Freetown, Sierra Leone

[Whoppit]

Anyone got any recent experience of flying into FNA? It would be good to know what the ground facilites are like and is there anyone who can provide a half decent service?

What are the connections into Freetown? I hear that there is a Skylink heli and a beat up hovercraft up the river.

Any local knowledge would be appreciated.

[haughtney1]

Try asking for any AEU drivers

[Hamrah]

FNA has very few facilities. Officially there is a VOR and NDB let downs both offset. There is an ILS but it is not promulgated. Expect to pay "cash" for handling, fuel and just about anything else you might need.
Getting across to the city is either Helicopter (russian) , or a LONG road trek. The Hovercraft is not working . If you stay overnight in the hotel near the airport, you can get a ferry during daylight hours. E-mail me if you need anything else.

[Tail-take-off]

Description
Freetown – Lungi Airport is situated on a flat coastal delta to the north of
the city of Freetown and separated from the main city by the River Rokel.
The terrain to the south rises immediately from the coast into the
Peninsula Mountains, the highest of which is 3000’ AMSL some 20 miles
to the south of the airport. An MSA of 2000’ reflects the flat coastal area
to the north, rising to 5000’ to the south of an east-west line through the
airport. South of the airport to the edge of the estuary is the village of Lungi
which provides some cultural lighting, whilst the area to the north is largely
unpopulated. Runway 30 is the main landing runway with the prevailing
wind from the west and off the sea.

Climate
Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons;
humidity is particularly high during the rainy seasons. The first rainy
season lasts from April to June and the second from September to
November. During these periods, CBs typically build in the afternoon, with
occasional severe storms and squalls, especially in the late afternoon.
Outside the CBs there is usually broken Cumulus cloud with bases around
1500’. CBs tend to dissipate after midnight. Between June and September
there are few CBs, but rain is common; Freetown receives high annual
rainfall because of the proximity of the Peninsula Mountains. During
December and January, fog is common in the mornings between dawn
and 09:30, and visibility can also be affected by dust. There is little
temperature variation throughout the year with daytime temperatures
reaching 32°C and a mean temperature of 28.4°C. The wind profile is
generally W/SW throughout the year, except December to February which
favours Easterly winds.
Bird activity at the airport is frequent and the Airport Authority has
established a Bird Hazard Committee. Hazards stem from migrating crowsized
birds along the coastline in the evenings during the rainy seasons.
Control operations include Hawks and shooting parties.

Runway and Apron
The runway is flat and smooth, of tarmac construction and good condition,
with good draining properties. The turning loops at either end are of similar
construction, approximately 26 m wide and clearly marked with runway
holding lines and boards. These loops are to be used when positioning for
take off (rather than a 180° turn on the runway) and can accommodate
A330-sized aircraft. The hold on runway 12 is labelled “W2” and on
runway 30 “E2”. The runway has centreline painted markings, raised edge
lights and threshold lights. Approach lighting is a simple centreline system
with 2 crossbars and 3° PAPIs are available on both runways. Airport
lights, including PAPIs are not typically switched on for daylight arrivals,
but can be illuminated on request of Tower.
The parking apron can be accessed by 3 taxiways, labelled (in order when
landing Rwy 30) D, C and B. These taxiways, and the main apron, are
marked by raised blue edge lights. The apron has 4 parking stands
marked by yellow lines, which coincide with the underground refuelling
hydrants; stand 3 is the most convenient for the Terminal building.
Caution: ground handling equipment is parked along the edge of the
apron in front of the hangars, so caution must be exercised when turning
onto the parking stand. Aircraft will be marshalled onto stand; there is no
“follow me” vehicle.

En Route and Approach Procedures
Comms throughout the African portion of the route are by VHF, with HF
back-up. Standard IATA reporting is required (see en route supplement).
En route to Freetown, the aircraft will transfer from Dakar FIR to Roberts
FIR in which the descent will begin. Co-ordination is procedural with no
area or approach radar available. Inbound routeing will be via Conakry
(airport and VOR), with a handover to Freetown (about 50 nm out)
preceding descent below Transition Level (FL70), with clearance to
5000 ft overhead the airfield for a procedural or visual approach. On initial
contact, Freetown requested souls on board, remaining endurance and
aircraft registration.
There are no RVR transmissometers so consider met vis to RVR
conversion as per Ops Manual Part A.
Visual arrivals are available on request and to either side of the airport,
though crews should be aware of the potential for helicopter shuttle traffic
between the airport and city to the south; ATC will advise.
CAUTION: Descent outbound for either approach at night will be into an
unlit area, either over the sea (Rwy 12) or over the
unpopulated river delta (Rwy 30).
The Missed Approach procedure is detailed on the approach plate and
requires a procedure turn to re-position to the overhead. Use the
procedure for the approach to the opposite runway to assist with
orientation when planning the missed approach.
Area Navigation Aids
The LGI (115.5) VOR is a 1996 Racal Doppler VOR situated to the north
and centre of the runway. It comprises 2 transmitters with automatic
changeover at failure and a back-up independent power source. There
are plans to up-grade the VOR towards the end of 2006 on receipt of
funding from the World Bank.
The ILS is an old Philips system that is in need of spares and
consequently unavailable for operational use, though localiser and
glideslope signals are transmitted. There are also plans to up-grade this
system on receipt of funding towards the end of 2006.
The NDB ‘SL’ 270 is unserviceable.
Air to ground comms is by VHF, usually using a single frequency as traffic
volumes are typically very low. Again, there are plans to up-grade the air
to ground comms equipment.

ATC
ATC comprises a control tower with 2 ATCOs on duty at any time and
direct communications with Roberts FIR by landline and satellite link.
Traffic density is very low. The standard of English at Freetown is very
good (it was formerly a British colony) and comms with Roberts FIR were
clear with good English. Many of the ATCOs have been trained in the UK,
including refresher-training courses.