Re: Scary Controlling!
Alvin,
It sounds like the rules in the UK are similar in the US, the departure must be airborne and at least 2000m or 6000 feet down the runway.
Was it safe, probably, was it legal? Sometimes as a controller we are put into situations (self induced or not) where we have to decide to let an acft land instead of making them go around because it is safer thing to do.
Why does this situation occur? The controller probably was counting on acft 1 to clear the runway sooner (at the same turnoff as the last several arrivals) and it didn't, but here he is with an acft 2 stuck into position and hold with acft 3 on a two mile final, and afct 1 missing the turnoff that everyone else was able to take.
So now the decision proccess goes like this, can I get acft 2 airborne before acft 3 lands, do I have time to try to taxi acft 2 off the runway and let acft 3 land, should I give acft 3 a go around with acft 2 sitting in position on the runway, should I clear acft 2 for take off as soon as possible knowing that it may not be completely legal but it is safer, or should I give acft 3 a go around with acft 2 just lifting off the runway so that now I have two acft trying to share the same airspace.
Maybe in this instance the contoller thought that is was safer for acft 2 to take off with acft 3 landing behind. You have to also remember that the controller is making spit second decisions and sometimes we have to take the safer option even though it isn't legal.
I'm not trying to second guess the controller but a busy single runway situation is not any fun, and sometimes controllers are presured to push the legal enevelop to keep the operation both safe and moving.
Mike