Continental Airline Pilots and ATC at Houston

[RSixer]

Continental pilots, I fly into IAH frequently. Also, I have jumpseated in your cockpits many times going into IAH.

Yesterday (March 11, 2009 around sunset), I was going into IAH and the weather was IFR with a small pocket, clear of clouds near the aiport, well inside of the FAF for the westbound runways.

Many of the CAL planes going into IAH were accepting visual approaches going into IAH. How could you guys accept visual approaches at that time? There was no way you could conduct visual approaches. So, ATC tried to pressure us to take a visual approach into RWY 26R. Unfortunately, my captain fell for the bait because ATC threatened to break us off from the approach and re-sequence us. The result was that ATC gave us some wild vector, well inside of OWELL FAF that resulted in an un-stabilized approach that I managed to save. However, both my captain and I were extremely upset.

I have jumpseated many times on CAL in the cockpit. I've seen you accept visual apps into IAH and then fly straight into the clouds which is a violation of the FARs.

So, please CAL pilots, do not accept visual apps going into IAH when conditions are not VFR. You are breaking regs and giving the controllers a false impression that conditions are safe for visual apps when they are not.

IAH controllers, please stop issuing visual apps when conditions are below VFR.

My passengers and I will thank you.

I know where this guy is coming from, I used to think I knew everything too. Ive been flying in and out of IAH for three years now an I have to say " dude I have no idea what your talking about." But if your that worried about it maybe you should stop riding on Continental jumpseats, we probably wont miss you (and your passengers).

 

[satpak77]

do a search on his previous posts, sounds like a moron. Supposedly ATP but all sorts of stupid questions

http://forums.flightinfo.com/search.php?searchid=2082760

Claims to fly an RJ but not mentioned in his profile. Mentions the 172 tho, prob a Hawk XP conversion, caution wake turbulence

Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 216
Civ/Mil: CIV
A/C Flown: BE1900D, DHC-6-300, CE172, CE182, CE210, PA28, BE58, BE76, CE310, CE414
Ratings: IRA, SEL, MEL
Curr Position: Regional
Total Time: 3100
Posts: 216

 

[ableone]

Thanks for the thread folks, it's been everything I thought it could be.

 

[CA1900]

Thanks for the thread folks, it's been everything I thought it could be.

Not yet it hasn't!



Mesa sucks.


There. Now we're done. :laugh:

 

[bizicmo]

Not yet it hasn't!



Mesa sucks.


There. Now we're done. :laugh:

You left some out.
1) Stupid backpacks and spikey hair.
2) Obama sucks.
3) Bush sucks.
4) General Lee sucks.
5) PFT's suck.

Anybody else please add on to the usuals.

 

[IamGumbyDammit]

Being Politically Correct SUCKS!

 

[scarface]

I'm of the opinion that what happens when you're on the jumpseat stays on the jumpseat. Naming the airline and their alleged infractions is poor form, in my opinion. The crew has granted a favor that many crewmembers rely on for their ride to work. When you lose it, as I recently have because my company pulled out of MDT, it adds significant stress to your life. I only rode company aircraft and the few screw ups I observed stayed in the cockpit and jumpseaters who observed some of my screw ups returned the favor.
I have observed aircraft accepting visual approaches when the RVR was being quoted in interesting numbers, however I could see said aircraft well beyond 3 miles from the approach end of the runway. In my opinion safety was never compromised.

 

[Glacialfury1906]

The result was that ATC gave us some wild vector, well inside of OWELL FAF that resulted in an un-stabilized approach that I managed to save. However, both my captain and I were extremely upset.
My passengers and I will thank you.

How exactly did you "save" it? Did you take the controls? Good job ace..

 

[RSixer]

Next time you want to jumpseat on CAL make sure you identify yourself as that massive tool on flightinfo, so at that point I can send your ass back up the jetway.

 

[Booker]

How could you guys accept visual approaches at that time?

Well, obviously CAL pilots are a bunch of reckless aviators with a flagrant disregard for regulation and safety (that's sarcasm, if you couldn't tell). Seriously, what type of response did you expect to your digression?

My passengers...will thank you.

Sweet! None of my own passengers have said to me, "Thanks for refusing a visual back there," let alone someone else's passengers. I look forward to the gratitude!

 

[b707guy]

Being Politically Correct SUCKS!

Kittens give Morbo gas.

Oh, yeah. New Kids Suck!

Back to the thread: We were going into BWI a few years back and Approach asked if we had the field for a visual. We were about 10 miles out, and we didn't have the field. The evil, heartless, testosterone-laden ATC controller came back with something along the lines of "everyone else is calling the field that far out...", to which I said "we may be blind, but we're not stupid - we'll call it when we see it". As it was, we could barely see the bay. Turned out a hazy bank was moving in from our direction and things went down from there. Whose plane is it anyway? Jeez! Grow a set!

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

hahaha. After reading this post and then reading some other posts by this guy i've come up with the real scenerio.

Said pilot and his captain are upset becuase CAL was accepting visual approaches in IAH. Well, I think these airplanes are fictional binary generated aircraft created from FStraffic and MFSX. Wow, he saved the day by saving an unstable approach.....most professional pilots in this case would execute a missed approach but then I'm glad he didn't after reading some of his older posts on proper missed approach procedures. Not a clue this grasshopper. The only CAL jump seating this guy does is on youtube.com watching the in flight videos. I too have now jump seated on BA's concorde, and many many approaches into KaiTek. Hey Cathay, how could you accept the checkerboard approach with visibility below 5 miles, you really made it un nerving for me when I was flying the space shuttle and had to fly the visual behind you into Hong Kong, luckily I saved the day as I had no power, but then again, there is a large body of water near the airport. If Sully can do it, I can do it.

 

[RSRVWINDSURFR]

I have jumpseated in your cockpits many times going into IAH.


So, please CAL pilots, do not accept visual apps going into IAH when conditions are not VFR. You are breaking regs and giving the controllers a false impression that conditions are safe for visual apps when they are not.

My passengers and I will thank you.

On behalf of all CAL pilots, I would like to thank you. You see, at CAL, we're not very up to date on FAR's and procedures, so we definitely can use all the insight and tips we can get. In fact, at Continental, our ops-specs require us to have flown with at least three regional FO's in our jumpseats within the preceeding 90 days to stay current. Your vast knowledge and experience instilled upon us is not just appreciated, but required in our jumpseats. So, next time you jumpseat with us, please, please tell us how we could have done a better job. Jumpseat post-flight critique from regional f/o's such as yourself is the foundation of our continuing qualification and training.

We, and our passengers, will thank you.

 

[Singlecoil]

Were they doing a charted landmark visual? Like something titled, "Freeway visual" "Mall visual" "Stadium Visual", etc? I.e., there is a jepp chart with that title.
If you are doing one of those approaches, you don't have to have the airport in sight, only the landmark specified in the approach.

 

[OneBadLT123]

hahaha. After reading this post and then reading some other posts by this guy i've come up with the real scenerio.

Said pilot and his captain are upset becuase CAL was accepting visual approaches in IAH. Well, I think these airplanes are fictional binary generated aircraft created from FStraffic and MFSX. Wow, he saved the day by saving an unstable approach.....most professional pilots in this case would execute a missed approach but then I'm glad he didn't after reading some of his older posts on proper missed approach procedures. Not a clue this grasshopper. The only CAL jump seating this guy does is on youtube.com watching the in flight videos. I too have now jump seated on BA's concorde, and many many approaches into KaiTek. Hey Cathay, how could you accept the checkerboard approach with visibility below 5 miles, you really made it un nerving for me when I was flying the space shuttle and had to fly the visual behind you into Hong Kong, luckily I saved the day as I had no power, but then again, there is a large body of water near the airport. If Sully can do it, I can do it.

Oh man this just made my day. Thanks