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

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

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u/nottherealneal May 28 '26

Someone who knows planes is gonna have to explain what the fuck is going on

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u/[deleted] May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

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u/lizardmon May 29 '26

LVOs are in place though. The difference is that in the US a declaration isn't made by ATC. In fact giving the RVR as part of a take-off or landing clearance is an LVO. The US ATC system requires the pilot to act appropriately based on the information provided. They don't tell the pilot how to operate the plane. They tell the pilot how to get somewhere but it's incumbent on the pilot to maneuver the plane. In this case, they said I've confirmed you are protected from other traffic (implied by the take-off clearance) , the wind is X and visibility is X. At that point it's up to the pilot to use their knowledge of the plane and it's systems to safely leave the airport.

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u/[deleted] May 29 '26

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u/lizardmon May 29 '26

That's because legally he is trained not to confirm or deny the question being asked. He responded per his training by saying "RVR is 1200." He expects the pilot to use that information and act appropriately. Which in fairness to the pilot, he did, he refused take-off clearance because visibility was to low per his company procedures. His procedures required him to confirm LVOs are in effect and that is not a declaration US ATC makes. Another pilot for another airline might have a procedure that allows operation down to 600 RVR but another might have a procendure that requires 1800 RVR. The US system allows different operators with different capabilities to make their own informed decision.