CAT III B Autolanding at Milan

[NM]

I found this very interesting, especially the taxi to the stand in very low visibility as the pilots had to keep track of where they are. Also of interest was the way the 747 taxiing ahead cleared the fog for them.

Actual ILS CAT IIIB autoland and low vis taxi at MXP - B767 - YouTube

 

[Moopere]

I found this very interesting, especially the taxi to the stand in very low visibility as the pilots had to keep track of where they are. Also of interest was the way the 747 taxiing ahead cleared the fog for them.

Actual ILS CAT IIIB autoland and low vis taxi at MXP - B767 - YouTube

Wow! Good find. Scary stuff. I didn't know what I was watching, seemed like clouds and more clouds, then, out of no-where, the runway appears only a few metres below.

I don't think I'd drive my car under such conditions let alone a plane

 

[haydensydney]

Incredible. I have the utmost respect for pilots and the balls of steel they must possess, particularly in these situations.

 

[kpc]

I think I prefer to divert:shock::shock:

 

[tuapekastar]

Wow - nice find. I'm glad we do not have too much fog in this country (obviously we have some)

 

[thewinchester]

That takes a pair of real steel cajones to pull that off so effortlessly.

 

[Awesom Andy]

The actual vis wouldn't have been much more than the 75m required for CAT III B...

 

[samh004]

Pretty amazing stuff, probably just as freaky if you were staring out the side of the plane…

 

[Flying Fox]

Totally amazing.

Can't believe they did it and I had so much trouble looking for the taxi-ways!

 

[openseat]

Thanks NM , a great find - I'm amazed at the calmness in the coughpit - as Hayden says - balls of steel.

 

[LiamR]

Wow. The trust the crew have in their instruments is amazing. Talk about having some serious guts..

 

[samh004]

Wow. The trust the crew have in their instruments is amazing. Talk about having some serious guts..

That’ll be you some day…

 

[harvyk]

It's amazing to watch as a non-pilot, but I do somewhat expect that this is something that these pilots have practiced many times in a sim (and probably many times in real life as well, it's just this time there was a camera in the coughpit). As for trust in their instruments, well they do that every other part of the flight already.

As for them being calm, well I doubt they would be doing the landing if there was any doubt that they couldn't pull it off.

 

[hummel]

Showed a pilot mate of mine, and he was suitably impressed. Saying Melbourne is has only just got this capability?

I think he was more amazed at the conditions on the taxiway than in the air.

 

[scaredeycat]

Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of the crash of Turkish Airlines flight 634, which crashed in heavy fog while attempting to land at Diyarbakir airport

Turkish Airlines Flight 634 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An interesting contrast with the video. Amazing technology which is too easy to take for granted.

 

[jb747]

Showed a pilot mate of mine, and he was suitably impressed. Saying Melbourne is has only just got this capability?

I think he was more amazed at the conditions on the taxiway than in the air.

Australia is sorely lacking in instrument approach aids, and any category below Cat I has only just appeared.

It's an interesting bit of video, mostly in that the aircraft doesn't even enter the cloud until below what would normally be the limits in Oz. By my maths he goes IMC at about 160 feet AGL...and is in the flare about 12 seconds later. At the bottom he has pretty good vis.....believe it or not.

In reality, the aircraft do these approaches pretty well. I've only ever seen a couple of auto lands go awry, and neither were in actual low vis conditions. In the sim, of course, more don't work than do, but that's the nature of the beast.

Now. Do the take off part...lose an engine, and see how you go. All fun.

Some aircraft have systems that help you taxy, but looking out at the markers and keeping good track on the chart works as well as any other method.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

amazing the difference in environment when they were following the 747!! (basically cleared of fog)

I always doubted how effective aircraft engines were as dispersing fog but now I have seen it (using jet engines to clear fog led to an I'll fated Swiss air flight many years ago).

I have landed in Mel under those conditions. fog was so heavy (at night) even the pilot commented that while he got us to the gate he wouldn't actually be able to drive home. (in fact none of us could for about an hour after landing)

 

[jb747]

The conditions are quite patchy. I'm not sure the 747 makes any difference at all.