Originally Posted by
Wiley
Time out for a group hug.
I have to say that one thing that has improved enormously in DXB, (thanks to necessity with the single runway ops), is ATC allowing aircraft to depart with aircraft relatively close in on finals. 12 months ago, you'd sit at the holding point and wait if an aircraft was 10 miles out when you called ready. Today, they'll let you go with just enough spacing to have the other guy at 200' as you rotate - and it works.
Despite the few who've admitted here that they think they know better and just fly the speed they want to rather than that assigned, the Approach controllers seem to have got the spacing down almost if not equal to Heathrow spacing, with the No 2 getting landing clearance about as late as is comfortable as the No 1 clears the runway. Again, it usually works very nicely, (unless some clown doesn't read his Notams and tries to clear at M6).
Now for the sting in my message: I really wish I was getting that late landing clearance with about 800 kgs more fuel in my tanks than I usually have coming into Dubai (and would have at most other ports we operate into) thanks to the cross country vectoring and the too early descent points that result in anything but constant descents into Dubai.
Please, give us holding patterns close enough to the field so that we can stay clean until we need to dirty up for landing. And please give us descent points that will allow a constant descent - and delayed descent points if holding is expected. The F270 requirement 20 miles before ORSAR or the UAE FIR boundary must be costing every airline using Dubai a fortune in unnecessary fuel burn.
Thanks for the appreciation shown, as you say a landing clce as you cross the Threshold is as tight as it can possibly get, unfortunately there have been several Go Aounds recently due to, dare I say B777s being considerably slower than A330s on vacating the Rwy
For our benefit could somebody clarify what exactly is an acceptable speed for taking a high speed turn off at?
Finally you, me, the cleaners and caterers all know the benefit of having closer holds, but it hasn't quite seeped thru to GCAA yet.
Our Hands Are Tied
