Idiot Trump Shoots Off Mouth About DC Crash. Take A Breath Folks

Last night I saw the news about an airplane crash at (Reagan) National Airport. What was reported was that an Army helicopter and a regional jet had collided as the latter was on final approach, seconds away from touchdown.  I listened to a bit of the early commentary, including from Senator Tammy Duckworth, herself a former Blackhawk pilot. Lost in all the early “noise” is something most people don’t know. Few military helicopters have sophisticated avionics to include radar and the collision avoidance systems that commercial aircraft have. Even helicopters that ferry around VIPs. There are some others factors I’ll get into but this morning we have the spectacle of Trump being unable to refrain from shooting off his FAT MOUTH when even HE doesn’t have anywhere near enough information to be saying the kind of crap he’s spouted.

A President, especially in the early hours should be offering condolences to the loved ones of those who were on the two aircraft, vowing a quick and thorough investigation and a commitment to improve safety near that airspace which has long been a spot with a LOT of planes, jets and helicopters operating in a small place. Instead, according to The Daily Beast Trumpty had this to say:

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump said. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented,” Trump continued. “NOT GOOD!!!”

Compare that with what you KNOW you would have heard from any other President. It’s anything but comforting to the families or reassuring to the nation. But Trumpty? HE has to make a point about how HE knows all and by god if HE’D been involved at the airport or on the aircraft it never would have happened. Oh, and the countdown clock until the Army Aviation part of this tragedy is the fault of a “Woke Military” is running.

It takes time to sort through something like this. While initial indications are the regional jet was on course for a simple touchdown (actually, nothing is simple when it comes to operations at and around that airport) we don’t know that for sure yet. As for the Blackhawk yes, there are plenty of questions to be answered. I saw a brief mention this was a training flight. Why you might ask would there be such a thing as a training flight? Well, conditions were favorable for one.  A clear night with little wind. A MOONLESS night, one on which the aircrew could gain experience operating in such crowded airspace under visual flight rules without having VIPs on board.

Visual Flight Rules, or VFR. Again, we like to think of all kinds of sophisticated stuff in the cockpit of any aircraft, but especially military ones. Anyone who thinks that has never seen into the cockpit of the typical military helicopter. The ones used by HMX-1, the Marine Squadron that flies Presidential helicopters has plenty, and even some of those the Army and others  use for the highest level VIPs have a little more than the typical military “chopper” but the plain fact is that most military helicopters don’t have fancy avionics.  It’s up to those flying it (and when there’s crew that can look outside) to use their freaking eyeballs and messages from any ground controllers to steer clear of trouble.

The airspace around National Airport is as crowded/cluttered as one will find. You have that airport of course. A mile or so away across the river you’ve got Andrews AFB which has more flights going in and out than you think. AND the Anacostia Air Station where HMX-1 is located but they aren’t the only ones that fly out of there. Seven or eight miles south the have Davison Army Air Field at Ft. Belvoir which has fixed and rotary wing flights going in and out. Another twenty miles south you have the air station at Quantico Marine Base which has robust air operations. That’s just the military stuff. You also have Dulles International some twenty miles due west. You have BWI some thirty miles northwest. Frederick Maryland is twenty or so miles north and operates both civilian and commercial flights.  Then you have a set of small general aviation airfields all within thirty miles with Cessnas and the like coming and going – with no air traffic control of their own. It’s the towers at the major airports that have to track ALL of this and keep things sorted out.

However during some points in a flight, including and especially at low altitude and when aircraft are taking off and landing it’s up to those in the cockpit to rely on their own eyes to see and avoid other aircraft.  As for Trump’s ‘lights blazing’ comment? Well, if you are in FRONT of a plane with the lights on sure. They are awfully bright when you get close. Blinding even. However if not head on not so much and from the side not much at all. Keep in mind what you’ve seen and if you’ve flown experienced – an aircraft about to land is in a slightly nose UP attitude. That means the lights don’t create some blazing streak across the ground an aircraft approaching from the side might see.

Trump of course doesn’t know any of that. Only that HE is more competent than anyone else at anything you can name.  But he doesn’t know how, on a moonless night aircraft that even know they are quite close to each other (like in air-to-air refueling) have trouble. Many a pilot or crew person’s blood has run cold over lack of visibility, even when looking hard has resulted in a near collision! It seems the pilots of the Blackhawk were warned of the aircraft. What we don’t know is, despite what Trump claims how far in advance of the collision that warning came. Or whether they did spot the jet and tried to take evasive action. It will take time, and more than anyone wants (and Trumpty can stomp his feet and huff and puff all he wants – to no avail) to sort through all the information and data.

It usually takes months to determine the cause of a crash. Given the complexities of operating so many aircraft in such a confined bit of airspace don’t expect a final report anytime soon.  Just speculation like some asshole like Bill Blackman tosses out there about terrorism. Yes, as his tweet notes Blackhawks are maneuverable but not “highly” as he suggests. And again, it was a moonless night and you can’t maneuver to avoid what you can’t see!  Sadly, and tragically for the families of those who died there will be all too much such speculation from MAGA world. And even crap from the DOD and WH.

The plain truth is that sometimes things go bad. That people simply make mistakes or mess up. If I had to bet at this point we’ll find the helicopter wasn’t quite on the correct course and that the pilots simply didn’t see the jet even after being warned. At least not in time. Oh, and for those still wondering about aircraft collision avoidance systems yes, commercial aircraft all have TCAS. Some, only some I again remind you, military helicopters have more limited versions of if. It works damn well although as the title picture shows it can be a frighteningly close difference between two aircraft colliding or not.

However, there’s another term many who at least know about TCAS don’t know. TCAP which is a protocol for limiting or disabling TCAS at low altitudes and during certain situations. In some spots or flight situations the warnings themselves become a distraction – a DANGEROUS one. So again I note the plain fact is there comes a point where those doing the flying have to rely on what they can see out the window.  And hope that if they see trouble they’ve got enough time to take action to prevent what in the parlance is called “A bad day.”

Again I’ll say this tragedy will wind up being one of those “bad days” and little can be done but try to improve training to help aircrews flying in VFR conditions to be more vigilant. It’s that or noticeably reduce the amount of air traffic in certain places and THAT isn’t going to happen in the DC area. Too many VIPs want the convenience of National Airport operating at levels it was never meant to handle. What no one needs, least of all the families of those who died, is the flaming orange human rectum named Donald Trump verbally sh*tting all over this tragedy.

********** And now, a message from Ursula I hope you take to heart **********

Friends, I am forced to self-promote and ask you for money. We had a bad year compared with 2023 and the end of the year has been catastrophic. Traffic died on November 5. We are a small blog and completely self-supporting by ad revenue, donations, and subscriptions. If you can afford a monthly subscription that would help us out. If you can make a small donation, likewise. Our only goal is to stay in business and give you the best content we can generate. You are the wind beneath our wings. Thank you. Ursula

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