Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't go back reading 200 pages. What is the VIP thing? They dropped one off at National? Were supposed to pick one up at National? Taking one somewhere and there are 4 on the Blackhawk? Or what? Thanks.

The Black Hawk helicopter turned on it's transponder just outside of Langley. It's home location is Ft. Belvoir in Alexandria. It was never going to DCA. It dropped someone at Langley and then was returning to Belvoir along the Helo route that passes DCA.

Wait if there was a VIP, they can’t be bothered to travel by car from Alexandria to Langley?? That’s like 20 minutes. This is what our country is using these black hawks for? Unreal.

Well we don't know where the person was picked up. Only that they were dropped at Langley. The soldiers were based at Belvoir. But yes this is absolutely what DC area Black Hawks are used for.

Right, that's why people are saying the whole day of the helicopter and who was in it, where did it go, was relevant. The BH could have left Ft Belvoir, flown to the WH, picked someone up, and ferried them to Langley. All we know for 100% certain is that it left Langley (and the ONLY reason for this kind of flight to do that would be a VIP drop off) and was headed back to Ft Belvoir.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Both can be (and are) a problem.

The separation between landing flights is the same as what you'd find at other busy airports, including IAD and BWI. The flights aren't the problem. The helicopters are.

There are a lot of politicians who’ve been actively pushing DCA to go beyond its flight capacity and nobody seems willing to accept the fact that there are limits to how much traffic an airport can safely accommodate. The high volume of air traffic into DCA May not be the primary cause, but it is a contributing factor in this disaster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Both can be (and are) a problem.

The separation between landing flights is the same as what you'd find at other busy airports, including IAD and BWI. The flights aren't the problem. The helicopters are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Both can be (and are) a problem.

The separation between landing flights is the same as what you'd find at other busy airports, including IAD and BWI. The flights aren't the problem. The helicopters are.

No. The main runway at DCA is the busiest runway in the country.
https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/01/30/dca-reagan-busiest-airport-runway

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Both can be (and are) a problem.

The separation between landing flights is the same as what you'd find at other busy airports, including IAD and BWI. The flights aren't the problem. The helicopters are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so disappointed that no one is discussing the need to reduce the traffic at DCA. The airport was never meant to have 25 million passengers flying in and out every minute every day with military helicopters crossing the airspace constantly. Unless they move pentagon and the white house and the hundreds and thousands of VIPs away, you will never be able to get rid of the helicopter flights. The restrictions on the nearby airspace won't be changed either. They need to reduce the traffic at DCA by at least half, and get dedicated ATCs for both commercial flights and helicopters. If there weren't a line of planes waiting to land, the helicopter could have held its position and wait for an opening to cross safely - no need for these altitude rules with razor thin margin of error. And THAT should be the solution, NOT to bend to the selfish wishes of some politicians who want 20 minutes less of commute to the airport.

ATC did tell the helicopter to wait until after the plane passed before proceeding. The helicopter pilots just ignored that.

You seemed to be thinking that 100 ft of vertical clearance is all they expected between helicopters and landing planes. No, that's not how the current system works when pilots obey the rules.

They had to have been looking at the wrong plane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so disappointed that no one is discussing the need to reduce the traffic at DCA. The airport was never meant to have 25 million passengers flying in and out every minute every day with military helicopters crossing the airspace constantly. Unless they move pentagon and the white house and the hundreds and thousands of VIPs away, you will never be able to get rid of the helicopter flights. The restrictions on the nearby airspace won't be changed either. They need to reduce the traffic at DCA by at least half, and get dedicated ATCs for both commercial flights and helicopters. If there weren't a line of planes waiting to land, the helicopter could have held its position and wait for an opening to cross safely - no need for these altitude rules with razor thin margin of error. And THAT should be the solution, NOT to bend to the selfish wishes of some politicians who want 20 minutes less of commute to the airport.

ATC did tell the helicopter to wait until after the plane passed before proceeding. The helicopter pilots just ignored that.

You seemed to be thinking that 100 ft of vertical clearance is all they expected between helicopters and landing planes. No, that's not how the current system works when pilots obey the rules.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Both can be (and are) a problem.

Anonymous wrote:I'm so disappointed that no one is discussing the need to reduce the traffic at DCA. The airport was never meant to have 25 million passengers flying in and out every minute every day with military helicopters crossing the airspace constantly. Unless they move pentagon and the white house and the hundreds and thousands of VIPs away, you will never be able to get rid of the helicopter flights. The restrictions on the nearby airspace won't be changed either. They need to reduce the traffic at DCA by at least half, and get dedicated ATCs for both commercial flights and helicopters. If there weren't a line of planes waiting to land, the helicopter could have held its position and wait for an opening to cross safely - no need for these altitude rules with razor thin margin of error. And THAT should be the solution, NOT to bend to the selfish wishes of some politicians who want 20 minutes less of commute to the airport.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

As has been discussed extensively, the number of flights at DCA isn't the problem. The proximity of helicopter routes to DCA is the problem.

Anonymous wrote:The flights out of national need to be substantially reduced. There is excess capacity for more flights from Dulles and BWI. There is absolutely no logical reason to have a nonstop flight out of national to freakin Wichita.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:So am I getting this straight—MAGA was desperate to get the BH pilot name because not releasing it was a conspiracy, but now they are aghast that people want the VIP’s name because it’s not some conspiracy?

I am the opposite of MAGA, but don’t think any of these names have a ton of relevance to what happened.

You may not think so.
Others do.

Tilt away at those windmills! I hope it makes you feel better.

I think VIP flight information should be public. It's already been determined there are too many helicopters flying in the DCA area. Finding out who is taking all these flights is legitimate information that should be known.

If it turns out 50% of the flights are purely for some VIPs convenience then there's your starting point percentage for cutting them off.

Would you also like the CIA to release a list of all attendees at all meetings and how much coffee they each drank? There can be legitimate reasons why they wouldn't want to divulge the identity of the VIP who was being dropped off at Langley at night.

I have zero faith in our current administration and I don't think they could have handled this situation any worse, but I also don't think that all US citizens have a right to know who is flying into and out of Langley.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So am I getting this straight—MAGA was desperate to get the BH pilot name because not releasing it was a conspiracy, but now they are aghast that people want the VIP’s name because it’s not some conspiracy?

I am the opposite of MAGA, but don’t think any of these names have a ton of relevance to what happened.

You may not think so.
Others do.

Tilt away at those windmills! I hope it makes you feel better.

I think VIP flight information should be public. It's already been determined there are too many helicopters flying in the DCA area. Finding out who is taking all these flights is legitimate information that should be known.

If it turns out 50% of the flights are purely for some VIPs convenience then there's your starting point percentage for cutting them off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't go back reading 200 pages. What is the VIP thing? They dropped one off at National? Were supposed to pick one up at National? Taking one somewhere and there are 4 on the Blackhawk? Or what? Thanks.

The Black Hawk helicopter turned on it's transponder just outside of Langley. It's home location is Ft. Belvoir in Alexandria. It was never going to DCA. It dropped someone at Langley and then was returning to Belvoir along the Helo route that passes DCA.

Wait if there was a VIP, they can’t be bothered to travel by car from Alexandria to Langley?? That’s like 20 minutes. This is what our country is using these black hawks for? Unreal.

This is not the primary use for Black Hawks--but we are in peacetime (for now).

What do you suggest they do with old Black Hawks? Sell them for scrap?