The idiocy of the Sydney curfew is a topic in itself, let alone the imposition in extreme circumstances like last week.
There must be practical dispensations for such weather events in our major capital city airports.
Curfew imposition was one of the contributing factors to the crash of a BA146 crash in Switzerland (Crossair 3597) in 2001.
The "idiocy" I was referring to is the interpretation of the Sydney curfew by its governing authority.
Some of the quiet aircraft that can and do operate inside the curfew period are restricted to a MTOW of 74800lb. Fair enough for Sydney departures I say.
But I have heard from friends that are affected in their aircraft that this "MTOW" is applied to their arrival flights into Sydney as well!
In effect if they were arriving into Sydney with minimum fuel inside the curfew they are still considered in breach if they took off on the other side of the Pacific above 74800lb! They are forced to land somewhere closer (eg; Fiji, Auckland, Noumea) and then takeoff below 74800lb to then arrive in Sydney at whatever fuel load they like - but below 74800lb.
What lunacy and reflective of the nation that we have become.
The curfew rules should properly state Sydney MTOW 74800lb and Sydney landing weight as low as possible to meet operational requirements but less than 74800lb.
Last edited by ramble on; 25th Apr 2015 at 02:57.