thats one way to put looking out of the cockpit and seeing two RAF Typhoons
There must be a cheaper way to do this. Perhaps some mechanism in cockpit that pops up a paper picture of two Typhoons over the window if COMM1 isn’t changed after 10 minutes of being in a new airspace?
NORDO incidents have been increasing throughout U.S. airspace. There are less controllers on duty, and there is a LOT less air traffic. Which means there is sometimes no radio communication going on for long periods of time (particularly the hours I often fly - between 10PM and 5AM). Without the normal flow and timing of ATC comms…it is very easy to fly out of coverage. This is sometimes ATC’s fault for not doing the handoff early enough (I’ve been forgotten before…we all have…). Normally you’d have the emergency/guard frequency on the standby radio (121.5) with a constant listening watch going on…but that frequency can sometimes get obnoxious and sometimes it is necessary to mute it. If you don’t remember to unmute it, then you can fly out of VHF coverage fat, dumb, and happy…until the Typhoons… LOL…
This sounds like something only a computer can fix! If you really want to screw up at scale, people aren’t fast enough
I’m kidding, but on bigger tubes I’ve always wondered what this gizmo does:
As I understand it you can get ATC direction inserted into the MCDU almost automatically, as in info transmissions rather than voice directions? Is that it?
It might be CPDLC - some sort of computer sent clearance and ATIS. I’ve never had it on my aircraft…but I’ll bet @PaulRix and @smokinhole (among others) have used it…
Uh oh, wiki rabbit hole. Nooo…
So on Airbus the unit is called a DCDU (Data link Control and Display Unit). It looks a couple of P3D modules implemented it a bit. Sounds neat. The unit description here (not watched this as yet)
Cool…I can’t remember if @Cygon_Parrot had covered it in his Flight Factor A320 article which (sadly) was requested to be pulled when he left.
Around 8:52 the meat of the matter in that video…!
In the Global the datalink functions are all handled within the pages of the FMS. We use datalink for downloading the flight plan, winds, weather etc, and CPDLC is an added ‘module’ we access through a dedicated ATC button. Right now we use CPDLC to get our IFR Clearance (at larger airports), and for ATC communication when over isolated areas (mostly oceanic). We still have HF available, but CPDLC is the preferred method these days if you have it.
We had one two weeks ago. My first. Controllers are running multiple sectors much more frequently now. That’s a threat. In our case we were told to switch frequencies but DON’T check in until a particular fix. This happens all the time over water. But we were in the good ole USofA. Anyway, we tuned but forgot to check in over the fix. Oddly, he called us on 121.5 instead of the assigned frequency which we had correctly dialed. It was a small thing but serves to highlight that Beach is correct, the current environment is ripe for this sort of screw-up.
Also, just like with Paul, our ATS AND CPDLC functions are accessed from the CDU. It is also true that ATC have access to the MCP. If we dial a heading, altitude or speed, they see it. My airline has an utterly crazy procedure where we dial touchdown elevation at glideslope intercept. This drives British controllers batty. I’ve awkwardly had to explain that while I hate it, it is our SOP. For now, outsiders can only observe, not influence, the MCP or flight path.
I’m gonna be honest - I did not know the Hawk could exceed Mach 1…
Probably not intentionally. Back half of a loop perhaps?
The Hawk has a Vne of M1.2 according to Wikipedia. Probably clean config, homesick and a really steep dive…
What’s the saying…most planes can go Mach 1 at least once…
A select few can do it in a climb
EDIT: I was flicking through the Wikipedia page on lightenings and it states that they would run out of excess thrust at M1.9, but it doesn’t add when they would run out of excess fuel
I think the lightning could be categorised as not EVER having excess fuel
Lightning was a mach 2 fighter
…For about twelve whole seconds
Quoting Wikipedia:
“A Lightning fitted with Avon 200-series engines, a ventral tank and two Firestreak missiles typically ran out of excess thrust at Mach 1.9 (2,328 km/h) on a [Standard Day] … while a Lightning powered by the Avon 300-series engines, a ventral tank and two Red Top missiles ran out of excess thrust at Mach 2.0.”