tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post424661180335066743..comments2024-03-13T09:47:40.487+00:00Comments on Cockpit Conversation: I See Fourteen LightsAviatrixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-70401004114871025092015-10-11T22:39:27.469+00:002015-10-11T22:39:27.469+00:00There are six thousand feet in a nautical mile? Ye...There are six thousand feet in a nautical mile? Yes. But if you take six thousand feet out of a nautical mile, you still have 76 feet left. <br />A nautical mile is 1,852 m, which is 6,076 ft in 'Imperial units'.<br />1,852 m is the 'international nautical mile'. Of course the U.S. and Britain (does that include Canada?) don't use the unit that the rest of the world uses. The U.S. nautical mile is 1,853.248 m or 6,080.20 U.S. feet. The British 'Admiralty mile' is 1,853.184 m or 6,080 'international feet'. But in 1954 th U.S. actually did start using the 'international nautical mile'. The Brits held out till 1970.<br />How do I know all this? The 1,852 m I just know, like I know that a U.S. mile is 1,609 m. Comes in handy if you have an interest in aviation and live in Germany. But to make sure I looked it all up on Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_mile" rel="nofollow">Nautical Mile</a><br />Why don't the regs specify the RVR in runway lights? In Italy along the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autostrade_of_Italy" rel="nofollow">autostrada</a> they have big signs telling motorists how fast they are allowed to drive in fog, depending on how many side-marker posts they can see.<br />Love your blog, because you really do the trigonometry (and write well).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-29879473067261995822015-09-23T05:00:35.480+00:002015-09-23T05:00:35.480+00:00IFR flying along with its permutations and combina...IFR flying along with its permutations and combinations of rules and situations makes my head hurt. I seriously want a 1-800-CALL-MY-LAWYER number sometimes.<br /><br />Case in point: KEWR weather is low enough to require CATII Rwy 04R landings. But the rules say that the centerline lights (among other things) must be functioning. The last (far end) 2,000 feet of CLL are NOTAMed U/S. Can I do the approach?<br /><br />I decided yes because the CLL were functioning on the portion of the runway that I would use. Other flights holding must have liked my decision because they started asking to leave the hold and follow me on the approach. No one violated me as far as I know. Later in the day on a return flight I noticed that the NOTAM had been changed to read: RWY 04R last 2,000 feet closed.<br /><br />I can only imagine how many discussions in how many flight decks and control towers this situation caused... Could have all been settled with one call to 1-800-CALL-MY-LAWYER! ;-)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10357752193201032059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-49343690796208220412015-09-22T23:50:31.786+00:002015-09-22T23:50:31.786+00:00I see four lights!
But no, really? I am out of so...I see <b><i>four</i></b> lights!<br /><br />But no, really? I am out of somewhat out of practice with US IFR rules, but I believe the visibility rules are minimums for beginning an approach. Part 91 pilots can finish the approach if key elements are visible - the runway threshold, approach lights, so on. ( 91.175 ).<br />Fancy commercial 121 (scheduled) or 135 (chartered) operators do need the visibility minima to start the approach.<br /><br />And part 91 pilots can take off with 0-0 visibility, but that would be crazy.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991660841701835065noreply@blogger.com