Damn, I wouldn't want to be flying in or out of LA today.

[lonestarnot]

Instrument landing equipment is out. There is more traffic in the sky over LA than on the Santa Monica freeway right now.

[wakeme2008]

1. The joys of Flying

:)

[ananda]

2. What does that mean?

Is the instrument landing equipment in the air traffic controllers' room? Is it out because it's old and/or not very well maintained?

[lonestarnot]

3. The equipment /instruments for communicating to the aircraft is down.

The report didn't say why of course, because that would expose neglect of American infrastructure.

[karlrschneider]

4. Uh, the communications system has nothing to do with the ILS

something not jibing here...

[lonestarnot]

5. I didn't say voice mail, I said, never mind.

[karlrschneider]

6. voice mail?

I don't understand...

[lonestarnot]

8. LOL karl I was being

:sarcasm: ic

[MercutioATC]

10. Think of the ILS as a "beam" that guides the airplanes to the runway...

To oversimplify, it's a system that projects a "beam" from one end of the runway into the sky at a shallow angle. The planes, while 20 miles or so from the airport, intercept this beam. They follow the beam both forward toward the airport and down to the runway.

Like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ILS_illustration.jpg


Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_Landing_System

[karlrschneider]

14. Surely there are GPS approaches...???

strange

[MercutioATC]

17. I don't know how a GPS approach to whatever runway's ILS is out

would affect their approaches to their remaining runways. It might be more efficient to just leave the one runway closed.

[karlrschneider]

18. Just got back, had to fly down to Dallas and pick up some people

and I meant to look at the LAX chart but completely forgot and left it all at the airport. I'm sure if there is a published approach the minimums will be higher but it was my impression the WX was just barely IFR. Maybe it was worse than I thought...I rarely go to California and only to LAX one time in my life. And that was before GPS was even implemented. ;-)

[karlrschneider]

7. Okay, it -is- an ILS problem. Broken on 1 runway. They can talk

to the planes fine but there is marginal weather and they need the ILS to handle the inbound traffic.

[lonestarnot]

9. Yes. Fucking up air traffic all across U.S. Duck and cover.

[ronnykmarshall]

11. Oh shit!

My hubby's flying out of Bob Hope (Burbank) this afternoon.

[MercutioATC]

12. Won't affect Burbank at all...

...unless there are minor delays for airspace saturation.

This is an issue just with LAX.

[ronnykmarshall]

16. BUR - The best airport in town.

I avoid LAX when ever possible.

[karlrschneider]

13. It won't affect departures.

;-)

[ronnykmarshall]

15. Oh good, thanks.

I hate when he travels. I used to be the one that travels all the time, now I know how he felt.