Originally Posted by
Journey Man
Fog clearance at those suspected islands wasn’t quite so guaranteed. I was once waiting for an inbound flight for 48 hrs due fog. Most of the time the RVR would move between 300m to 800m up and down, up and down, so if you departed SOU when the weather was improving you could find yourself fogged out again by the time you arrived. It was already a calculated risk.
It certainly was a bit unpredictable!
Oh, and why I soon invested in an extra toothbrush and toothpaste for permanent residence in the old flight bag!!!
Inter-island was not so bad as you'd not lose too much by sitting on the ground drinking coffee till a definite clearance presented itself (informed via a phone call from spies lurking at the destination - worked very well that!) rather than going on the TAF which was always a bit of a Lotto on such days - and far better for the pax too given the "luxurious" accommodation once on board! The chug across the Channel was, as you say, a bit more problematic as you'd often have to go on the TAF to stand any chance of keeping the schedule. Always annoying to arrive and find the island crystal-clear & CAVOK but with just the last 3 fields in the West still in the gloop with the RVR being measured in MM!
My "dit" was a local trip hence the luxury of an extra coffee that day!