View Single Post
  #3  
Old July 12th 03, 01:27 AM
Dave Hyde
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Larry Dighera wrote:

I can readily understand the physics involved in such a "reduction" in
pilot ability so spot the frontal area of an inconspicuous (lights
out) fighter airplane traveling at ~500 knots.


In the example we are discussing, which airplane was flying with
no lights? Which one was flying at 500 knots? While an A-7 might push
500 on some legs of a low level it's not likely he was that fast
masking in the mountains. The glider pilot reported (how he knew
is not stated) that the A-7 was at 360 KIAS. Fast, but not that fast.
Back in the timeframe of this accident it's unlikely that you'd find
an A-7 on a low-level (intentionally) without lights, as well, day or
night. I hear that the Romulan cloaking device was inop too.

Even better, would have been for the fighter pilot to give way to the
aircraft that had the right-of-way by virtue of the regulations both
pilots were duty bound to follow.


You should read the supplemental info. *BOTH* pilots were _trying_ to
give way. You'll see that *neither* pilot was reported for failure
to see and avoid, but that the glider pilot was written up for his
decision(s) to loiter in the published, active, and reported active
MTR.

(and I think I'm duty-bound by the charter of the newsgroup to
report that an A-7E is not a "fighter" :-)

One wonders why the A-7 radar
wasn't used to spot the glider in advance of the impact?


How effective do you think the APQ-126 is at spotting
small fiberglass airplanes in ground clutter?
Hint: It's an air-to-ground radar. Would you rather
have a pilot heads-down staring at an ineffective radar display
or heads-up scanning for traffic?

The use of radar aboard the A-7 for collision avoidance seems obvious.


I don't think you know very much about the A-7 radar. Using
an ineffective radar for collision avoidance is neither as obvious
nor as smart as using a sectional and a phone/radio call to FSS
to avoid hot MTRs.

I'd be most interested in the information contained in those articles.


They're on their way.

Why do you make it sound like it was solely
Mr. Garner's responsibility to avoid the military jet?


Because I don't think ROW was the issue here.
Neither pilot failed to see the other. Neither pilot was
faulted for failure to see and avoid. The NTSB _has_ addressed
"the inherent limitations of the see and avoid concept of separation
of aircraft operating under visual flight rules" [...on MTRs], but
their conclusions are/were not to your statisfaction, I suspect.
One pilot used the system as it was intended and followed
procedures intended to prevent midairs - the other pilot
did not. I do not see right-of-way as a blanket absolution
and/or reason for chucking what I (and the NTSB, as reported)
see as the major causal factors in this mishap.

I cited the only MTR reference I saw in the AIM. If the AIM contains
more MTR related information, I'd be interested in reviewing it.


The section you posted was sufficient and clear in its intent.
Messing around in a hot MTR is risky. Do so at *your own* risk.

Dave 'Fox four' Hyde