DHL 727 pilots refuse to fly aircraft
 

Apparently some crewmembers the other day refused to fly HZ-SNE because the GPS system on the aircraft was deferred. Although the aircraft is legal to fly, the company ops says the aircraft has to have a proper functioning GPS in order to operate in Iraq. This has been a problem with this aircraft every since DHL took delivery of the plane. Just last week a crew flying this plane strayed 10 miles into Iran because of the GPS. and Another crew was reported 25 miles off course returning from Kuwait. However maintenance refuses to do anything about it because there are still some crew members willing to fly the plane in order to keep the freight moving and DHL management happy:=

Maybe some of the crews use their own portable GPS units, have seen several crews doing this at my airline.

i wouldn't use my own GPS. DHL management should sort their act out if they want their freight moved!.

:)

Perhaps the old lady just doesn't care for this side of the equator.
 

I'm not the most succinct wordsmith in the library but I hope this was meant to say that the NAV error was due to the crew's lack of a working GPS.

A failing INS**, without regularly scheduled cross-checks could lead one astray in an insidious manner, but not a GPS. The box is designed to flag it's own outputs upon failure.



**Come to think of it, a serviceable INS could do this too. :p

Get used to this, as the experience level continues to fall and pilots lose the ability to do things manually.
Now if the coffee ran out, or the sandwiches were stale, that would be a real emergency!

mel
 

can you not fly without gps ?

Class II airspace, mayhap?

Puzzled Hitchin
 

Would someone please explain why any pilot should routinely disobey the the company SOPs? Irrespective of what a local manager says the SOP has presumably been carefully considered by senior management and says what it does for good reasons. How would the crew be placed if the Iranians quite properly forced an intruding aircraft to land in Iran? Anyone here fancy eating cous cous while trying to explain what a MEL is?

in the company i fly for.... we have the right to accept or not to accept the aircraft after maintenance release, once you accept the aircraft in its current status (MEL's..etc.) once it is signed by the Captain he has responsibility over the aircraft.....

others may have different operational procedures regarding this matter...

just my two cents...:ok:

You can't fly in Iraq without GPS. There are essentially no ground-based NAVAIDS. Before you whine about the crew that can't do anything manually, read the Iraq AIP:

3.3.1.1 A diagram of the ATS routes within the Baghdad FIR is at ENR 3.3-6. All ATS routes in the Baghdad FIR are area navigation routes (RNAV) designated for aircraft approved for Required Navigation Performance 5 (RNP5) operations. Aircraft must be capable of maintaining RNP5 without reliance on ground based navigation aid updates in the Baghdad FIR.

I wouldn't go there without effective nav gear....

Boofhead-"The airplanes I am responsible for range from Beavers through Cessna172,182,185,206, all single engine types, and a couple of Cessna twins, PA31 and a Kingair. They all operate on gravel at times, some on skis in the winter."

I am sure boofhead would still be up for it, bet he'd even do it flying manually as well.

So, what will a working GPS cost, and what will it cost to ransom an aircraft, cargo and crew out of Iran? Or Syria?

DHL aviation operations in The Bahrain Tribune News
 

Although upper DHL management has tried to stop the Bahrain Tribune from reporting the going on's at DHL, the paper will be printing a detailed article about the operations and problems with the airline.. Don't get me wrong for one minute, the pilots there are as professional as you would find at any airline. It's the management and equipment with all their cover ups which need to be exposed.. The next few days are going to be very interesting.:confused::confused::confused::confused:

DHL operations in the Bahrain Tribune News
 

Although upper DHL management has tried to stop the Bahrain Tribune from reporting the going on's at DHL, the paper will be printing a detailed article about the operations and problems with the airline.. Don't get me wrong for one minute, the pilots there are as professional as you would find at any airline. It's the management and equipment with all their cover up's which need to be exposed.. The next few days are going to be very interesting.

Very upsetting stance by DHL---if true
 

I don't think using your own GPS is legal
No hand held unit is IFR capable and not usable for Class II navigation

IFR capable GPS requires an STC

The using of non-approved GPS will not be allowed by any POI-or equivalent official--in the OpsSpecs.

Therefore, I think it's incumbent on the PIC to follow the guidance of the AIP regarding navigation equipment required in said FIR---and adhere to the COMPANY'S OWN APPROVED OpsSpecs:=

:(

Although the Royal Navy demonstrably used a commercial handheld GPS that was probably so that they could get a good photograph.

MOD advise that commercial hand held GPS do not have the safeguards necessary to counter GPS jamming or spoofing.

You need a proper intergrated Sat Nav system where cross checking is performed by the system.

--- and RAIM ---Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring---capacility

Just out of interest why cant they fly map to ground. In the desert of Western Australia there are no nav aids and its all MK1 Mod 1 eyeball

At night? ..

Day time only, I guess it would be interesting if you tried it at night, if you had you cabin lights off your map would match the ground "black"

And notwithstanding you cant go against the company SOP's.