For anyone looking for previous FAA outages: In 2014, an U-2 plane’s flight plan crashed LAX’s ERAM system because the system ran out of memory. https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Actions%20...
Why do secretive spy planes need to file flight plans?
Because they're not always doing secretive stuff, and even their secretive missions may start and end in airspace they have to share with friendly airliners.
Why do all aviation IT systems feel like they are so fragile? It feels like not a single month can pass these days without some "Airline X has major outage and ruins tons of people's days!" story on the news. What is the tech behind these frail systems?
All hyper optimized systems become fragile until they collapse. The NOTAM system is ridiculous, no surprise it collapsed ... you can lose your ticket for flying thru a MOA that went active AFTER you took off. What could possibly go wrong with a "push" notification system for every tiny little detail of aerospace scheduling? No force is as destructive as the good idea fairy.
MOAs aren’t the same as restricted areas. You can fly in them if you want.
Why do all aviation IT systems feel like they are so fragile? It feels like not a single month can pass these days without some "Airline X has major outage and ruins tons of people's days!" story on the news. What is the tech behind these frail systems?
For anyone looking for previous FAA outages: In 2014, an U-2 plane’s flight plan crashed LAX’s ERAM system because the system ran out of memory. https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Actions%20...
Why do secretive spy planes need to file flight plans?
ATC can tell pilots what they need to know, right?
Its a flight planning mystery. Lets say you are not flying to, but flying by, my hometown airport. You decide arbitrarily to use it as a divert in case of awful weather or engine trouble enroute or you just want a bathroom break (this is more of a Cessna 172 airport than a 747 airport) I found a cached list of nine current NOTAMs for my home airport. Because its always better to overinform than to underinform, until…
Nailed it exactly. Also be advised that birds are in the vicinity of the airport.
ATC can tell pilots what they need to know, right?
Its a flight planning mystery. Lets say you are not flying to, but flying by, my hometown airport. You decide arbitrarily to use it as a divert in case of awful weather or engine trouble enroute or you just want a bathroom break (this is more of a Cessna 172 airport than a 747 airport) I found a cached list of nine current NOTAMs for my home airport. Because its always better to overinform than to underinform, until…
Is someone who is planning multiple divert airports seriously expected to retain all of that information and recall it in the case of an emergency?
Seems like 10% of that info might be kinda useful to know and 90% of it is “BY FLYING IN OUR DIRECTION YOU AGREED TO ACCEPT …”
May none of our fuckups be bad enough to get an article written about them. Amen.
heh, my boss was on a public sector project that went so far south she was stalked by news crews leaving the office. The experience left a pretty deep scar on her. This was before my time thank babyjeebus.
Rumack : I won't deceive you, Mr. Striker. We're running out of time. Ted Striker : Surely there must be something you can do. Rumack : I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley!
Its a flight planning mystery. Lets say you are not flying to, but flying by, my hometown airport. You decide arbitrarily to use it as a divert in case of awful weather or engine trouble enroute or you just want a bathroom break (this is more of a Cessna 172 airport than a 747 airport) I found a cached list of nine current NOTAMs for my home airport. Because its always better to overinform than to underinform, until…
Is someone who is planning multiple divert airports seriously expected to retain all of that information and recall it in the case of an emergency? Seems like 10% of that info might be kinda useful to know and 90% of it is “BY FLYING IN OUR DIRECTION YOU AGREED TO ACCEPT …”
Not retain it, you probably have a copy with you which you would read if you did end up diverting somewhere. NOTAMs also affect which airports go in your "would divert to" list when you're planning the flight. E.g. if the NOTAMs say AirportA's lights are unserviceable, you wouldn't plan it as a diversion airport for your night flight.