Posted this on the other thread about the flying school at MQL before I was aware of this thread....
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Well the MRCC approved the additional $$ for the ILS at a meeting this past week.
I cannot believe it is proposed to be on runway 09 and not 27.
The prevailing wind at MQL is from the W/SW and runway 27 is used around 90% of the time by the RPT operators due to the wind. An ILS on 09 would not be any advantage when there is fog, as in the early morning you would be landing into the sun which is not very conducive to making the most out of what visibility there may be. As a result of this decision it seems that the installation of the ILS is for the prime benefit of the flying school training operations and not for assisting RPT and other operators to land when the weather is poor such as in a dust storm which occur when there is a wind from the W or SW and certainly not suitable for an ILS with a 20+kt tailwind.
Having an ILS on 09 will by its nature and use by the flying school generate traffic issues in the circuit and cause delays to other operators. The additional time for a backtrack for a departure 09 or to wait for a gap in the traffic for enter and backtrack for a 27 departure will be a significant inconvenience and cost to the RPT operators especially.
Not owning the land required is a petty excuse for not using 27. There are a number of ways this could be accommodated, especially when the budget is m$4 and the extra land would be a very small percentage of the total cost and give significant operational benefits.
Where is the common sense in this equation?
One has also have to ask what the value of an ILS will be over its expected life. The new runway at the Sunshine Coast is jet capable and does not have an ILS, but GPS based approaches that everyone seems happy about. Why cant the proponents of this waste of money think into the future and consider something similar and spend the money more wisely? It may well be better suited to runway 18 or a paddock somewhere! If it is needed for the school then perhaps they should make a significant contribution?
One must also ask what or who is driving this proposal.......
And yes, many of us mourn the loss of FS - those were the days.