America - The Official Thread

[Eunos_Cosmo]

So, the FAA stated in a preliminary report that the control tower was understaffed and that one ATC was doing the job of two. So it wasn't DEI; it was, like everywhere else, a lack of employees.

Once again, our Idiot in Chief continues to talk out his oversized, wrinkly, flabby, orange ass.

Well good thing Trump is asking all federal employees to resign...

 

[Meythia]

Well good thing Trump is asking all federal employees to resign...

I guess this would actually for the better.
Easier to sabotage his current term by absence and then rebuild a torn down nation rather than trying your best on a job that your higher ups are making as miserable for you to be not succesful in as they possibly can.

 

[Keef]

Here's a nice short video that attempts to put itself in the viewpoint of the helicopter. Audio has come out which shows the helicopter requested and confirmed visual separation responsibility twice, although we can't prove exactly which airplane they were keeping visual separation from. Something I hadn't considered is that DCA was landing on two runways, 1 and 33, the former of which is a staight-shot up the river while the latter requires to sidestep. This means its possible the helicopter could've been looking at two aircraft out in front of them, or perhaps only one while not seeing the other slightly off to the side. We even have general rules for how to light up the aircraft when cleared for approaches and cleared for landing although it's not regulatory.



I can't confirm but I've read on Reddit that the helicopter may have been wearing NVGs? If that's true I'm not sure how that can possibly be a legal way to operate VFR. As far as I'm aware, the viewing angle through NVGs is severely limited and I don't see how a pilot could easily monitor their entire surroundings with those things on. Peripheral vision is extremely important at night, particularly because it's different to gauge the position and movement of spots of light when you're staring right at them. Typically we rely on looking off to the side of a source of light to gauge its position, or a bit of peripheral vision for this. Even if these guys were staring straight at the United flight with open eyeballs, I don't quite understand how they couldn't see a bright ass light just off to their left, slightly above them. Even though the light wouldn't have been moving because they were on a collision course, it would've been extremely bright and very obviously not on the ground. Any source of light or object that doesn't move is a problem, that's the telltale sign of a collision course.

 

[Tornado]

The President of the United States went on television and claimed that the reason a Blackhawk plowed into the back of a civilian airliner during a clear night sky was because it was too woke.






What a time to be alive.