ABERDEEN
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: uk
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GAW,
OK a bizarre question for the oil companies.Why do they schedule some many helis to depart at the same time at 7.00am.Then if they are late the heli companies get penalised?
Result 10+ helis waiting,at the same time as fixed wing,at the same time as the Eastflight inboud rush.
I'm strange for cycling to work,but this problem has existed for 20+ years.No it's just ATC fault for delaying aircraft.
OK a bizarre question for the oil companies.Why do they schedule some many helis to depart at the same time at 7.00am.Then if they are late the heli companies get penalised?
Result 10+ helis waiting,at the same time as fixed wing,at the same time as the Eastflight inboud rush.
I'm strange for cycling to work,but this problem has existed for 20+ years.No it's just ATC fault for delaying aircraft.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Scotland
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Can't speak for every oil Company they are all different ..... What you have to bear in mind is that routine helicopter flights are normally taking crews working on fixed rotation. On a crew change day we have night shift changing to day shift, arriving crews starting on night shift and the departing crew coming off dayshift. To juggle all of this (bearing in mind accomodation / bed space etc) and maintain continuity of what is a 24/7 operation we need to get inbound crews out as soon as possible and traditionally that is an early chopper from Aberdeen.
Compound that with the fact that many choppers also do shuttles to several installations and may even have a second trip later in the day then logistically it makes sense to get them out ASAP.
Compound that with the fact that many choppers also do shuttles to several installations and may even have a second trip later in the day then logistically it makes sense to get them out ASAP.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Ice Station Zebra
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But as TAD says, why all at 7am? If there are 10 helis scheduled to leave at 7am then at least 9 of them will be late. Why not stagger departure times by, say, 5 mins. Then there is a fighting chance of getting them off on time.
Join Date: Dec 2007
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KLM Stand 2
Throw a Dyce...............
Don't recall any Aircraft picking up any delays last friday when the KLM was u/s on stand 2..........
Any way ,there was also an A319 on stand 7 for 3 hours at the same and again no delays..........
The KLM was asked to be removed but the engineer had already started work without permission so thats why it was stuck there. If any delays were caused by this then SAS/KLM can be charged upto 8 times landing fee to discourage this happening again.
Don't recall any Aircraft picking up any delays last friday when the KLM was u/s on stand 2..........
Any way ,there was also an A319 on stand 7 for 3 hours at the same and again no delays..........The KLM was asked to be removed but the engineer had already started work without permission so thats why it was stuck there. If any delays were caused by this then SAS/KLM can be charged upto 8 times landing fee to discourage this happening again.
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Security Measures
Was reading all last months comments on how "silly" the security measures are................
This is not the BAA's "fault" but the Government - they set the standards and dictate what is to be put in place. So in future please direct your moans at Goggsie Broon and his mates, not airport operators
Oh how I long for a tin of Chicken Soup for my working lunch...........!
This is not the BAA's "fault" but the Government - they set the standards and dictate what is to be put in place. So in future please direct your moans at Goggsie Broon and his mates, not airport operators
Oh how I long for a tin of Chicken Soup for my working lunch...........!
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: East Yorkshire
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The usually spare Jetstream is probably the Varga charter which is nearly always delayed due to weather restrictions in Varga, and have Eastern now got their own hangar at ABZ
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sheffield
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Re the earlier question about 07:00 heli departures:
CHC do stagger their planned departures, with 2 on the hour, 2 at 07:05 and so on.
Bond are 06:45, 07:00 and 07:15
Don't have access to Bristows info.
Problem is, with the usual early morning airport congestion it doesn't take long for there to be 10 or more budgies backed up....
Early morning departure slots are highly valued because they normally depart close to scheduled time. Choppers typically work three return trips per day, so weather or other delays stack up and often result in the last flight being canned due to pilots being out of hours.
And there is NO slack in the system at all. One oil company recently had to delay drilling a well as they could get no slots at all to service the rig.
CHC do stagger their planned departures, with 2 on the hour, 2 at 07:05 and so on.
Bond are 06:45, 07:00 and 07:15
Don't have access to Bristows info.
Problem is, with the usual early morning airport congestion it doesn't take long for there to be 10 or more budgies backed up....
Early morning departure slots are highly valued because they normally depart close to scheduled time. Choppers typically work three return trips per day, so weather or other delays stack up and often result in the last flight being canned due to pilots being out of hours.
And there is NO slack in the system at all. One oil company recently had to delay drilling a well as they could get no slots at all to service the rig.
Fit like min?
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Certainly noticed more late afternoon/early evening departures these days.
Even in the peak days back in the 80s there weren't that many late-in-the-day departures.
Even in the peak days back in the 80s there weren't that many late-in-the-day departures.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Scotland
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It's pretty much impossible to get choppers away spot on their departure times. Firstly all the pax have to turn up on time, which regularly some don't... then when the crew finally pass the payload available to the ground staff this can be delayed if there are weather problems, then bags or pax might need to be bumped to reduce load to within payload offered ( or in a 225's case not enough room for bags in the hold...), THEN trying to get multiple flights through maybe one security gate, then pax with suits not fitting properly or seals too tight etc etc.... That's a usual early morning in a helicopter terminal! As mentioned before, the larger oil companies want to get as much out of their contracted helis as possible. Shell for example have 3 aircraft contracted during the week, and when operting off Aberdeen can be possible to do 4 rotations, I know they may only do 2 or 3 most days, but the aircraft are there incase a freighter or medevac come up.... A better solution might be to allocate helis slots for departure when they call up for start, that way the crew can work to that time, and the pax sorted out in good time 
Certainly when I was involved in all the above, if a heli was delayed due to ATC reasons, or had to return from the holding point to top up with fuel, the oil companies didn't complain really, they knew the score....
Certainly when I was involved in all the above, if a heli was delayed due to ATC reasons, or had to return from the holding point to top up with fuel, the oil companies didn't complain really, they knew the score....
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Join Date: Nov 2004
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Ryanair
Can/could ABZ sustain expansion of routes by RYR, if it ever came about - not domestically, but into Europe?
I see yesterday that RYR announced expansion at EDI, 5 new routes (so presumably 5 axed elsewhere
) but they seem to have been able to reach an agreement over operating at BAA EDI.
I heard MOL being interviewed on Radio Scotland yesterday (he's never one to miss an oppoortunity!!) & the interviewer asked whether they had any plans to expand at other Scottish airports - ABZ & INV being mentioned.
He replied that talks had been "ongoing".
However talks have been "ongoing" - or seem to have been - for years between RYR & BAA ABZ.
So if BAA EDI can come to an agreement with RYR, can BAA ABZ, if not, why not? Are the BAA against loco expansion at Dyce, or are they steadfastly still refusing to comprmise over operating costs at ABZ...& are they right to do so?
And given the continual gripes over stand availability/pax facilities at the terminal, could the airport cope from that side if ever RYR - or any other loco - eventually expand scheduled ops at Dyce?
I see yesterday that RYR announced expansion at EDI, 5 new routes (so presumably 5 axed elsewhere
) but they seem to have been able to reach an agreement over operating at BAA EDI.I heard MOL being interviewed on Radio Scotland yesterday (he's never one to miss an oppoortunity!!) & the interviewer asked whether they had any plans to expand at other Scottish airports - ABZ & INV being mentioned.
He replied that talks had been "ongoing".
However talks have been "ongoing" - or seem to have been - for years between RYR & BAA ABZ.
So if BAA EDI can come to an agreement with RYR, can BAA ABZ, if not, why not? Are the BAA against loco expansion at Dyce, or are they steadfastly still refusing to comprmise over operating costs at ABZ...& are they right to do so?
And given the continual gripes over stand availability/pax facilities at the terminal, could the airport cope from that side if ever RYR - or any other loco - eventually expand scheduled ops at Dyce?
Join Date: Jul 2006
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And given the continual gripes over stand availability/pax facilities at the terminal, could the airport cope from that side if ever RYR - or any other loco - eventually expand scheduled ops at Dyce?
No - and you know that fine well Richard.
No - and you know that fine well Richard.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Aberdeen/London
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ABZ-LHR Fastest time...
Since it is almost the Christmas silly season...and mindful of "Heathrow Director’s" remarks on another thread almost a year ago now concerning a Norjet Trident busting the record, http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=260150&page=2 perhaps someone can satisfy my curiosity?
Does anyone know the shortest recorded flying time twixt LHR-ABZ or vice versa, on a scheduled service?
In particular, does a Trident (or even a TriStar) still hold the [unofficial] record?
Just curious...
Christmas Greetings to all who work at ABZ and thanks for a looking after me and my family for well over 1500 cumulative sectors (a conservative guess) into or out of ABZ as pax since 1976.
Does anyone know the shortest recorded flying time twixt LHR-ABZ or vice versa, on a scheduled service?
In particular, does a Trident (or even a TriStar) still hold the [unofficial] record?
Just curious...
Christmas Greetings to all who work at ABZ and thanks for a looking after me and my family for well over 1500 cumulative sectors (a conservative guess) into or out of ABZ as pax since 1976.