The note on the standar minima page for KBHM states that the LOC procedure is not to be used at night.
No, the note says that the approach is N/A at night *IF* the PAPI is inop. So far I have seen nothing which suggests the PAPI was inop.
The argument is not about how I would fly the approach differently
Well, yeah, it is. I'm making a point with the question, and you're refusing to answer the question because you know that as soon as you answer the question, you have to concede the point.
So, I'll answer the question for you: Of course you wouldn't fly the approach one iota differently if you knew the trees had grown from 915 ft to 921 ft. Which leads inevitably to the conclusion that the 6 ft you're making such a noise about is completely inconsequential.
The provision of approach lighting would draw your vision towards the runway threshold and the rst of the runway surface. At Gatwick when they are using the standby runway two strobes are used to draw the pilots vision towards the runway threshold.
Ummm, yeah. Hey, did you notice that Runway 18 at Birmingham is equipped with REILs ? Do you know what REILs are? They're big-ass strobe lights located at the runway threshold to draw your eye to the runway threshold, just like at Gatwick.
I have been wondering why a LOC was specified for this runway and I can only think it has been used to provide the necessary accuracy to funnel an aircraft into a path between the numerous obstacles.
Uhhh, maybe because there's no conveniently located VOR to provide an IAP to the runway? Regardless, the procedure has you remaining more than 250 feet above all relevant obstacles until you have the runway in sight. You're drawing inferences that just don't make sense here.
This crew really had nothing to help them.
They had great big strobes on the runway to draw the pilots eye to the threshold, just like at Gatwick, they had a clever visual descent aid that would tell them at a glance whether they had strayed a fraction of a degree below a safe glidepath, and they had a published altitude that would keep them from hitting anything if they stayed above it.
Not sure how you can argue they had nothing to help them.