Pardon if I’m posting in the wrong area, but a question concerning the SF34 equipment type. Mesaba files /G while Colgan files /A. This is no problem, assuming the equipment in Mesaba’s Saab 340 aircraft are most likely updated with /G capability. However - what about Colgan pilots? For some reason, I cannot envision a Colgan flightcrew intercepting only VOR radials in order to track a particular airway or intersection. Here is a Colgan flightplan from LGA: MERIT HFD V229 GDM V106 MHT. The equipment type was /A. In theory, it would not be possible to proceed direct MERIT without first intercepting a particular radial. Anyone have insight on this?
Why can’t you imagine an airline crew flying airways only? The guys flying the DC-9s did it for 30 years!
Doesn’t quite answer the question of Mesaba’s /G against Colgan’s /A equipment type, especially if Colgan Saab 340’s have an intersection filed as their first departure fix, instead of a radial or airway to proceed to the fix. /A wouldn’t allow the Saab 340 to proceed direct the intersection. So the real question is, what type of equipment is Colgan using in the SF34, and why /A equipment type?
They get the LGA.2 La Guardia two departure. It is flown via heading and DME then vectors to MERIT via the LGA R-055. All old school.
flightaware.com/resources/airpor … IA+TWO/pdf
edit link added:
Good catch with the LGA2. Colgan must be using old equipment in their SF34s. I’m just curious now as to how they track each of their fixes once enroute, there must be some sort of capability of navigation without individually tuning and tracking different radials. I am aware that Saab’s have an LRN, or long range navigation function, but I’m not familiar with how this would be applicable to a /A equipment code.
The LRN mode of the autopilot/flight director needs a long range nav source (gps, INS, Loran) to provide a signal. They are /A and there for they are flying VOR to VOR on radials. Sorry if you can’t accept the fact that a large number aircraft running around don’t have a GPS or FMS but they don’t. They hardly pay there pilots enough to call it employment instead of an internship. They aren’t going to dump one years pilot salary into a fancy box that won’t save them any time when you look at the routes and speeds the aircraft are working.