• Ecoleo [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    24 hours ago

    It was a blackhawk. The various fed agencies apparently fly helis up and down the potomac day and night. It’s usual. Helo was operating visually, was instructed by the tower to cross behind the aircraft on approach. They reported the aircraft in sight, but obviously whatever they saw was something else.

    There have been so many close calls over the past couple of years at American airports, and atc is wildly understaffed. This one is squarely on the helo pilots, but a collision has been bound to happen soon.

    Aircraft flying up and down through an active approach path needs to stop immediately. And hopefully something is done to address the staffing issues with atc. This is scary.

    • quarrk [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      3 hours ago

      I don’t think Americans realize how near collapse the domestic airline industry is. It’s way past capacity and falling apart. Like the rest of our infrastructure

    • Mardoniush [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      19 hours ago

      I remember reading somewhere that US airspace is designed to make as much space “free” as possible which makes ATC a nightmare. Whereas everywhere else in the world it’s basically “if you aren’t landing, taking off, or doing a dumb light aviation practice circle, then you aren’t allowed”

      Couple that with the ability of the military to just pretend laws don’t apply to them and this was always going to happen. Heck every other week a Blackhawk goes down they seem to be keeping Sikorsky in business.

    • REgon [they/them]@hexbear.net
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      23 hours ago

      And hopefully something is done to address the staffing issues with atc.

      Yeahh we’re gonna do some cutbacks, make it more efficient. Leaner. Meaner. Cleaner. Cheaper.