Hial Flyer:
I am well aware of what you are SUPPOSED to do at STN when LVPs are in force. However, as I pointed out in my last posting what actually happens is not always along strict guidelines.
My last post was not perhaps written exactly as intended in that several commas were perhaps missing and it was open to interpretation.
Let me start again:
London hands me over to Essex Radar shortly after Clacton.
I am required to check in with my Aircraft Type and the ATIS code.
This I do and I get either 'Direct Abbot' or Radar Vectors.
Now then, in normal circumstances it all works out well and I get descents and vectors to 3000 ft and sometimes 2000 ft and then I get handed over to 123.8 with the admonition that I should maintain 160 to 4D.
Now, in fairness, I don't remember being told to maintain 160 to 4D in LVP but I can certainly remember getting late handovers to Tower.
On the other hand, the same organisation has put me at 6000 feet thinking I was landing on 05 when they had changed to 23 without telling me.
What I am trying to say is that I do not trust anyone including myself!
Now let us look at a CAT2 approach and landing, for example.
Under the Old Queen we could not even start a CAT2 approach until we had the touchdown RVR (usually 300 metres). Therefore, we had to go round the LOREL hold until ATC came up with a touch down RVR of 300 metres.
Life changed under JARS. Suddenly it was perfectly legal to start an approach with less than touch down PROVIDED that when you got to the IAF (or decision point if you like) that the RVR was now 300 metres. For G-registered aircraft (which Ryanair are absolutely NOT) the British CAA said that should the RVR go below minimums after 1000 feet AGL then you could continue the approach and land.
Now I have been flying for a European airline for many years and we didn't use the 1000 foot rule but used the IAF instead.
I could name at least two major European very major airfields that would give vectors to quite a late stage and by the time you were transferred to Tower and given the RVRs you were already past the decision point. This was probably not strictly kosher but at least you could have a look.
Stansted is NOT perfect and they used to have a dragon on the ground frequency who would have frightened horses if given half a chance.