Bzn Met

[SVK]

Just wondering...

What's the weather been like at Brize today?
:E:E:E

[MrBernoulli]

BRIZE NORTON - EGVN - BZZ
METAR:

EGVN 151750Z 00000KT 0200 FG BKN000 00/M00 Q1016 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 151750Z 00000KT 0200 FG BKN000 00/M00 Q1016 NOSIG=
EGVN 151650Z 15001KT 0400 FG BKN000 01/01 Q1016 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 151650Z 15001KT 0400 FG BKN000 01/01 Q1016 NOSIG=
EGVN 151550Z 12002KT 0200 FG BKN000 02/02 Q1015 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 151550Z 12002KT 0200 FG BKN000 02/02 Q1015 NOSIG=
EGVN 151450Z 00000KT 0200 FG BKN000 03/03 Q1014 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 151450Z 00000KT 0200 FG BKN000 03/03 Q1014 NOSIG=
EGVN 151350Z 12002KT 0400 BCFG SCT001 04/03 Q1014 TEMPO 3000
BR FEW002=
EGVN 151350Z 12002KT 0400 BCFG SCT001 04/03 Q1014 RED TEMPO
3000 BR FEW002 YLO1=
EGVN 151250Z 24001KT 0500 FG BKN000 03/02 Q1014 TEMPO 3000 BR
FEW001=
EGVN 151250Z 24001KT 0500 FG BKN000 03/02 Q1014 RED TEMPO 3000
BR FEW001 YLO1=
EGVN 151150Z 16001KT 0300 FG BKN000 01/01 Q1014 RED TEMPO 3000
BR FEW002 YLO1=
EGVN 151150Z 16001KT 0300 FG BKN000 01/01 Q1014 TEMPO 3000 BR
FEW002=
EGVN 151050Z AUTO 14002KT 8000NDV HZ NCD 01/M00 Q1014 RESN=
EGVN 151010Z 12001KT 3000 BR FEW001 M00/M01 Q1013 YLO1 BECMG 5000 WHT=
EGVN 150950Z AUTO 00000KT 2400NDV UP FEW000/// M01/M01 Q1013=
EGVN 150850Z 00000KT 0450 FZFG SCT000 SCT100 M02/M02 Q1012 RED TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002 AMB=
EGVN 150850Z 00000KT 0450 FZFG SCT000 SCT100 M02/M02 Q1012
TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002=
EGVN 150750Z 00000KT 0300 FZFG SCT001 BKN220 M02/M03 Q1011 RED TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002 AMB=
EGVN 150750Z 00000KT 0300 FZFG SCT001 BKN220 M02/M03 Q1011 TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002=
EGVN 150650Z 00000KT 1000 0600SE FZFG SCT000 BKN200 M02/M02 Q1010 TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002=
EGVN 150650Z 00000KT 1000 0600SE FZFG SCT000 BKN200 M02/M02
Q1010 RED TEMPO 1200 MIFG SCT002 AMB=
EGVN 150550Z 00000KT 0250 FZFG BKN000 M02/M02 Q1009 NOSIG=
EGVN 150550Z 00000KT 0250 FZFG BKN000 M02/M02 Q1009 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 150450Z 00000KT 0250 FZFG OVC000 M01/M01 Q1009 NOSIG=
EGVN 150450Z 00000KT 0250 FZFG OVC000 M01/M01 Q1009 RED NOSIG=
EGVN 150350Z 00000KT 0400 FZFG OVC000 M01/M01 Q1008 TEMPO
1500 VCFG FEW001=
EGVN 150350Z 00000KT 0400 FZFG OVC000 M01/M01 Q1008 RED TEMPO 1500 VCFG FEW001 AMB=
EGVN 150337Z 00000KT 2000 0700S PRFG SCT000 M00/M01 Q1008 RED TEMPO 1500 VCFG FEW001 AMB=
EGVN 150321Z 00000KT 2500 BR FEW001 M00/M00 Q1007 YLO1 TEMPO 0700 VCFG SCT000 RED=
EGVN 150303Z 35001KT 1200 BR FEW001 M01/M01 Q1007 AMB TEMPO 0400 FG BKN001 RED=
EGVN 150250Z 31003KT 0600 FZFG BKN000 M01/M01 Q1007 TEMPO 1200 VCFG FEW001=
EGVN 150250Z 31003KT 0600 FZFG BKN000 M01/M01 Q1007 RED TEMPO 1200 VCFG FEW001 AMB=
EGVN 150157Z 23002KT 0400 FG BKN001 01/00 Q1007 RED TEMPO 1200
VCFG FEW001 AMB=
EGVN 150150Z 17002KT 1200 VCFG SKC 01/01 Q1007 AMB TEMPO 0500
FG RED=
EGVN 150150Z 17002KT 1200 VCFG SKC 01/01 Q1007 TEMPO 0500 FG=
EGVN 150126Z 26003KT 2400 MIFG SKC 01/00 Q1006 YLO2 TEMPO 1200 VCFG AMB=
EGVN 150050Z 28003KT 3500 MIFG SKC 02/01 Q1006 BECMG 2000=
EGVN 150050Z 28003KT 3500 MIFG SKC 02/01 Q1006 YLO1 BECMG 2000 YLO2=
There, is that enough for you?

[bunta130]

I am guessing your next question will be about the METARs at EGDL......?:hmm:

The age-old advantage of being on a hill........

[Uncle Ginsters]

It's the 'Foggy Fortnight'. It happens every year since time began at BZN.

The real question is: "What's the Future Brize contingency for when it happens again?"

How about: "Open the bar" ?:ugh:

[Cows getting bigger]

Oh purlease! I also remember spending many a night shift at Brize handling Hercs that couldn't get into their homebase due to weather. Indeed, you gits interrupted a very fine New Years Day night because your weather was crap and you had a major power failure, again. :)

[tridriver]

Taking off is the easy bit

Taxiing around is the hard part and only to get worse with from OCt next year

What no pushback 'cause a J's just started up on Bay 52 etc,,, can't wait!

[Aim between the eyes]

Be sooner than that mate. C130 maintenance starts at BZN from 31 Mar 2011 and all C130s scheduled to be based there from June. :}

ABTE

[skaterboi]

http://www.smiley-faces.org/smiley-faces/smiley-face-popcorn.gif

[vecvechookattack]

Be sooner than that mate. C130 maintenance starts at BZN from 31 Mar 2011

Exactly, and you wouldnt want to be conducting any maintenance in Fog would you

[talking horse]

Of course, if they were to invest in a true all-weather capability, such weather wouldn't be a problem (Cat 3B ILS, min RVR 75m, no DH).

And you could save money by disestablishing the talkdown controllers.

Oh, sorry, I used the 'I' word...

[brit bus driver]

Don't get me started on 2 Gp's inability to embrace AWOPs......

From one who has: sat in the hold at Brize on Xmas Eve (from ASI) only to end up in Manch (to quote but one example of a myriad of fog-based diversions from BZZ); operated to CAT 3B in A.N. Other miltary's aircraft; and now sees AWOPs as really the rather easy option when it starts to get a bit scoshy (is that how you spell it; I've never really thought about it).

How I chuckled/grimaced in the LAM hold earlier when looking up the weather in Mrs Driver's backyard (so to speak) and thought of all those poor sods delayed or diverted due to the lack of a decent transmissometer, a suitable met conversion chart or, God forbid, a CAT II ILS. Or have things changed?

[Aim between the eyes]

The fact that we're only going to have ONE (almost but but not quite) optimal runway alarms me the most... :eek:

Lets see what this Brize Tac teaches us... Never mind crossing fingers, i've tied everything in a knot to prevent a black runway this time!

[brit bus driver]

To add to my incredulity....why the f*** are they not reporting RVRs? A met vis of 200m is not legal for an approach (or never used to be), but may well translate into an RVR of 550m. Why oh why.....

Or did that conversion chart finally make it into GASOs?

[MrBernoulli]

In my time at Brize, I don't ever recall RVR being used. Any other Brize-ites care to comment?

[Blighter Pilot]

It's okay because everything diverted to LYE........

How much will the MOD pay in landing fees to Manchester, East Midlands et al come 2 Sep 2011?

More importantly - the pax will love the drive to BZN after a 7 hour flight out of theatre

Brilliant:{

[vecvechookattack]

I thought that the plan was to use Yeovilton as the diversion.

[BEagle]

Regarding a Cat III ILS, I understand that, after a huge amount of money had been spent in the mid-90s to realign the northern road and move it further from the RW, they discovered that it was impossible to improve the ILS beyond Cat I due to the terrain in the approach domain. In particular, the effect of Lew Hill. The northern road move was supposed to have been one of the precursors to a Cat II or Cat III installation......:hmm:

Of course the ILS on RW08 has alaways had a kink in the glideslope which rules it out for autocoupled approaches....:\

[dionysius]

2 C17's and a Tristar overnighted at Civil airports last night due fog at sunny Brize :{

[Climebear]

In my time at Brize, I don't ever recall RVR being used. Any other Brize-ites care to comment?

Back in the mid-late 80s I wasted far too many hours of my life counting lights from the RVR tower at Brize. You either froze or turned the heater on and dealt with the insect infestation. It was almost as much fun as doing a mu-meter run.

[Cows getting bigger]

Climebear, did we have a knee trembler together in the 26 RVR one 80s night? :eek:

[StopStart]

Whilst we all know that weather is just weather and that Lyneham enjoys its own fair share of RED days it is still a little amusant that nature and events have conspired during each of these Brize/Lyneham exercises to demonstrate the folly of a single AT MOB :D

EGVN 160950Z 00000KT 0150 FG VV/// 00/00 Q1021 NOSIG.....

[vecvechookattack]

How many aircraft were diverted yesterday..? Anyone know?

[cessnapete]

I am amazed that in future years it appears that our Transport fleet (A400M and A330 Tanker/Transport) all certified to Cat111 at manufacture, will be restricted to Cat1 operations at their main base.
This mornings BZN wx is above limits for normal ops in the airline world by the majority of airliner types in operation today. (100mts RVR No DH)

[brit bus driver]

So when their airships were contemplating the future AT basing strategy, wtf did nobody say "Hang on a minute, Brize is only Cat I capable. Are there any other large airfields in the vicinity that may not suffer from the smallest of knobbly bits of terrain that our esteemed AIDU colleagues inform us restrict any higher landing capability? What's that you say? I am not understanding this 'poppycock' word...." Absolute crock. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Geneva, Zurich all renowned for their pancake-like terrain :hmm:

This should have been a fundemental capability of the AT 'superbase'. It's like designing a fighter with no gun......

[GK430]

Used to work at EGBB and we always knew when EGVN was fogged out.
Why is EGVA not a viable opportunity? Is it all down to cash again:*

[vecvechookattack]

That will be non then. No aircraft were diverted yesterday due to the poor weather. OK, How many sorties were cancelled yesterday due to the poor weather...?

[Climebear]

Cows getting bigger

Climebear, did we have a knee trembler together in the 26 RVR one 80s night?

Not that I can recall. Then again, I could be suffering from some form of PTSD memory loss :ooh:.

[Uncle Ginsters]

Vec,

You may find that the lack of replies is because everybody was diverted and no-one has made it home yet to their 'puters to reply:D

[Oceanic815]

Beags,

Just for info we have been able to carry out auto coupled approaches on 08 for the last 5 years at least. Kit doesn't always stay in mind you!!!!!

I can't wait to see what happens if it snows again this winter!!!!:D

[Shackman]

Don't Tristars also do coupled approaches at Brize (but only to the bounce!).

[Cornish Jack]

Shackman ... only with TCEU on board and after NOT R,ing TFM!!:=

[BEagle]

EGVN 161150Z 09001KT 0150 FG VV/// 02/01 Q1021 RED NOSIG
EGDL 161150Z 14003KT 9999 FEW011 08/05 Q1020 NOSIG

Perfect sense to move.......:uhoh:

[brit bus driver]

Back to the Lew Hill issue - and I don't doubt that someone told you this was true.

The plate says (or always used to) that the ILS on 26 was suitable for auto-coupled approaches to the threshold (I'm guessing that means autoland). I certainly hope it does as I have autolanded at Brize on more than one occasion (not in the TriStar, tempting as it was). Absolutely no issues.

The crash was down to mode awareness - or lack of, not the aircraft or airfield capability.

[BEagle]

brit bus driver, that's what a senior air trafficker told me and I assumed that it was therefore correct....:hmm:

I think the 'autocoupled approach' ban on RW08 came in after the TriStar incident. Caused by the reasons you give. But I've certainly flown auto-ILS approaches in the VC10/VC10K on RW08 for training in VMC and the aircraft was able to follow the undulating glideslope reasonably well... But, having been taught by 'JR' about such things, I always checked proper autothrottle operation on the ground first - even though a certain lazy individual had demanded that the check was taken out of the FRCs as he considered that it "Wasn't necessary". Bolleaux - of course it was!

[Arty Fufkin]

The last plates for Brize that I have to hand (Sep 10) specify auto-coupled approaches to 08 and 26 permited to Cat 1 DH only. Whether or not Cat 3 will be available (at least on 26) will, I suppose, be adressed when a Brize based squadron (KC 30?) finally decides to use the full capability of their aircraft. Remember, the L-1011 has had full cat 3 capability since birth, but the training and admin burden coupled with a healthy dose of technophobia has meant that it's use has been forbiden. I guess its a little too late in the day to go around that particular bouy again, maybee common sense will prevail withthe arrival of all the Airbus wonder jets...

[VinRouge]

Isnt the lack of Cat II and III at BZN more to do with RF protection zones outside the wire?

[vecvechookattack]

What was the weather at Brize like today? Any more fog?

[tubby linton]

The last time I went through Brize a lot of CAT II holding points had appeared.

[brit bus driver]

Isnt the lack of Cat II and III at BZN more to do with RF protection zones outside the wire?

Now I (thankfully) know very little about the technical side of ILS ground installations etc, but this comment was in my mind as we landed on 09L at LHR last night. RF protections outside the wire......the M25 is at 1 mile final on 09L (well, and the 09R but we rarely land on the right) with an industrial estate at about 2 miles, Windsor at 4 miles etc etc.....another 'hering rouge'?

And to answer the other question, the fog has gone - but due back tonight - so the problem goes away again. Maybe all the hot air cleared it up....

[Wycombe]

I think what might actually be being referred to is the physical location of the localiser aerials (not sure on 26, but on 08 it's to the east of the Bampton road isnt it?). I assume this is due to runway topography.

[rockystar]

A TriStar departed BZN Tuesday morning this week in the blanket of fog - RVR was serviceable giving 200/200/200. Had to wait an hour for ATC to turn the equipment on!!

[Runaway Gun]

Did turning the tower heater on actually disperse the fog?

[chevvron]

Are you sure he departed with 200m? min RVR for a civil one would be 300m.

[Juan Tugoh]

RVR for a civil T* departure would be less than 300m, especially if fitted with PVD.

[Blighter Pilot]

Really? How interesting!:hmm:

[Stanley Eevil]

200/200/200 is the current minimum RVR requirement for a Brize departure.
650 touchdown RVR for CAT1 ILS approach with 260ft QFE minima.

[crashtest]

BBC News - Birmingham Airport shut as transplant aircraft crashes (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11799829) :uhoh:

[Grabbers]

Was/is Brize Norton black this morning after a light dusting of snow? The skies have been very quiet nearby.

[Justanopinion]

Yes it was - but the roads were clear for a quick drive in.

[tridriver]

....or drive home. At least it will give the engineers time to bring the fleet up to full fe@r.

[Grabbers]

I really shouldn't be surprised by this, yet depressingly I am. How on earth can this be allowed to happen? I mean seriously, it's not like the snow caught anyone by surprise and it's not like feet of the stuff fell. Does anyone in the know, know?

[Blighter Pilot]

That's all right - the secret Wiltshire Airbase,our one and only MEDA,was reporting Braking Action Poor/Poor Medium/Good on the main runway the other night.

Bardufoss at -22 with snow was Good/Good/Good

How does that work??

So when Brize becomes the MEDA and goes Black for 3mm of snow - where will our jets go?? Don't think Birmingham or Manchester has arrestor gear:mad:

[Uncle Ginsters]

The bods in the Future Brize lines are adamant that they have lined up the mother of all snow-clearance trucks...shame it couldn't help today with the shock arrival of a forecast few mm of snow!

I only hope they're right!

[Redcarpet]

The Airfield was only open from late morning and how many £100Ks spent on clearing equipment? :{

[M609]

Bardufoss at -22 with snow was Good/Good/Good

To be fair to the crews in the UK it's actually easier to get good friction when it's really cold (Say -10c and below), than when it's just below zero.

........given that you know what you are doing and have the minimum of kit.

Given 3 runway sweepers and one blower you should get at least medium BA within one hour when it stops snowing regardless of temp. (25000x45m RWY)