Have Some Compassion

Why is it when youre trying to do something good, the weather always turns bad? Todays mission is a Patient Airlift Services (PALS) flight from Montpelier, Vermont to Boston, Massachusetts. Your quick hop from your home base in Burlington, Vermont already gave you a decent instrument warm-up.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot conducting a Patient Airlift Services (PALS) flight encounters significant instrument and communication failures, including persistent radio static, a missed NOTAM for an out-of-service ILS glideslope, and a GPS integrity flag, all appearing after the aircraft's recent annual inspection.
These equipment malfunctions create complex in-flight procedural dilemmas, requiring the pilot to navigate Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs), transition to a cleared route, make decisions regarding lost communication protocols, and consider emergency actions in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
The article implicitly challenges the pilot to diagnose the likely cause of the multiple system failures (e.g., electrical noise or faulty connections post-maintenance) and apply correct IFR knowledge, climb performance calculations, and emergency discretion to ensure safety.

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Why is it when you’re trying to do something good, the weather always turns bad? Today’s mission is a Patient Airlift Services (PALS) flight from Montpelier, Vermont to Boston, Massachusetts. Your quick hop from your home base in Burlington, Vermont already gave you a decent instrument warm-up.

The ILS 17 into Montpellier was extra fun because you missed the NOTAM for the glideslope being out of service and the radio static made understanding Boston Center extra challenging. Seems like static in the clouds has been the norm since your bird came out of annual last month. Luckily, ceilings were about 1000 feet with good visibility beneath.