News Flash - Pinnacle Requests Type IV in August

[xjjetdog]

Today on our way to GFK, we overhear a Pinnacle crew looking for a place to divert because of the weather in MSP. A requirement for their diversionary airport was if they had Type IV anti-ice fluid. They finally felt comfortable diverting all the way to GRB, because it was the only station that had Type IV in stock in August!!!! Someone in the Pinnacle training department needs to step and start teaching certain Pinnacle crews that Type IV fluid does not keep ice off the aircraft while enroute.

 

[Yank McCobb]

Who cares?

Feel better about yourself now?

 

[Captain X]

It's kinda funny though....like the time we heard all the guys diverting and entering holds b/c the visibility was "below mins." I had the FO ask center to call approach and ask what the RVR was -- above mins.

We led the pack in that day after passing everyone holding at the arrival gate.

 

[viper548]

Well you have to get the type 4 if you are going to fly thru clouds. J/K. Is there anyone around in Aug that can even run the de-ice truck?

 

[sballs]

its pinnacle whatwould you expect,

 

[Jumpseater]

Reserve pilot pissed at acheduling and "flying by the book"? Lets screw the company go way out of our way. I've done it at my last company. Seems kind of funny in august. Without all the info who knows what was going on.

 

[arthompson]

As far as the mins are concerned you folks need to realize that PCL is still Cat I, and has quite a few new (read High Mins) Captains.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

I have a hard time believing the SOP's require diversion during summer based on type IV availability. Although, if they do, you can imagine what other nonsense is in there, and taught by non-pilots to boot...

 

[Way2Broke]

Who Cares?

 

[blackbox]

Who Cares?

exactly...

If it was any other airline, we wouldnt hear a word about it. And who knows if it's true, XJTboy might have made it up.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

exactly...

If it was any other airline, we wouldnt hear a word about it. And who knows if it's true, XJTboy might have made it up.

Where in this thread do you see an "XJTBoy" or any reference to XJT at all? The original poster obviously works for Mesaba.

 

[quartermile]

From a 9e dispatcher, nice try at flame bait.

 

[standaman]

Today on our way to GFK, we overhear a Pinnacle crew looking for a place to divert because of the weather in MSP. A requirement for their diversionary airport was if they had Type IV anti-ice fluid. They finally felt comfortable diverting all the way to GRB, because it was the only station that had Type IV in stock in August!!!! Someone in the Pinnacle training department needs to step and start teaching certain Pinnacle crews that Type IV fluid does not keep ice off the aircraft while enroute.

If it was a company policy then good for them. Who cares wether it makes sense or not in the middle of August. If the requirement is true then it exists for the safety of the passengers, aircraft, and crew. You can't just pick and choose what rules are valid today and what will be valid tommorrow. It's all or nothing in my opinion.

 

[CA1900]

If it was a company policy then good for them. Who cares wether it makes sense or not in the middle of August.

Are you telling me you'd feel 100% confident looking your 50 passengers in the eye, telling them that you diverted to BFE rather than somewhere reasonably close to their destination, because you couldn't find deicing fluid in the middle of the summer?

If the requirement is true then it exists for the safety of the passengers, aircraft, and crew. You can't just pick and choose what rules are valid today and what will be valid tommorrow. It's all or nothing in my opinion.

Safety? No. The requirement exists because the bureaucrat who wrote the manual didn't think it through, and an illogical rule is in the book. Bring it to the airline's attention (I'm sure this incident will), and it'll get corrected. Don't hide behind safety when you know that's a crock.

This isn't a question of "picking and choosing" rules. This is a question of using your brain and your background of knowledge to apply them appropriately. Here's an example: When my window heat won't test on an airplane that's parked in the sun, my knowledge and experience tells me that it's because the glass is already above the thermostat cutout temperature. My checklist makes no mention of it -- it simply says to check that it turns on.

By your logic, I should write up and ground the airplane and strand the passengers until a suitably cool piece of $20,000 glass can be located and installed? No. I use my brain and realize that it isn't a safety issue, just as the lack of Type IV in August isn't.

I swear there should be a day dedicated to logic and reason in every airline's indoc.

 

[standaman]

I'm not totally disagreeing with you CA1900, the rule is bogus. Maybe my response was poorly written. But still the crew did what they were suppposed to do. That is my point. I would agree that whoever wrote the book did not think it through. Thats not the crews fault. I also agree with you that they did not have to divert to someplace in the middle of August just to find Type VI. I would feel safe going anywhere. Thats me using common sense. But if the company says that you have to have Type VI in the middle of August then I will do it. I would be okay telling that to my passengers. It's not my airplane it is the companies. If thier definition of safety happens to differ from mine they win. I still have to defend the flight crew. They did what they were supposed to do according to thier company.