lost comm 747
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 24
Likes: 7
From: Cluj-Napoca, RO
kroack, your curiosty wants you to get your hands on a North Atlantic MNPSA Operations Manual.
You'll find the procedures for comms failure in Chapter 7 Communications and Positions Reporting Procedures. It's a bit lengthy and verbose so I won't reproduce it entirely.Mine says:
"it is strongly recommended that a pilot experiencing communications failure whils still in domestic airspace does not enter OCA but adopts the procedure specified in the appropriate domestic AIP and lands at a suitable airport. However, if the pilot elects to continue, then, to allow ATC to provide adequate separation:
(1) if operating with a received and acknowledged Oceanic Clearance [... fly that clearance..]
(2) if operating without a received and acknowledged Oceanic Clearance, [... fly the entrypoint, level and speed as filed in the file plan...]. The initial oceanic level and speed must be maintaned until landfall."
You'll find the procedures for comms failure in Chapter 7 Communications and Positions Reporting Procedures. It's a bit lengthy and verbose so I won't reproduce it entirely.Mine says:
"it is strongly recommended that a pilot experiencing communications failure whils still in domestic airspace does not enter OCA but adopts the procedure specified in the appropriate domestic AIP and lands at a suitable airport. However, if the pilot elects to continue, then, to allow ATC to provide adequate separation:
(1) if operating with a received and acknowledged Oceanic Clearance [... fly that clearance..]
(2) if operating without a received and acknowledged Oceanic Clearance, [... fly the entrypoint, level and speed as filed in the file plan...]. The initial oceanic level and speed must be maintaned until landfall."
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 187
Likes: 0
From: Standing at P37
For what it's worth......
From an engineers perspective - it CAN happen.
I was once in an off line airport with a 747 classic. We put the aircraft to bed at night and next morning after the aircraft was powered up, fuelled, loaded and tech crew tried to use the radios - both system 1 and 2 VHF were inop. Swapped 3 into 1 with success but MEL states you can only have SYS 3 inop (which is for data). Co-incidentally our CMU (Communications Management Unit was also inop and under MEL which had already rendered our SATCOM and ACARS inop) We had to wait 24 hours for two spare VHF transceivers to be flown in.
Whilst number 3 VHF can be switched from data to voice to give you one voice option, if two out of three can go belly up without warning during an overnight sleep, I guess it's not unfeasable to lose all 3 VHF's. This of course occurred before flight and i've only posted as an info item. I'll leave the piloting/inflight decisions up to you guys.
From an engineers perspective - it CAN happen.
I was once in an off line airport with a 747 classic. We put the aircraft to bed at night and next morning after the aircraft was powered up, fuelled, loaded and tech crew tried to use the radios - both system 1 and 2 VHF were inop. Swapped 3 into 1 with success but MEL states you can only have SYS 3 inop (which is for data). Co-incidentally our CMU (Communications Management Unit was also inop and under MEL which had already rendered our SATCOM and ACARS inop) We had to wait 24 hours for two spare VHF transceivers to be flown in.
Whilst number 3 VHF can be switched from data to voice to give you one voice option, if two out of three can go belly up without warning during an overnight sleep, I guess it's not unfeasable to lose all 3 VHF's. This of course occurred before flight and i've only posted as an info item. I'll leave the piloting/inflight decisions up to you guys.
Last edited by Spanner Turner; 17th February 2013 at 11:41.
