11-11-2005, 02:04 AM
The "Pilot In Command" rule is one of those "damned if you do and damned if you don't" things. It assumes that you as pilot have total
control and responsibility for your aircraft and passengers. If you are instructed to do something by ATC and cannot comply because you
know something that ATC doesn't. For example you are told to make a right turn onto heading 120 and that will immediately put you into
the face of a mountain with 150 passengers then you as pilot in command have not only the right but the duty not to make that fatal turn.
It's best if you inform ATC of the situation first but in an immediate emergency you may disregard their instructions and inform them after
you don't hit that mountain.
However (and a big however) you may indeed meet the armed gentleman when you get on the ground. You will likely endure endless
hours of grueling FAA interviews and hopefully they won't use the cattle prods and LSD
. Every decision you made on that flight and
since high school graduation will be reviewed and re-reviewed and commented on endlessly but if you are found to be right you recieve a
pat on the back and some poor ATC controller will get a note put into his employee records. If however you were wrong you will be the
one with the note in your employee records that is if you don't loose your license and job.
In other words ignore ATC at your peril and if you do just hope you made the right choice and ATC made the wrong one. That's basically
how it works or at least how my instructor explained it to me. The pilot in command rule isn't permission to do what you want but it is
permission to do what you know is right. You just better hope it was right.
control and responsibility for your aircraft and passengers. If you are instructed to do something by ATC and cannot comply because you
know something that ATC doesn't. For example you are told to make a right turn onto heading 120 and that will immediately put you into
the face of a mountain with 150 passengers then you as pilot in command have not only the right but the duty not to make that fatal turn.
It's best if you inform ATC of the situation first but in an immediate emergency you may disregard their instructions and inform them after
you don't hit that mountain.
However (and a big however) you may indeed meet the armed gentleman when you get on the ground. You will likely endure endless
hours of grueling FAA interviews and hopefully they won't use the cattle prods and LSD
. Every decision you made on that flight and since high school graduation will be reviewed and re-reviewed and commented on endlessly but if you are found to be right you recieve a
pat on the back and some poor ATC controller will get a note put into his employee records. If however you were wrong you will be the
one with the note in your employee records that is if you don't loose your license and job.
In other words ignore ATC at your peril and if you do just hope you made the right choice and ATC made the wrong one. That's basically
how it works or at least how my instructor explained it to me. The pilot in command rule isn't permission to do what you want but it is
permission to do what you know is right. You just better hope it was right.
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