Potholing at Gatwick

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Boac
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Potholing at Gatwick

#1 Post by Boac » Thu Mar 05, 2020 5:34 pm

A minor ripple in the smooth running this afternoon with a few fuel diversions to STN - rumoured to be due to a pothole developing in the runway. Yes, the Airport is looking into it...............

ribrash

Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#2 Post by ribrash » Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:10 pm

Management have said its not too bad.A bit of speedtape will sort it.
Image

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#3 Post by Capetonian » Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:17 pm

I noticed a couple of 7700s on EZY inbounds to LGW, thanks for the enlightenment.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:46 pm

Submarines spotted at Gatwick!
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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#5 Post by Ex-Ascot » Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:57 am

Capetonian wrote:
Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:17 pm
I noticed a couple of 7700s on EZY inbounds to LGW, thanks for the enlightenment.
Well they were not carrying the correct amount of fuel then. I bet Squeezy often load absolute minimum, if not less, all the time, and no bit for mother.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#6 Post by Boac » Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:12 am

Ex-A - I think you are out of touch with aviation regulations and the current world in aviation. Absolute minimum is not unusual nor is is safe if handled correctly. 'Loading less' - what then, do you mean by 'absolute minimum? Are you suggesting EJ are operating illegally? A bold statement.

I do not have enough information to make any judgements on this occurrence - do you? Firstly, Cape's post was misleading - the 7700 was not 'inbound to LGW' but 'inbound to STN' as I understand it.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#7 Post by Capetonian » Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:18 am

My post was misleading. They were originally inbound to LGW and diverted to STN.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#8 Post by Rwy in Sight » Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am

Boac not a pilot here but reading Ex-A's post made me thinking of a creative calculation of the legal minimum. I am probably wrong but I think like AF477 did (obviously not the crashing part) but they dispatched to an airport closer to Paris and they re-dispatched when they were sure about their fuel status. I am not sure how it would work for shorter flights.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#9 Post by barkingmad » Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:07 am

RiS, in my poling days I believe the technique you describe was known as “enroute alternate” procedure and was hardcopy published as such.
Like ETOPs, I always believed it was aviation’s snake oil and avoided it.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#10 Post by Boac » Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:28 am

I don't think there was any 'skullduggery' here, certainly no 'alternate div' stuff. Multiple flights holding due a closed runway and ?3? EJ flights had reached diversion fuel and elected for STN (in short order). It could have been ATC asked for the squawk - we do not know. The rules on declaring an emergency for fuel state are unquestionable. I would staunchly defend EJ (and RY) for their flight crew's standards.

More to become apparent I expect.

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Re: Potholing at Gatwick

#11 Post by barkingmad » Fri Mar 06, 2020 2:28 pm

It used to be a joke amongst LGW based crews that the contractors who surfaced and resurfaced the main runway were only practising for their next job viz the M25 motorway encircling London. :))

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