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To: Dan Evans

The Glideslope coupled with a localizer are basically dual axis course deviation indicators. In the center of the guage there is a small circle with dots migrating out to the 12,3,6,9 oclock positions which represent both horizontal and vertical courses. One dot on a localizer represents maybe ten feet up/down and left/right when on final and inside the outer marker. That is what you are fixated on. When a minimum decent altitude is only 300' above ground level on a foggy/cloudy night, just what makes you think seeing outside the cockpit is really of much value? It's not. Spending time looking outside gets you killed. Nope, airspeed, course deviation, fuel management, aircraft configuration, radio communications, and such keep you too busy to look outside much. The first time you do a full blind landing(with your safety pilot) you'll be amazed at how much you must trust your instruments. A radar altimeter is the bomb, but if you have your altimeter set correctly, you'll touch down at precisely the published height of the runway. Had the Wellstone idiots set their altimeter correctly and kept their heads inside the cockpit, Wellstone would be alive today. Pilots who just have to see pavement tend to land on taxiways too! You can also do blind departures(wearing a special hood that only lets you see the panel) and actually depart/takeoff and fly the published or assigned SID, and as you are on takeoff roll and departure, you never deviate a few feet from the runway centerline. It's amazingly accurate instrumentation. That's why it costs more than the airplane itself in many cases.


477 posted on 09/29/2004 1:20:14 PM PDT by blackdog (I survived John Dupont's wrestling camp and all I got was a lousy tee shirt and a prolapse.)
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To: blackdog
You can also do blind departures(wearing a special hood that only lets you see the panel) and actually depart/takeoff and fly the published or assigned SID, and as you are on takeoff roll and departure, you never deviate a few feet from the runway centerline.

Maybe we should just paint the cockpit windows black until we figure out this laser thing.

Pilots do have to watch for traffic though, don't they? I mean when weather gets bad an airport schedule is screwed up. I assume that's because the FAA increases minimum spacing requirements in bad visibility.

488 posted on 09/29/2004 1:45:38 PM PDT by Dan Evans
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