Quote:
Originally Posted by Videopro
It's funny how different perspectives give a different reaction. I kept waiting for the big screw up after reading the comments you included with your post.
First of all, the TCAS alert was just that: an alert, what we call a TA (Traffic Advisory). It does not require any evasive action and, in fact, no maneuvering should take place
unless the offending traffic is acquired visually and the pilot determines that maneuvering is necessary. This is different from a Resolution Advisory (RA) which
does require immediate action, as dictated by the TCAS.
I've been startled by a TA before so that wasn't something I'd criticize the FO for. In most cases, the TA is caused by converging traffic that is climbing or descending rapidly towards your altitude. So if I'm at, say, 10000' and traffic departing the airport had been cleared to 9000', his climb could trigger an alert because TCAS doesn't know that the traffic will stop his climb below me.
An RA will be preceded by a TA ("TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC!") and is an aural command such as "CLIMB! CLIMB!" We are expected to click off the autopilot and comply with an RA without question and advise ATC that we are maneuvering to comply with a TCAS RA. (This fact exonerates us from what would otherwise be an altitude bust.)
Maybe I should watch this a second time, but I just saw them looking for the traffic. I don't think they deviated from their flight path.
The second thing in the video was the minor heading deviation around a small puffy buildup. We do this all the time to avoid the unpleasant bump that will result from going through the cloud. If we need a large deviation (more than ~1/4 mile off the intended path) we'll certainly call the controller to request a turn. But jinking a little right and then coming back left onto the path is done all the time. In the old days of VOR flying (pre-GPS), the airways had protected airspace of four miles either side of centerline. With the prevalence of GPS these days, the navigation is much more precise, but the protected airspace is still about the same. So a minor deviation won't cause any great heartburn with anyone, even if the controller notices.
Now, the thing about flying a visual approach vs. the RNAV approach they were cleared for. I think the Captain was just stating that he was proceeding visually, i.e. they were in VMC. I don't think he deviated from the flight path of the RNAV approach. I think I heard him state at one point that he was low. Minor deviations from flight path are okay, as long as they are recognised and the flying pilot corrects back to the lateral and/or vertical path.
So, on balance, I didn't see anything to get so worked up about. I'm always striving for the "perfect flight" and it's elusive. Minor mistakes are usually caught by checklists or the other crew member. The captain even acknowledged, after the FO complimented his landed, that things got a little chaotic prior to that. We judge ourselves, or at least I know I do, and we don't like to look bad in front of our peers.