them. Its reassuring that they are there when you need them (especialy when your emergency happens in Yorkshire).'
Not a problem and we would normally talk directly to them via 121.5, 243 or on a frequency allocated by ATC.
Not a problem and we would normally talk directly to them via 121.5, 243 or on a frequency allocated by ATC.
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How do you select an ILS frequency when you can't see?
If you know the frequency that the (presumably Nav 1 [for A/P coupling]) box is currently selected to - possibly aided by selecting ident on the audio panel (by touch - count the buttons from the left) and by having *LEARNED* morse code and being able to read it - you could then count the clicks of the frequency selector knobs and change from current to desired frequency and re-ident.
Fortunately the ILS does not require the CDI (or similar) to be aligned with desired - so I guess that the A/P should be able to cope.
I *have* personally tried the first part - ident and retune, whilst simulated "blind" - but I've never tried to couple an A/P aftwerwards.
The first thought that springs to mind is that many A/P's follow the heading bug - and you wouldn't be able to set that.....ahh, yes you would (with ATC and radar help).
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It depends on how much exactly you can see. If the NAV1 radio is already tuned to the ILS (which in my case it would be say 50nm before destination, because I use NAV2 for VORs) then engaging the AP to fly the ILS is easy enough, and a good AP will take you all the way to the runway. But totally blind? Not really possible.
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Unless the plane had autoland I don't think a lot would be gained by a coupled approach. I would have thought it more likely to be a C172 and a talk down by the RAF plane - as in, descend, add a bit of power, left a bit, right a bit. A bit like an SRA. The RAF would have been his "aircraft attitude" eyes. I don't know where he landed but a big grass airfield would have been useful.
Poor guy though, reports say he is seriously ill. Presumably from an unknown medical condition (as in, unknown when he started the flight).
Poor guy though, reports say he is seriously ill. Presumably from an unknown medical condition (as in, unknown when he started the flight).
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Keygrip, I agree that if you know the frequency nav1 is on, you can flip that frequency to standby, count the keyclicks and flip the new frequency to active. You don't need to learn morse: you can just ask ATC for what the ident should be and ask them to spell it out in morse.
Flip-flopping your nav1 frequency in the air is fine but if you make just one single mistake in flipping or adjusting your com1 frequency, you're not just blind, but deaf as well. I would not, under any circumstances, give up my ability to talk to someone when I just lost my vision. If D&D wants to talk to me, fine, they can join me on my present frequency, thank you very much.
Having said that, the GNS 430 (and possibly other units) have a feature where you press a certain button for a number of seconds and then it puts 121.5 in the standby frequency straight away. That's the only thing I would possibly give a try, as far as my com1 is concerned.
Not a problem and we would normally talk directly to them via 121.5, 243 or on a frequency allocated by ATC.
Having said that, the GNS 430 (and possibly other units) have a feature where you press a certain button for a number of seconds and then it puts 121.5 in the standby frequency straight away. That's the only thing I would possibly give a try, as far as my com1 is concerned.
Last edited by BackPacker; 7th Nov 2008 at 12:46.
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Unless the plane had autoland I don't think a lot would be gained by a coupled approach.
Or simply let the A/P fly the ILS but ask ATC to give you a cue when you're 10 feet above the ground. Then disconnect, chop the power, pull back the column until you hear the stall warner, and keep it there until you touch.
Landing on a large airport with a large, unobstructed runway and specialist emergency services nearby would be preferable than landing in a large field of unknown quality, I'd say.
I would have thought it more likely to be a C172 and a talk down by the RAF plane - as in, descend, add a bit of power, left a bit, right a bit. A bit like an SRA. The RAF would have been his "aircraft attitude" eyes.
It would be like sitting next to someone in a car and giving driving directions along the lines of "steering wheel to the right a bit more", "break" and so forth. I think James May did that once in Top Gear, having a blind guy drive (race, actually) around the circuit.
Last edited by BackPacker; 7th Nov 2008 at 13:55.
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press stupidity!
his four-seater Cessna jet
The RAF said a fighter plane used for training pilots was sent up to intercept Jim's Cessna. It had been modified so it was able to travel at a slow enough speed to fly alongside the Cessna.
"My father could not see anything at 15,000ft. He would not have made out a hand in front of him, let alone see a runway. It is a miracle he is alive.
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As usual, bad journos have ensured that the storey dosn't stack up. Why/how would you modify a Tucano to fly slowly enough to pace a "Cessna jet"? Can a Tucano even keep up with a Citation? If it was a C152/172, 15,000ft is a tad high, although it would explain a possible stroke at that altitude. I too would be incapacitated or die of old age before my C152 achieved that altitude.
Well done RAF, Excellent! - best wishes and a speedy recovery to Mr O'Neill.
Well done RAF, Excellent! - best wishes and a speedy recovery to Mr O'Neill.