lol it's a DOD database, has worked for me every time. I suspect if you're absolutely sure you entered everything properly including the date when you would have served and it didn't find you, then you might not be on record with the DOD as having been active duty (other than for training) during that period, in which case, that's a records problem, not a problem with the website.

 

Ah, yes I gooned it up; I left today's date in there.

When I tried it again with a random day that I was on AD, it showed my exact entry and exit dates from AD.

 

yeah I've made the same mistake many times myself. The sad part is that there are so many posers using forged DD-214's and/or fake orders to try to scam civilian employers, landlords, non-profits, etc. out of benefits intended for AD/veterans that this website is now the only free, open source way that is pretty much full proof to verify someone's active duty service these days.

 

Scott Perdue has a video out on this accident where he makes some good points, including several I hadn't seen before like the fact this crew had flown this same profile at least 3 times previously and gotten away with it. He also stated that once the crew made the turn to the Northwest on the circle they were going to either stall or hit the mountain. He also pointed out on the map how they started the turn way too soon after overflying runway 17:

https://youtu.be/_FipwHxRcBI?list=TL...MjLEVh5EJYHiJg

 

Maybe because the visibility was low and they were going to lose sight of it? First rule of the missed-approach-not-an-option circling maneuver is to bank and pull as hard as necessary to keep the runway in sight

 

In every one of those earlier “circling” approaches the weather was at or well above minimums, good VMC. Not so, in the accident flight. They didn’t “get away” with it, it was a visual pattern. Second, ATC and local crews have become accustomed to cancelling IFR to avoid the Night NA restriction. In the NTSB prelim this tactic was mentioned. ATC asked the crew upon asking for 27L, are you cancelling IFR, crew responded affirmatively.

 

Night circling approach in an area with terrain is not a good idea, especially when it is a 270 degree circle.

 

Circling near mins isn't a good idea period. We just don't do it enough. The Sim is useless because we're just doing MEM/JFK. In 12 years at NetJets I think I can count on my fingers how many for real circling approaches I did (excluding TEB ILS6, Circle 1). There was some little airport on the coast up in the NE that we knew we were going to have to do a for real circle at mins because of winds. My F/O and I extensively briefed it and covered everything short of a tsunami suddenly coming in but the pucker factor was still high. Nothing but clouds around us at MDA so we bailed to the Alt.

I'd like to see more "real" circling approach practice in the LOFTS. The whole purpose of MEM/JFK is so you don't bust the checkride. Both of those are pretty easy, MEM even has the road with traffic you can use as a crutch so you don't go too far from the runway.

 

I agree. The problem is the certification of the visual simulator programming for circles. JFK and Memphis are the only ones available.

 

I was never impressed with the daytime visuals in the FSI Sims. On a LOFT I was at LAS in either the 400XP or Phenom 300 (forget which). I taxied over dirt because I didn't realize it was dirt, it looked like pavement to me. Microsoft Flight Sim has better daytime visuals.