Buster,
It doesn't happen that often (I think, don't fly there anymore), but when Rwy 03 is in use and you have up to 72 pax on board and a wet runway, it does happen that either pax or bags need to be offloaded. Sometimes you are better off departing with a tailwind on Rwy 21 and thereby be able to carry more weight.
I haven't flown the -500 for the last couple of years so I can't really remember the performance anymore. But I think there will still be a slight penalty for rwy 03, don't forget the -500 weights 1000 kg's more than the old 200/201.
tfcm.
Last edited by The Flying Cokeman; 17th May 2006 at 08:16.