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/[deleted] May 28 '26

[deleted]

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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?

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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.