In the days when QANTAS was still flying into Manchester having first deposited a goodly number of passengers at Heathrow we took off again at around 08:00hrs for Manchester. A few minutes into the flight the Captain decided to update us on the conditions in Manchester. "There is some fog at Manchester" quoth he "and at the moment it is outside our landing limits. ATC tell us that it should clear by about 10:00hrs but I'm sure it will be fine by the time we get there". Those of us familiar with some of the vagaries of the weather in the North West looked at each other and giggled. All were of the same opinion that if ATC said 10:00hrs then 10:00hrs it would be and no Aussie Captain would be able to make any difference to the time. Arriving in the area about 30 mins later the Captain cheerfully informed us that the 747 required 250m (if I've got this wrong please forgive me, it was a long time ago but I remember thinking it was a short distance) visibility to land but that it was currently 150m. He was, however certain that it would all alter in a few minutes. (They don't get proper fog in Oz). The aircraft entered the hold and round and round we went with occasional updates on the visibility, seemingly fixed permanently at 150m, and the captain's opinion that it would be only a few minutes before we were able to land (and ours that he hadn't a hope). At 09:30 the visibility improved to 175m, then at 0950 it was the magic 200m and "I'm going in"! The wheels touched the tarmac at precisely 10:00hrs
and apparently quite some way down the runway as I noticed the BA cargo sheds being passed very rapidly. Never mind, we were down safely and one of very few aircraft to make it into Manchester that morning which was a real blessing after the long flight from Oz. The arrivals board told its own story "Diverted Prestwick" being the most common destination visible and we were the first of the big aircraft to have made it into Manchester.