What do you think? |

What do you think?

Thu 5:48 pm Europe/London, 5 May 2022 9

posted by Tapestry

TAP – Is this story likely to be true? I would think it’s not very likely. Planes turning round in mid-flight can have many causes, Many have recently been turning round after squawking 7700 on their transponders, indicating a loss of control by their pilots. This information was getting ‘out’ via websites such as flightradar24. It would be likely that if there has been a series of problems with flights for example from inflight control systems being jammed, then this would inevitably be covered up. Here is the story from Virgin Atlantic flight forced to turn around after it emerged pilot had not completed training (msn.com)

Virgin Atlantic flight forced to turn around after it emerged pilot had not completed training

A Virgin Atlantic aircraft was forced to turn back less than an hour into a flight to New York on Monday, after one of its pilots was found to not have completed their trainingIn what the airline is calling a “rostering error”, flight VS3 turned around 40 minutes into the Heathrow to New York flight after the issue was spotted while flying over Ireland.As part of Virgin Atlantic’s policy, pilots need to have completed a “final assessment flight”, which this officer had reportedly not yet taken.Exasperated passengers aboard the Airbus A330 were then forced to wait on the tarmac at Heathrow while a qualified replacement was found – eventually arriving into New York nearly three hours later than scheduled.“You could have cut the tension in the cockpit with a knife,” a source told The Sun. “The plane got as far as Ireland and then they found out the first officer was still in training.

“The skipper had no choice but to go back to Heathrow and find a more experienced member of the crew. It was embarrassing for everyone and the passengers were furious.”

The aircraft made it as far as the Irish coast before the realisation (FlightRadar24) © Provided by The Independent The aircraft made it as far as the Irish coast before the realisation (FlightRadar24)A Virgin spokesperson told The Independent that both pilots were “fully licensed and qualified” and that flight safety was not compromised.

“Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday 2 May shortly after take-off,” the spokesperson confirmed.

“The qualified first officer, who was flying alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic’s training protocols, which exceed industry standards.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers who arrived two hours 40 minutes later than scheduled as a result of the crew change.”

A CAA spokesperson said: “Virgin Atlantic have made us aware of the incident. Both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight.”

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5 May 2022 6:39 PM

danceaway says:

Would there really be a substitute pilot found so quickly? Or anything to do with the jab?

5 May 2022 7:07 PM

pete fairhurst says:

The story is obviously rubbish. They ask us to believe that his lack of training was only discovered AFTER he took off. Simply ridiculous and not credible

Pilots who don’t know their own training protocols? What? I’m not surprised that standards have dropped, these big planes virtually fly themselves, I imagine. But surely standards haven’t dropped so far that they employ total idiots as pilots have they? I certainly hope not

So there must be another explanation that they’d rather not reveal. Lots of options I guess and no way to ever find out the truth

Electronic warfare certainly COULD be the answer, Russian has some very sophisticated stuff. Remember that US warship in the Black Sea that was rendered totally blind by Russian electronics a few years ago? So much so that a Russian plane was able to simulate several bombing runs over the ship, which was not able to respond. It spooked the crew so much that a lot of them resigned and left the navy

5 May 2022 7:44 PM

Yes, I remember that well, Pete. One would think it would give cause for NATO to be more cautious now, but not a bit. Just keep forging ahead, probably because that is what their puppet masters are directing them to do. City of London?

5 May 2022 8:47 PM

pete fairhurst says:

Very probably danceaway. Boris “get yourself boosted” Johnson was the City’s recent messenger boy to Zelensky it seems. They are very happy to fight to the last Ukrainian, see here:

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/05/ukraines-forces-are-told-to-hold-the-line-where-russian-artillery-is-pulverizing-them.html#more

6 May 2022 3:21 AM

Aldous says:

I (or should I say wifey) saw this story yesterday and thought what a load of bollox.
The plane wouldn’t be flying over Wales/Ireland to New York but over Scotland. Long Haul fly ‘Great Circle’ routes which are the shortest distance between two points.
The Mercator Projection Map that we are all familiar with from classrooms etc is very useful but also very misleading and virtually useless when it comes to air nav.
The story is totally fabricated for some reason. One of the primary goals of the NWO is to deter everyday people from travelling, so that could be good for starters.

‘The Restriction of Nonessential Air Travel’
https://tinyurl.com/2wvapu34

6 May 2022 7:24 AM

Tapestry says:

Good point Aldous. They head up, not across! The supposed coloured line of flight is also nonsensical. Therefore it is fake. This could be a cover for another Squawk 7700 on a flight which had a different purpose to the one indicated in the news report.
- 6 May 2022 9:07 AM
  
  Aldous says:
  
  Morning Tap. The other thing that springs to mind is no twin engine aeroplane would be flying so far away from land after (say) crossing Ireland.
  One of the requirements when aeroplanes with only two engines were permitted to cross the Atlantic was that they navigate close enough to land should they lose or have to shut down one engine. It’s a Pan situation and not a Mayday but the plane must be got on the ground asap for obvious reasons.
  Modern high bypass turbofans are extremely reliable (and powerful) but Murphy’s Law must always be borne in mind.
  If the flight deck is down to one engine then the nearest available airport is where it’s at. It doesn’t matter if JFK is only 30 minutes away when there’s an airport closer. Don’t risk it.
  I remember a Concorde emergency where they had to shut down one of the four engines for some reason. No big deal but it cannot maintain 56,000 feet on three engines so has to drift down to a lower altitude/flight level. It’s not even a Pan situation but quickly becomes one and Mayday..
  At the lower altitude, Concorde (a gas guzzler anyway) is now consuming even more fuel despite the loss of one engine. Instead of diverting to many available airports, the captain presses on regardless to Heathrow where he finally declares an emergency as he is running on fumes.
  There was a thorough investigation into the almost catastrophic outcome of such reckless captaincy and Human Behaviour is now a very serious part of Flight Deck Management and Training.
  The captain jumped before he was pushed and no discernible fuel was found in Concore’s tanks. Phew!