Runway Headings

[Ifield Lad]

I expect that time has gone quicker than I thought but it does not seem that long ago that Heathrow changed and more recently Stansted. Given that both Gatwick & Luton are not that far away I assume they will also change?

[HPbleed]

I haven't been flying long enough to know what they were before but Gatwick is currently 259/079 (26/08) so will need another 5 degrees to get to 254 before it's changed to 25/07. That'll take quite a while methinks.

[BOAC]

Wait until the North and South Poles flip...............................:eek:

[viperburns]

Or the sun rises from west;)

[SpringHeeledJack]

Wait until the North and South Poles flip..............................

Then LHR won't be on people's minds anymore! Let's hope that it will be a few hundred years (or better 1,000's) in the future. By all evidence it appears to swap over in a relatively short while :ooh:


SHJ

[DaveReidUK]

Given that both Gatwick & Luton are not that far away I assume they will also change?

Their proximity to each other only tells you that their runway magnetic headings will change at roughly the same rate.

It doesn't mean that their designations will change at the same time - that would only be the case if their true headings differed by a multiple of 10° (which they don't).

[FlightPathOBN]

when are we going to abandon the magvar?

[PhineasC]

In the 21st century is there any need to rely on a bit of magic metal?

[FlightPathOBN]

exactly...look at all of the modern technology, that must have a variable magvar built into it.

What really cracks me up is when they rename the runways, and all of the associated charts, equipment, and infrastructure changes.

As a point of reference, that is how they determined seafloor spreading, the magnetic orientations in the rock across the Atlantic, when the poles flip, and according to records, it wobbles for a very short time then flips.

The Sun drives the forces, and just as magnets repel or attract, the Sun and the Earth mag poles do the same.

The Suns mag pole flipped in 2001, and the Earths and been wobbling quite a bit, so scientists look for the mag poles to flip very soon...

and no, the Sun will not rise in the West, the Earth doesnt flip, just the magnetic polarity....

Nasa simulation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal)..
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/NASA_54559main_comparison1_strip.gif/350px-NASA_54559main_comparison1_strip.gif

I would hope that you are not using a compass to navigate...

[BOAC]

and no, the Sun will not rise in the West, the Earth doesn't flip, just the magnetic polarity - this has also been 'investigated' on PPRune before. What do you call the 'North' pole when the poles flip? Where is 'West' when you are facing 'North'.

This thread has legs. Let's hope it doesn't 'go west'...............

[treadigraph]

Whilst I can see its attractions, I expect the thread will have gone south well before Easter... ;)

[Mr Optimistic]

The 'north seeking pole' will then point south but the interlude with zero field as it flips may be a bit tricky in terms of species survival...Even worse, may have to reorientate tv aerial .

[BOAC]

Even worse, may have to reorientate tv aerial - only if you watch regional TV........................

Homing pigeons just won't, will they?

[DaveReidUK]

Great quote on the NASA website:

"While the conditions that cause polarity reversals are not entirely predictable – the north pole's movement could subtly change direction, for instance – there is nothing in the millions of years of geologic record to suggest that any of the 2012 doomsday scenarios connected to a pole reversal should be taken seriously.

A reversal might, however, be good business for magnetic compass manufacturers." :O

[Heathrow Harry]

the problem comes in the flip-over period - it isn't thought to be truly instantaneous - may be tens or even a couple of hundred years of very low wandering" magnetic fields

[Blinkz]

The actual runway heading at LGW is 259 and 079 respectively. So its a while away from having to change!