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B737 captain reported ATC requested them to maintain visual separation from a preceding departure while they were still taxiing to the runway.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1565597 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201808 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Experience | Flight Crew Type 2014 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
When cleared to line up and wait for 26R; we were asked to confirm that the [other aircraft] in front was in sight. He was definitely in sight as he was only a couple hundred feet in front of us as he was pushing up the power for takeoff. This odd procedure is apparently used to keep the separation between departing airplanes to a minimum; therefore allowing more departures and increasing capacity. The problem is; seeing an airplane directly in front of me while taxing 5 kts has zero impact on whether or not I'll be able to see him in a few short moments when we have a 15-20 degree nose up climb attitude on departure. So when ATC tells us to maintain visual separation with the departing aircraft once we're airborne; based on seeing him on the ground as we take the runway; it seems ridiculous at best; and unsafe at worst.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 Captain reported ATC requested them to maintain visual separation from a preceding departure while they were still taxiing to the runway.
Narrative: When cleared to line up and wait for 26R; we were asked to confirm that the [other aircraft] in front was in sight. He was definitely in sight as he was only a couple hundred feet in front of us as he was pushing up the power for takeoff. This odd procedure is apparently used to keep the separation between departing airplanes to a minimum; therefore allowing more departures and increasing capacity. The problem is; seeing an airplane directly in front of me while taxing 5 kts has ZERO impact on whether or not I'll be able to see him in a few short moments when we have a 15-20 degree nose up climb attitude on departure. So when ATC tells us to maintain visual separation with the departing aircraft once we're airborne; based on seeing him on the ground as we take the runway; it seems ridiculous at best; and unsafe at worst.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.