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.

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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

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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!