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I don't know if this has beeen answered elsewhere, but why has MAN been without an ILS on its main landing runway for the last couple of months with no sign of re-installation? Could cause problems with the foggy season/winter approaching.
I gather the new ILS is installed and ready to be switched on, but awaiting final approval from the CAA. It will supposedly be up and running this week.
I'm sure it was switched on in September, as there was an aircraft in to calibrate the ILS for a couple of days. I assume that this was unsuccessful for whatever reason, but I'd be interested in the reasons that it hasn't been able to be brought online sooner. The DME seems to be out for a longer period of time.
I flew in there a few weeks ago, the skipper was flying. The vectoring onto the VOR approach was shocking.. vectored with a 20kts tail wind started turning about 1.5 miles from the approach laterally with a 40 degree intercept 1 mile from the FAF. In the end just said 'sod it' and flew a visual approach. I swear impossible to have been stable and within 5 degrees at the FAF.
The weather looked bad in MAN this morning looking quickly at the met. I guess 05L in use? (Didn't read the notams as not applicable).
It's actually my fault, sorry! They almost had it calibrated until I landed there a few weeks ago, and in my never ending quest to flatten the hump in the touch-down area, slammed onto the runway so hard that the elevation changed (success at last, with BOAC's help), and they had to begin to calibrate it all over again.
I have a lot to answer for at MAN, a few years ago I didn't de-crab so well during a cross-wind landing, and the whole damned runway twisted! They had to change the Runway number from 24 to23 as a result, sorry again! (There was a wicked rumour at the time that due to a new world-wide Magnetic Variation database which caused it, but the truth is that in MAN's case it was my fault)
Whilst in confessive mode, I do have to admit to messing with RWY 05 (Confession is good for the soul). I got so low on one approach there that the ground shrank away from me in terror, to such an extent that people have reported increasing Radio Altimeter readings during normal descent to the runway, I'm sorry for that too!
I have a lot to answer for at Manchester, it's probably just as well for the world, and Manchester in particular, that I retire in 2 years.
I reckon we can offer you that forgiveness, OS, since you appear to have done the industry a service there and achieved what I singularly failed to do in my airline flying up to retirement - and we only have to tolerate this behaviour for another couple of years. Thank you also for confirming the reason for the runway QDM change. It's amazing how many 'un-de-crabbed' (hey, I've just invented a new word) you must have done at all those airports around the world.
Mind you - I'm amazed you confess to that appalling behaviour on 05...
Crikey BOAC, I didn't know that you'd retired. That means that I did it all by myself, I'd thought that I was a part of a collective effort, team spirit and all that! Given the elasticity of the earth's crust, the damned hump is sure to re-appeear any day seeing as I'm the only one working on it.
appalling behaviour on 05..... Hmmm, not so appalling, SOPs you know, I was just practicing my usual Low Drag Approach, i.e. Get it low and drag it in!
I'm told that the island airport at Kansai is slowly sinking, probably another result of my standard landing technique, oh well.......
Come to think of it fellow Prooners, any other airports that you want 'fixed' before I retire? Only too happy to oblige.
- yup - clocked over the other (65) hump a while back, since when piloting skills in the industry appear to have gone to *** (your goodself excluded, of course). I can, however, assure you that it WAS a collective effort, with loads of black magic/ju-ju etc sent your way.
I read on here that it has to run at CAT I for 350 hours continously before CAT III is allowed.
The MAN ILS was a replacement rather than a brand new installation (although I guess the outgoing one was fairly old), so it surprises me that it still isn't operational to at least CAT I. Would have thought that "like for like" replacment would be easier than starting form scratch.
Just replacing an ILS is a relatively quick job, certainly not months in the making unless you e g decide to improve the GP by excavating a major hill in front of the mast or suchlike. Then there's paperwork, I guess...
And affirm on the facility having to run for a time without going down, and also a number of landings IIRC, before being upgraded.
Hold on OS, I can't let you take all the credit! I spent 37 years on 5 different types, ironing out the "hump" at MAN. Naturally, all my F/O's avoided the same by floating in the flare and touching down after the "hump" - the "isn't the pilot wonderful" type of touch down that eluded me for so many years!
Enjoy your last 2 - it'll go quickly.
The last 2 are already passing far too quickly point8six, happy to see that I'm not alone in my endeavours.
Maybe if they duck over to Woodford they'll find one of Barnes Wallis' Ten-Tonners in the back of the spares shed. That should suffice for a pretty effective hump removal!
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