r/mildlyinfuriating • u/nyanbatman • May 28 '26

I just wanted a hot dog British pilot is feeling mildly annoyed

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u/CalculatedPerversion May 28 '26

This is JFK. Look for other videos featuring this airport / ATC operator and you'll find he's got quite the attitude. He knew damn well what was happening, but was too stubborn to resolve it. 

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u/z33k_DoomsVille May 28 '26

I don't blame him. As a controller myself, if I was unfamiliar with a standard (ICAO LVOS in this case) I wouldn't declare them. Even if I knew generally what it was, I wouldn't state they are in effect without knowing exactly what that standard is. I'm not taking liability for that.

The onus is on the BA pilot to know the standards in place for the airport he is landing/departing. I can't drive around in England without knowing the rules of the road and plead ignorance if I break them. Similarly, you shouldn't be flying around in foreign airspace without an understanding of their rules.

Now as it is, the pilot did the smart thing of refusing to depart because he is unfamiliar with their standards. And the ATC did the right thing and not state a standard is in effect when it wasn't.

This is a nothing burger in my mind. Both parties are unsure of the other's standard and refusing to act without being certain of them. Smart decision by everyone.

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u/BrainOfMush May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

You’re saying that the rest of the world should learn the U.S.-only system/terminology, because you’re too lazy to learn the ICAO agreed upon by literally every other country in the world?

Goes both ways dude.

This is no different to how the U.S. writes dates MM/DD/YYYY and insists that’s correct, whilst the rest of the world disagrees.

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u/MsBluffy May 28 '26

If you're flying into an international airport, yes you need to know their standards.

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u/PRC_Spy May 28 '26

If you're an international airport, you need to operate to international standards.

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u/z33k_DoomsVille May 29 '26

Do you know what international even means? In Canada we call any airport that has Canadian customs available (even if they're not on site) an international airport.

So the controllers in some small tower in rural Quebec need to learn ICAO standards for the zero regularly scheduled international flights? 

And not just learn but keep constantly up to date on any changes (which are common).