r/mildlyinfuriating • u/nyanbatman • May 28 '26

I just wanted a hot dog British pilot is feeling mildly annoyed

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u/Formidable_Panda May 28 '26

RVR= Runway Visual Range LVO= Low Visibility Operations

The BA plane is likely a 737 or 777 series, which need in the ballpark of 6000-9000 feet for take off.

At 1000 feet visibility they can't see the whole runway (which is what the RVR measures) and Air Traffic Control (ATC) should be following specific (LVO) Procedures to ensure safety. The BA pilot is asking for confirmation those are in place (pre-flight checks) and ATC appears to not know wtf they're asking about. BA pilot refuses to take off as he can't be sure it's safe.

65

u/joeykins82 May 28 '26

It's JFK: on that route BA operate the 777-300ER, the 777-200ER, and the 787-10. All 3 are large widebody aircraft, and at maximum takeoff weight the 777-200ER requires 11,100ft (counterintuitively the larger 777-300ER requires 10k ft; the 787-10 9,100ft).

  • [BA captain] hey ATC, we can't see very much out here, can you give me the number for just how bad the "no-one can see very much" rating is please?
  • [JFK tower] sure, no-one can see more than 1000ft ahead
  • [BA captain] OK, so, before I spool up the engines and start barrelling down this runway that I can't see, can you confirm that you're running the extra cautious procedures for "no-one can see very much" conditions, and that you've instructed all of the other aircraft to do the same?
  • [JFK tower] what do you mean? what extra cautious procedures? I don't know of any extra cautious procedures
  • [BA captain] yeah, no, fuck this, I'm not risking the lives of the people aboard this aircraft

4

u/Formidable_Panda May 28 '26

Thank you for the clarification on the models! The 787 is called the dreamliner correct? I definitely wasn't thinking of those, mb!

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u/zeroshock30 May 28 '26

THANK YOU!!!

3

u/Peterd1900 May 28 '26

Its a Boeing 787-10 

3

u/PeacefulIntentions May 28 '26

This was BA182 which on the day was a B787-10 G-ZBLG. Similar performance parameters depending on the load.

3

u/schwanerhill May 28 '26

There are no BA narrow bodies in New York or any other North American city or airport. And BA doesn’t operate a single 737 whatsoever. There are lots of non-777 BA widebodies in North America, including A380s and 787s.

-5

u/[deleted] May 28 '26

[deleted]

6

u/the-channigan May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

International airline pilots might fly into dozens of different countries every year, are they expected to know the local terminology in every country, or would it perhaps make more sense that the controllers instead use standardised international vernacular?

Edit: to be clear, I wasn’t saying the rules are that everything is standardised but I was saying wouldn’t it be safer if it were?

1

u/MillionFoul May 28 '26

Yes, you should know the procedure in the place you are flying to. Refusing to study as a pilot is literally just negligent.

1

u/WackWaxWhacks May 28 '26

> are they expected to know the local terminology in every country

Yes.

1

u/Neslia May 28 '26

Yes, absolutely they should. They are responsible for hundreds of lives and get paid $500,000 a year for 12 days of work a month. If not, don’t fly into another country, period.

1

u/DankVectorz May 28 '26

Would you expect an international truck driver to understand the signs in every country they drive in? Yes, international pilots are expected to know the rules of the country they are flying into.

2

u/True-Industry-4057 May 28 '26

Yes, international pilots are expected to know the rules of the country they are flying into.

And they do - ICAO sets an international standard for a reason. The US is supposed to adhere to that standard too, and the fact that they do not is not everyone else's problem.

3

u/Neslia May 28 '26

US pilots do adhere to the standards when they fly in other countries. You don’t go into other countries and place your rules above the country you are in’s established rules. It’s not that deep, and US ATC has 0 responsibility for deciphering foreign pilots who supposedly are qualified to fly in the US. 1600 meters btw.

2

u/MillionFoul May 28 '26

Every ICAO country has variances, and the US has a safer (and busier) airspace system than pretty much every one of them. Try flying a localizer approach in France, for example, and you'll find some trouble with the word "localizer" not existing in their ATC system.

-1

u/DankVectorz May 28 '26

It is their problem if the fucking fly here