faa recomendations for the .................

[ruhroa]

well ...............................
i am totally shocked that none of you have addressed the very disturbing recomendations the FAA has just posted for the legacy drivers especially given the recent events in Brazil.......................... avweb this morning if you are interested..............

 

[CA1900]

How about a link to a specific story instead of a wild goose chase?

 

[dvrdwn]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,geneva]From AVWEB: http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/bizav/909-full.html#195645[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,geneva][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,geneva]Meanwhile, Embraer Crews: Watch Where You Put Your Feet[/FONT]

Anyone flying an Embraer Legacy or EMB-135/140/145 regional jet should be very careful where they place their feet while airborne. That's according to the FAA, which earlier this month issued a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) [PDF] noting pilots "might inadvertently change VHF radio frequencies or place the ATC transponder into standby mode during flight." [Yes, AVweb is aware of the circumstances surrounding the midair collision covered in the story above.] Apparently, an FAA investigation into an undisclosed issue resulted in the agency's discovering "crewmembers who had the simple habit of placing their shoe on the footrest just below the instrument panel could inadvertently put the ATC transponder into standby mode" or change radio frequencies without the crew's knowledge.
As the FAA's SAFO dryly noted, "switching a transponder with a functioning traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) to standby mode renders the TCAS ineffective, and is therefore one of the most serious consequences of a pilot’s foot inadvertently contacting the radio management unit. Two airplanes equipped with TCAS would fail to see each other if they were on a collision course. Pilots could presume TCAS was operating normally if they failed to notice the subtle TCAS OFF indication on the Pilot Flight Display." The FAA recommends training facilities and operators of affected aircraft ensure their respective crews are aware of this hazard and exercise care when using the provided footrests.

 

[Raskal]

well ...............................
i am totally shocked that none of you have addressed the very disturbing recomendations the FAA has just posted for the legacy drivers especially given the recent events in Brazil.......................... avweb this morning if you are interested..............

Why is the recommendation for an addition to the training disturbing?

 

[CelticCitation]

If you're a crew that has been involved in a mid-air over Brazil, and your own government issues a SAFO while the court proceedings are still under way that gives a credible reason to blame you for the accident, you might be a little concerned.

 

[Raskal]

If you're a crew that has been involved in a mid-air over Brazil, and your own government issues a SAFO while the court proceedings are still under way that gives a credible reason to blame you for the accident, you might be a little concerned.

Huh, wouldn't the training recommendation actually help their case? The finding seems to point out a fault in the current manufacturer-developed training program. If the pilots haven't been trained how do they know, correct? Seems to me like it would help quite a bit.

 

[CelticCitation]

Maybe I've been watching too many lawyer shows lately, but it looks to me like the Brazillians have been trying to hang the whole thing on those crazy Americans. Now the FAA has issued a SAFO that supports the case of the Brazillians, that they turned off their transponder, TCAS, etc. The defence that the locally made Embraer is faulty, in that putting your foot on the instrument panel turns things off, doesn't seem like it would fly. Especially since there are thousands of Jungle Jets flying everyday, with what I would presume to be the same foot rest. None of them seem to be running around, turning transponders off, or hitting other airplanes. That might be a question for the regional board, how often do things get turned off when using the foot rests.

Either way, if I were in that situation, I would rather that no one were trying to find a way to explain why I had the transponder off. If it is such an issue, maybe it is a aircraft certification issue.

CC

BTW, I've been watching Boston Legal lately. It not only makes me an expert on international law, but cracks me up every time Shatner says anything.