One topic of constant training that spans from the private pilot level all the way to the airline pilot level is the diversion. Private pilots learn to divert from a VFR cross-country because of weather or to refuel—and airline pilots sometimes divert for the same reasons.
En route from Chicago to Baltimore at Flight Level 330, we heard the words that no pilot wants to: “Advise ready to copy holding instructions.” A two-person cockpit crew is good for many reasons, but it can also add levity to any situation when you simultaneously groan in dismay. A very dismal “go ahead” was the reply to ATC.
The forecast for Baltimore was certainly not sunny and balmy, but it wasn’t so bad that we shouldn’t be able to fly an ILS approach and land. We had been dispatched to Baltimore with two alternate airports in case the weather did deteriorate and now we had to mentally prepare for the possibility of a diversion.
We were now cleared direct to a VOR over western Pennsylvania for a hold. Once we programmed the hold into the GPS we began looking at the weather in Baltimore and our two alternates: Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Legally we’re required to have enough fuel to fly to the destination airport, then fly to the most distant alternate, then fly for 45 minutes thereafter. That means we don’t have a lot of extra fuel for holding. We had 12 minutes of hold fuel, to be exact.
Once we entered the hold, we had 12 minutes before we needed to continue to Baltimore or divert to an alternate.
It turns out it wasn’t all the weather’s fault. With reduced visibility in Baltimore because of fog, the runway lighting system and approach light system are a critical component for ILS approaches as well as low-visibility takeoffs, and they were out of service. Without those lights the runway was a parking lot. Even the wind was in cahoots with the inoperative lights and was prevailing right down the centerline of this piece of useless pavement.
Our decision was practically made for us. With a prediction of “indefinite” by ATC regarding how long we would need to hold, we made our decision to divert to Pittsburgh. We chose Pittsburgh over Syracuse for a few reasons. We were holding over western Pennsylvania already, which made Pittsburgh less than 50 nm away and the weather was slightly better there.
“Cleared to the Pittsburgh airport via radar vectors, descend and maintain 12,000.” We’re still at FL330, we’re less than 50 nm from our new destination, and we now had a lot of work to do. Reprogram the flight plan to our new destination, alert the company to our diversion decision, inform the passengers that they won’t be going to Baltimore directly anymore—and get the airplane ready for an approach.
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