manfredc3. Flight from LIRU-LGTT.
Another ring of the bell and back up the circular staircase. Carefully knocked on the glass door and was beckoned inward. Miss Nellie looked up from her paperwork and muttered something about Stick Williams' clearing up a backlog of paperwork.
Here is a ruling on the flight of manfredc3 from Rome to Athens (LIRU-LGTT). One of the staff forwarded the report several days ago, but it took a while to get a definitive assessment.
It appears that the young man took the beautiful DC-2 to about 13,500 feet and cruised for more than two-and-a-half hours. [The violation markers are 15:30:45-17:50:53 GMT on 1/11/2014.] The pilot declared a need to fly at this altitude "to cross the mountains." For the Golden Age (as here), the rules set a soft ceiling of 12,000 feet. They allow temporary excursions in the 12,000-15,000 range for emergencies or to clear dangerous terrain.
In this case two factors are relevant. On the flight path chosen, there appear to be no mountain ranges of above 11,000 or so. The vigilant pilot can easily avoid the few peaks that threaten the normal altitude levels. Further, the long period above the limit indicates a cruise rather than a brief excursion. Finally, the pilot will note that he is responsible for the aircraft even if it is operated by an unsupervised co-pilot or auto-pilot.
Normally, this sustained flight above the ceiling would constitute a violation of the rules and require a repeat of the leg.
However, there are mitigating circumstances. At the time of the leg, the case of another pilot's temporary excursion over the 12,000 feet ceiling was under review. The clarification was posted on November 1, 2014 just as the manfredc3 event occurred. Further, the pilot is a warmly-welcomed rookie and may reasonably have been unsure about how the rules apply.
Ruling. The sustained flight over the ceiling indicates a violation of the rules. However, the mitigating circumstances suggest leniency. There is no need to re-fly the leg here. The leg stands as flown.
And let the young man know that we are delighted to see pilot and crew continue onward without any evident symptoms of oxygen deprivation. Best wishes on a safe journey in the magnificent Uiver.
Well, this is easy news to deliver.
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