vector4fun
Thanks for the SWA Kudos. We aim to please (most of us at least. I have had to call ATC to apologize about company a couple of times.)
robmac
That was most likely wake turbulence. The Sadde arrival is flown by heavy iron coming from Asia and Europe. With GPS accuracy, one aircraft can fly right into anothers wake with precision measured in feet. On a calmer day, the wake vortices from a heavy can be quite startling. I always sit my cabin crew down early going into LAX because I expect a bump or two. As an old friend of mine once said, "I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here." Same for seating the ladies and gents. Better safe than sorry.
I had LAX tower request an immediate 30 degree turn on departure across the south side. They didn't tell us a 767 had just departed and as luck would have it, we hit both vortices. Tha Captain got on the p.A. and explained what it was but nontheless, it gets your attention. ("Brain to body, ignore the adrenalin. This was only a test.)
411A,
Extremely unusual. (Am I mistaken or do you repeatedly like to make that point?) By the way, it seems someone in the BUR city thought better of allowing a petrol station to operate behind the blast fence of a short runway used by passenger jets: The facility is now closed and scheduled for demolition.
Also: Shortly after the "crunchy concrete" barrier was installed on the stopway on the end of 08, a Gulfstream (or similar) put it to the test and only rolled halfway into it. Had it been there when United came within inches of going through the fence, it would have helped them too. Well, perhaps less so. They were traveling 90 degrees to the runway in full reverse (wet RWY) and came to stop with their wing sticking through the blast fence. I had the BUR senior TWR controller on my jumpseat and he said it was a hell of a deal. Tower is yelling at her asking if they need assistance. No response. About 15 SWA rampers run over to assist in case they deploy slides. Then, after about 90 seconds, they taxi away from the fence leaving the #1 slat dangling by a thread. DOH!!!
Oh, sorry. Getting off the thread a tad there. Won't happen again.
PT
