HueyPilot
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 207
RAP vs RCA
I flew into KRAP about a week before this incident. However, the approach plate clearly displayed the vicinity of RCA to RAP...granted we were using NIMA plates and perhaps they had NACO or Jepps, but there are other clues that could have helped them if they had any common sense.
First and foremost, look out the windscreen. There's a huge difference between a runway that's 13,500' X 300' and one that's 8700 ' X 150'. Next, RAP's ramp is on the west side, with all the usual small hangars, terminal buildings and civilian aircraft. RCA's ramp is on the east, with rows of B-1 bombers easily visible from the runway approach, along with bunkers and large aircraft hangars.
Next, I usually always back up visual approaches with some kind of instrument approach. Even if I have no intentions of actually flying the approach, I'll set in the localizer and DME frequencies, and dial up the inbound course in the HSI. And I'm sure the A319 is capable of doing what the Learjet 35 is...set up a GPS course to the airfield (called a PVOR in the Lear).
When we first checked in with approach, we could easily see RCA, and you could barely find RAP (it was CAVU daylight hours). But we knew which was which because we had both up on our MFD.
It's pretty inexcusable to do such a thing in an aircraft like the A319. Add on the fact that both pilots were 99.99% likely to both be highly experienced ATP professionals...makes me wonder what they were doing on the way down...flying the airplane or chit-chatting?
I flew into KRAP about a week before this incident. However, the approach plate clearly displayed the vicinity of RCA to RAP...granted we were using NIMA plates and perhaps they had NACO or Jepps, but there are other clues that could have helped them if they had any common sense.
First and foremost, look out the windscreen. There's a huge difference between a runway that's 13,500' X 300' and one that's 8700 ' X 150'. Next, RAP's ramp is on the west side, with all the usual small hangars, terminal buildings and civilian aircraft. RCA's ramp is on the east, with rows of B-1 bombers easily visible from the runway approach, along with bunkers and large aircraft hangars.
Next, I usually always back up visual approaches with some kind of instrument approach. Even if I have no intentions of actually flying the approach, I'll set in the localizer and DME frequencies, and dial up the inbound course in the HSI. And I'm sure the A319 is capable of doing what the Learjet 35 is...set up a GPS course to the airfield (called a PVOR in the Lear).
When we first checked in with approach, we could easily see RCA, and you could barely find RAP (it was CAVU daylight hours). But we knew which was which because we had both up on our MFD.
It's pretty inexcusable to do such a thing in an aircraft like the A319. Add on the fact that both pilots were 99.99% likely to both be highly experienced ATP professionals...makes me wonder what they were doing on the way down...flying the airplane or chit-chatting?
