Recent Posts

1

Pilot/Controller Forum / Looking for ATC for a study on the peception of automation

« Last post by mrieth on Today at 10:01:33 AM »

Research with air traffic controllers and automation! Your commitment is required!

I am a doctoral student at the University of Bremen in the field of business psychology & human resources and am investigating the effects of automation in air traffic control. I am looking for air traffic controllers who are willing to take part in my online study on the perception of assistance systems.

The study takes around 45 minutes and is really fun because it has a game character. At the end, you can compare your score anonymously with that of other participants. Please use a desktop computer or notebook with a mouse. Participation via tablet or mobile phone is not possible. Please use Chrome or Firefox; Safari and Edge (Internet Explorer) are not supported.

Here is the link to the study: https://marki.fun/carcontrol/Fluglotsen/Group3/

I would be very thankful! This would be of great help and would greatly enrich my research. If you have any questions, please contact: thelen@uni-bremen.de or mrieth@uni-bremen.de

Greetings,
Michele

2

Aviation Accidents/Incidents / Jetblue A320 at Hayden on Jan 22nd 2022, tail strike on takeoff

« Last post by KB4TEZ on Today at 06:48:28 AM »

(Thanks AVH)
Was looking for any audio around Hayden/Yampa, no luck as of yet on the diversion to Denver.
I'm sure there are those of you who are much better at this (also at work, I can't)


A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N760JB performing flight B6-1748 from Hayden,CO to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), was departing Hayden's runway 10 at 11:57L (19:57Z) when the aircraft's tail contacted the runway surface. The aircraft continued a normal departure and climbed to FL310, when Denver Center forwarded a message to the crew stating they had a tail strike on the departure runway. The crew subsequently decided to divert to Denver,CO (USA) where the aircraft landed on runway 35R without further incident about 45 minutes after departure from Hayden. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage however.

The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT INCURRED A TAIL STRIKE ON DEPARTURE, HAYDEN, CO.", stated the damage was unknown and rated the occurrence an incident.

The NTSB opened an investigation into the occurrence rating the occurrence an accident.

3

Aviation Audio Clips / Re: Alarming: Quito Airport Air Traffic Control Audio

« Last post by Chananya Freedman on January 24, 2022, 02:22:02 PM »

i am surprised that no one asked for a different controller to take over the frequency or even ask the guy if he was ok.

4

Aviation Audio Clips / Alarming: Quito Airport Air Traffic Control Audio

« Last post by KB4TEZ on January 24, 2022, 06:06:50 AM »

https://onemileatatime.com/news/quito-air-traffic-control-audio/
Almost sounds eerily familiar as what occurred at Las Vegas with that controller.

(Thank you onemileatatiime, and VASavation)

Quito air traffic controller is out of it
VASAviation has air traffic control audio from a recent night at Quito Airport (UIO), where the controller’s communications were rather alarming:

An airline pilot reported this situation, claiming that aviation authorities in Ecuador are trying to cover up this incident, rather than investigate it (I can’t speak to that one way or another)
The roughly nine minute video contains communications that happened over the course of two hours, but the periods without communication are removed; this was late at night, around midnight
The controller in question is responsible for ground, tower, and approach (it seems they run a skeleton operation that time of night, in spite of the fact that there are several flights to & from the United States around that time)
If you don’t speak Spanish, I’d recommend starting the video around 80 seconds in, which is the point at which communication is mostly with pilots of American, Delta, and United; the controller’s communication gets progressively worse, and if you just want to hear the worst of it, check out the final two minutes
You can watch the video for yourself below, which contains the audio, along with captions (which you really need).

For those who don’t usually listen to air traffic control audio, here are just a few of the things that are unusual about this communication:

The controller is mumbling and slurring his words, and repeatedly has to correct his instructions (which happens in moderation, but not to this level)
When a Delta pilot requests clearance to taxi, the controller seems to give takeoff clearance multiple times instead, which isn’t what was being asked for
The controller repeatedly tells pilots to contact another frequency (118.35), when in reality that’s the frequency he’s on
A United pilot repeatedly has to request a squawk and altitude; at this point the controller gives him a takeoff clearance for the runway, rather than a flight clearance
Something seems off, but it’s anyone’s guess what. It’s suggested that the controller may have been drunk — I don’t think we have enough info to draw that conclusion. It’s also possible he was just incredibly exhausted, was having some sort of health condition that caused him to act out of character, was on medication that was having side effects, etc.

Regardless, I don’t think any airline pilot would feel terribly confident relying on someone like this for instructions.

5

Aviation Accidents/Incidents / Delta jet slides off taxiway during snow at RDU

« Last post by KB4TEZ on January 24, 2022, 05:52:13 AM »

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/plane-slides-off-runway-during-snow-at-rdu-official-says/

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – As snow began falling harder Friday night, a passenger jet skidded off a runway at RDU International Airport closing the airfield to inbound flights for more than an hour and closing the main runway for more than 16 hours, officials said.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. and involved Delta Flight 5501 which was headed to RDU from Washington, D.C., RDU officials said in a news release.

The main runway at RDU was not reopened until about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

“The flight landed safely and while taxiing off 5L/23R, it rolled into the mud,” a news release from RDU officials.

There were 19 passengers on board the jet, which FlightAware identified as a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900, and they were headed to Terminal 2.

There were no reported injuries aboard the jet, which FlightAware also identified as Endeavor Air 5501.The airfield was closed until about 10:30 p.m. FlightAware earlier reported all RDU inbound flights were being held from taking off until 10:45 p.m.

“We are completing snow removal on the alternate runway 5R/23L and will reopen once snow removal is complete,” the initial news release said.

Around 10:30 p.m., 5R/23L was reopened to air traffic but 5L/23R remained closed, officials later said. Just before midnight Friday, RDU officials said the runway was still closed.

“The aircraft was towed to a remote parking area Saturday afternoon. The runway reopened at approximately 2:40 p.m. after it cleared inspection and airport operations have returned to normal,” RDU officials said in a news release just before 3 p.m.

Nancy Mosser was among those on the jet Friday night.

“They handled it really well until obviously we stopped and we weren’t going anyplace and I looked out the window and there’s grass,” Mosser told CBS 17 reporter Lillian Donahue. “That’s when you realized something was wrong and then you could hear some of the pilots talking and the flight attendants.”

6

Feed Setup Pictures / Re: Updated KONT Feed

« Last post by N6RFB on January 22, 2022, 02:06:42 PM »

Not sure of the specifics as the audio interface was provided by Dave, the site administrator, along with everything else except the scanner and antenna.  Maybe he'll see this and can answer your question.

7

Feed Setup Pictures / Re: Updated KONT Feed

« Last post by flunkat on January 22, 2022, 01:21:48 PM »

Looks great!
What audio device are you using to go between the BC355N and the Raspberry Pi?

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Listener Forum / KONT New Listener Record

« Last post by N6RFB on January 22, 2022, 11:27:26 AM »

Got up this morning and checked my feed to find 11 listeners.  The highest I've ever seen! Glad to see the usage.  I suspect it may have to do with the reverse ops going on.  If your new to my feed, it's located in Corona and you can see pictures on the Feed Setup page.  Also, do any of you spot at ONT and from where.  73s de N6RFB.

9

Aviation News (General) / American Airlines Just Canceled a Flight Mid-Air—Here's Why

« Last post by KB4TEZ on January 21, 2022, 06:43:04 AM »

https://bestlifeonline.com/american-airlines-diverted-flight-mask-news/

WOW !

A DISRUPTION FORCED THE CREW TO DIVERT THE PLANE BACK TO ITS STARTING POINT.

Millions of passengers have been left stranded at airports over the past month, as every major U.S. airline has been hit with flight delays and cancellations. By the first week of January, nearly 20,000 flights had been canceled to and from the U.S. since Christmas Eve, largely due to ongoing staffing shortages because of the Omicron variant, but also unpredictable winter weather, per CNBC. Some airlines have preemptively dropped scheduled trips over the next two months, but many airlines are being forced to cancel flights last-minute. And recently, passengers on one flight found out what it's like to have a flight canceled when it's already en route to its destination. Read on to find out what just caused an American Airlines flight to get diverted.

An American Airlines flight was about an hour into its journey from Miami to London on Jan. 20 when it was turned around, The New York Times reported. Flight trackers from FlightAware show that the Boeing 777 plane, which was carrying 129 passengers and 14 crew members, was roughly 500 miles into its 4,400-mile flight when it reversed course off the coast of North Carolina. Flight AAL38 returned to Miami International Airport, where police officers were waiting, according to the newspaper.

According to American Airlines, a COVID mask dispute is what caused the flight's abrupt cancellation. Under a mandate from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), all passengers traveling with U.S. airlines are still required to wear a face covering aboard flights, through at least March 18 of this year.

"American Airlines flight 38 with service from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR) returned to MIA due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement," the airline said in a statement, per CNN. "The flight landed safely at MIA where local law enforcement met the aircraft. We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

The Miami-Dade Police Department escorted the non-compliant passenger, who officers described as a woman in her 40s, off the aircraft upon arrival back to the airport, as reported by Insider. Miami-Dade Detective Argemis Colome told the news outlet that the passenger was not detained or charged as a result of the incident.

"She was escorted off the plane, but there was no further incident after that," Colome said. "Her outcome was pretty much dealt with by the American Airlines staff. They dealt with that administratively and that was it."

The passenger has been banned from flying with the airline.

American Airlines said the traveler has been banned from flying with the airline, pending investigation. The woman was placed on the airline's "internal refuse list," which operates as a no-fly list for unruly passengers, particularly those who refuse to follow the mandatory mask policy. This is not the first time American Airlines has banned travelers for not wearing coverings aboard their planes, but the carrier has refused to reveal just how many people are on its list.Other U.S. airlines have their own records as well, with Delta Air Lines having about 1,200 passengers on its internal no-fly list as of May 2021, Frontier having more than 830, United having 750, and Alaska Airlines having 542, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Mask incidents on planes are hardly uncommon these days. Out of 5,981 unruly passenger reports from airline crews in 2021, 4,290 were related to masks, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). And while numbers appear to already be lower at the start of this year compared to the record highs seen this same time last year, these issues are still occurring. The agency has received 151 unruly passenger reports as of Jan. 18, with 91 of these incidents being related to face masks.

"Let me be clear: I have zero tolerance for dangerous behavior on airplanes," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson tweeted on Dec. 16. "It could cost you a big fine or jail time. Wear a mask, respect the crew and follow their instructions. They are there for your safety."

10

Feed Setup Pictures / Re: KAUS (#1) feeds setup

« Last post by flunkat on January 21, 2022, 12:13:27 AM »

I just wanted to describe my setup (KAUS #1 feeds) in more detail since I got a couple of questions privately. Hopefully this info is useful to others trying to work through setup issues. If we get a discussion going it might help with my own setup issues. I’d love to learn more about everyone else’s setups. I’ve been reading the forums for new ideas. Just to introduce myself, I’m a commercially-rated pilot and an engineer, and I fly GA out of KAUS.

My site location:
-2.4 Nm from the official GPS coordinates for the field (KAUS).
-2.2 Nm from Tower and Tracon facility (has Tx antennas)
-1.6 Nm from closest facility antenna.
-Airfield elevation is on average about 500 feet MSL and my site at 430 ft MSL. I am lower than average field elevation and this has always been an issue in regards to catching ground level transmissions. I still catch like the majority (95%+) of the ground level transmissions with good quality though. I can catch all airplanes, but the ARF and Maintenance guys in their pickup trucks are a challenge.

The Frequency Environment:
   -   5 approach/departure frequencies:
      -   118.15 (Southeast) rarely heard.
      -   119.0 (North and west) heavily used.
      -   120.875 (South) not used often.
      -   127.225 (East) heavily used.
      -   125.325 (Final approach) heavily used.

   -   Tower - 121.000
   -   Ground - 121.900
   -   Clearance Delivery - 125.500

   -   ATIS - 124.400
   -    FBOs - 130.225, 130.375, 130.6

My Antenna:
1/2 wave J-pole (centered on 123.0 MHz) that I constructed out of 3/4” copper tubing. Mounted on roof peak at 33 ft AGL or 463 ft MSL. Still lower than field elevation. I also built a 5-element Yagi but I’m currently not using it since its too conspicuous and I don’t want to run afoul of my community HOA rules.

Feedline and upstream setup:
- Gas tube lightning protector about 5 ft from antenna. Connected directly to ground rod with 8 gage copper. Antenna mast is also directly grounded. The two other antennas in the picture on either side of the J-pole are for ADSB. I feed Flightaware and FlightRadar24. They were interested in my location since I can provide ground level traffic data (Austin-Bergstrom currently does not have ASDE-X ground radar).
- 2 FM radio band filters in series. One from GPIO labs and a Flamingo (thanks to Dave). There are a couple of very powerful FM transmitters near my site, so these help a lot.
- Filtered low noise airband preamp from GPIO labs.
- I use just RG6Q for the feed lines (impedance is mismatched but I haven’t noticed it affecting VHF Rx). I have not measured SWRs, which probably doesn’t matter anyway since its only Rx.
- 2-way passive splitter and sent to two different setups in my house.

Demod setup #1:
- Antronix 8-way lossless splitter/amp.
- 4 x Nesdr Smart SDRs (supplied by Dave)
- Powered USB hub (supplied by Dave)
- Raspberry Pi running rtl_airband (supplied by Dave)
- Details about rtl_airband configuration available on request. I worked a lot on this including looking at the source code to understand some parameters.

Demod setup #2:
   - Antronix 8-way lossless splitter/amp. Grounded to power supply to remove ground loops.
   - 4 x RTL-SDR Blog V3 SDRs, attached via powered USB hub to a Linux machine
   - rtl_airband on Linux machine  (details of config/settings available on request)
   - 4 x Uniden Bearcat BC355N radios

Uniden Bearcat hardware radios setup:
   - 4 x Line-to-mic level attenuation cables for audio out (-35dB)
   - 4 x ground loop isolators
   - 4 x Roccat Juke USB sound cards
   - These are plugged into the Linux machine running darkice (details of config/settings available on request)
   - 4 hardware radios cover the following frequencies
      (1) Scan mode, all approach frequencies (118.15, 119.0, 120.875, 125.325, 127.225)
      (2) Ground control (121.9)
      (3) Tower (121.0)
      (4) Clearance Delivery (125.5)

I do also have an SDRPlay RSPDuo which I normally play around with, but its been a hassle trying to get it to work consistently on Linux with SoapySDR. The 10Mhz sample rate is amazing though.

Would love to hear from others with ideas. FYI, I’m not proficient in radio stuff. I’m not a HAM operator nor am I an electrical engineer. I’m an Aerospace and Software engineer. I’m also a commercially-rated pilot with a passion for anything aviation.