St. Helena Service
More Comair and Airport news
Some more news from Friday's excellent St Helena Indepenent:
ACCESS TO ST HELENA
UPDATE ON ACTIONS
Work is now underway to gather and analyse data and put in
place mitigation measures to deal with turbulence and wind
shear at St Helena Airport - to ensure the safe operation of
regular passenger flights. The safety of aircraft and passen-
gers is, of course, paramount.
As part of this work, shipping access to St Helena and As-
cension Island is also being examined.
Current Actions
· Work is underway to ensure guaranteed access
to St Helena and Ascension Island. There are no
current plans to extend RMS operations - but this is
being kept under review. We will ensure passenger
and freight access to St Helena & Ascension
· The Governor is chairing high level meetings
twice a week to work on access to the islands.
There is also a meeting with Elected Members
each Friday
· The public is being kept regularly informed
through a weekly slot on both radio stations each
Monday afternoon, where questions are invited
· Data is being gathered to allow clear transport
options - including shipping and aircraft options -
to be determined in the week commencing
Monday 23 May 2016. We are looking at long-term
solutions, but will employ interim options if
necessary
· We are also examining ways to ensure medivac flights
are enabled
· Specific steps are being taken to address turbulence
and wind shear at the Airport, involving analysis of all
available and new data, including weather data, plus
formal reports from pilots of all aircraft that have landed
at St Helena Airport. Reports on the strength of wind
conditions will be maintained and regularly updated and
consideration will be given to installing specialised wind
measuring equipment
· Computer modelling is also being developed to test
different scenarios, and some wind tunnel work may
also be carried out
This data collection, analysis and modelling - and subsequent
work to develop new operating procedures and, crucially, to
share this information - will take some time but all parties are
working flat out to commence commercial flights at St Helena
Airport at the earliest possible opportunity.
All of our findings will be carefully documented so that all
potential flights to St Helena (not just Comair flights) have
access to this information and can plan accordingly. Ulti-
mately, information on landing conditions will be included in
the Aerodrome Information Publication required under inter-
national regulatory standards.
The public can be assured that every effort is being made to
commence commercial flights at St Helena Airport at the ear-
liest possible opportunity - and will be kept fully informed as
this work progresses.
SHG
9 May 2016
Comair news
While St Helena wrestles with the wind conditions on the
approach to the airport so Comair passengers can have a
smooth landing, Comair itself is being given a bumpy ride
by one of its business rivals FlySAfair. FlySAfair is a budget
airline in competition with Comair’s own Kulula budget brand.
This report from the South Africa Independent Newspapers
website reports Comair officials in a race to keep their planes
in the air following the latest complaint by Comair’s budget
airline rival.
Comair launches urgent
application
Johannesburg - Comair on Tuesday said it had launched
an urgent application to interdict the Air Services Licensing
Council (ASLC) from suspending its domestic license. This
is pending the outcome of a review by a court of law over
FlySAfair’s three-year long complaint against airline’s for-
eign shareholding. FlySAfair had lodged a complaint with
the ASLC against Comair’s domestic air service license during
the 2013/14 reporting period.
The complaint consisted of the allegation that the Comair
had breached its air license by failing to apply for a license
amendment after undertaking a share repurchase pro-
gramme. A second complaint was that when a “look through”
construction was applied to the Comair’s current foreign
shareholding component, the amount of its shareholding
slightly exceeded the restrictions specified in the Air Serv-
ices Licensing Act. Licensing requirements limit the foreign
shareholding and voting right in domestic airlines to 25 per-
cent.
Bidvest’s BB Investment Company is listed as Comair’s larg-
est shareholder with a 26.91 percent stake, followed by Allan
Gray with 12.9 percent and Britair with 11.5 percent.
In March, Comair was given until 11 May to comply with the
conditions of its Air Services License, without which no air-
line is permitted to operate a commercial air service. But
Comair said it was confident that it was compliant with the
foreign shareholding requirements of the Act based on the
advice of its external legal advisors. Comair, in a statement,
said its view and that of its external legal advisors was that
the ASLC had not commenced suspension proceedings in
accordance with the Act. “The company has requested the
ASLC to agree that it has not commenced suspension pro-
ceedings in accordance with the Act, and has requested the
ASLC to agree not to take any further action against the
company pending the outcome of a review of the ASLC’s
decisions,” Comair said.
“The ASLC has failed to agree to the company’s request.
The company has taken the precaution of launching an ur-
gent application to interdict the ASLC from suspending the
Company’s domestic license, pending the outcome of a re-
view by a court of law.”
The squabbles between the two airlines date back when the
low cost airline FlySAfair took to the skies to compete with
Comair’s low-cost brand kulula.com. A similar complaint put
to the ASLC by Comair in 2013 to stop FlySAfair from oper-
ating was unsuccessful. Comair on Tuesday stressed that
the disagreement with the ASLC did not relate to the safety
of its operations, but exclusively to a shareholder regulatory
issue. Vince Thompson
UPDATE ON ACTIONS
Work is now underway to gather and analyse data and put in
place mitigation measures to deal with turbulence and wind
shear at St Helena Airport - to ensure the safe operation of
regular passenger flights. The safety of aircraft and passen-
gers is, of course, paramount.
As part of this work, shipping access to St Helena and As-
cension Island is also being examined.
Current Actions
· Work is underway to ensure guaranteed access
to St Helena and Ascension Island. There are no
current plans to extend RMS operations - but this is
being kept under review. We will ensure passenger
and freight access to St Helena & Ascension
· The Governor is chairing high level meetings
twice a week to work on access to the islands.
There is also a meeting with Elected Members
each Friday
· The public is being kept regularly informed
through a weekly slot on both radio stations each
Monday afternoon, where questions are invited
· Data is being gathered to allow clear transport
options - including shipping and aircraft options -
to be determined in the week commencing
Monday 23 May 2016. We are looking at long-term
solutions, but will employ interim options if
necessary
· We are also examining ways to ensure medivac flights
are enabled
· Specific steps are being taken to address turbulence
and wind shear at the Airport, involving analysis of all
available and new data, including weather data, plus
formal reports from pilots of all aircraft that have landed
at St Helena Airport. Reports on the strength of wind
conditions will be maintained and regularly updated and
consideration will be given to installing specialised wind
measuring equipment
· Computer modelling is also being developed to test
different scenarios, and some wind tunnel work may
also be carried out
This data collection, analysis and modelling - and subsequent
work to develop new operating procedures and, crucially, to
share this information - will take some time but all parties are
working flat out to commence commercial flights at St Helena
Airport at the earliest possible opportunity.
All of our findings will be carefully documented so that all
potential flights to St Helena (not just Comair flights) have
access to this information and can plan accordingly. Ulti-
mately, information on landing conditions will be included in
the Aerodrome Information Publication required under inter-
national regulatory standards.
The public can be assured that every effort is being made to
commence commercial flights at St Helena Airport at the ear-
liest possible opportunity - and will be kept fully informed as
this work progresses.
SHG
9 May 2016
Comair news
While St Helena wrestles with the wind conditions on the
approach to the airport so Comair passengers can have a
smooth landing, Comair itself is being given a bumpy ride
by one of its business rivals FlySAfair. FlySAfair is a budget
airline in competition with Comair’s own Kulula budget brand.
This report from the South Africa Independent Newspapers
website reports Comair officials in a race to keep their planes
in the air following the latest complaint by Comair’s budget
airline rival.
Comair launches urgent
application
Johannesburg - Comair on Tuesday said it had launched
an urgent application to interdict the Air Services Licensing
Council (ASLC) from suspending its domestic license. This
is pending the outcome of a review by a court of law over
FlySAfair’s three-year long complaint against airline’s for-
eign shareholding. FlySAfair had lodged a complaint with
the ASLC against Comair’s domestic air service license during
the 2013/14 reporting period.
The complaint consisted of the allegation that the Comair
had breached its air license by failing to apply for a license
amendment after undertaking a share repurchase pro-
gramme. A second complaint was that when a “look through”
construction was applied to the Comair’s current foreign
shareholding component, the amount of its shareholding
slightly exceeded the restrictions specified in the Air Serv-
ices Licensing Act. Licensing requirements limit the foreign
shareholding and voting right in domestic airlines to 25 per-
cent.
Bidvest’s BB Investment Company is listed as Comair’s larg-
est shareholder with a 26.91 percent stake, followed by Allan
Gray with 12.9 percent and Britair with 11.5 percent.
In March, Comair was given until 11 May to comply with the
conditions of its Air Services License, without which no air-
line is permitted to operate a commercial air service. But
Comair said it was confident that it was compliant with the
foreign shareholding requirements of the Act based on the
advice of its external legal advisors. Comair, in a statement,
said its view and that of its external legal advisors was that
the ASLC had not commenced suspension proceedings in
accordance with the Act. “The company has requested the
ASLC to agree that it has not commenced suspension pro-
ceedings in accordance with the Act, and has requested the
ASLC to agree not to take any further action against the
company pending the outcome of a review of the ASLC’s
decisions,” Comair said.
“The ASLC has failed to agree to the company’s request.
The company has taken the precaution of launching an ur-
gent application to interdict the ASLC from suspending the
Company’s domestic license, pending the outcome of a re-
view by a court of law.”
The squabbles between the two airlines date back when the
low cost airline FlySAfair took to the skies to compete with
Comair’s low-cost brand kulula.com. A similar complaint put
to the ASLC by Comair in 2013 to stop FlySAfair from oper-
ating was unsuccessful. Comair on Tuesday stressed that
the disagreement with the ASLC did not relate to the safety
of its operations, but exclusively to a shareholder regulatory
issue. Vince Thompson
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Comair Ltd. has been in business for 70 years and is listed at the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange). I trust it will not be too difficult to find out.
As a consumer I would be rather worried about airlines that do business from websites that show a proxy or privacy company as owner.
As a consumer I would be rather worried about airlines that do business from websites that show a proxy or privacy company as owner.
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UPDATE - 26 MAY 2016
MAINTAINING ACCESS TO ST HELENA
UPDATE - 26 MAY 2016
· Intensive work is ongoing to put in place an optimum transport package to guarantee passenger and freight access to St Helena - both in terms of a scheduled air service and shipping - but we are not quite there yet
· Aircraft options have been refined and shortlisted and we are now looking at availability and timings for aircraft
· DFID is in discussion with SHG about continuing the services of the RMS St Helena so that there is continued access to and from the Island for the people of St Helena
· We absolutely appreciate that people need to plan. We re-emphasise that access to St Helena will be assured
· Naturally, this work is being undertaken in close partnership with DFID
· In the meantime, we can confirm that emergency medevac flights could now land in the event of a life threatening emergency on St Helena. Other small charters can also land and we have had some interest in doing that. All aircraft need to comply with the Category C Airport conditions
· These steps are bringing us closer to scheduled operations
SHG
UPDATE - 26 MAY 2016
· Intensive work is ongoing to put in place an optimum transport package to guarantee passenger and freight access to St Helena - both in terms of a scheduled air service and shipping - but we are not quite there yet
· Aircraft options have been refined and shortlisted and we are now looking at availability and timings for aircraft
· DFID is in discussion with SHG about continuing the services of the RMS St Helena so that there is continued access to and from the Island for the people of St Helena
· We absolutely appreciate that people need to plan. We re-emphasise that access to St Helena will be assured
· Naturally, this work is being undertaken in close partnership with DFID
· In the meantime, we can confirm that emergency medevac flights could now land in the event of a life threatening emergency on St Helena. Other small charters can also land and we have had some interest in doing that. All aircraft need to comply with the Category C Airport conditions
· These steps are bringing us closer to scheduled operations
SHG
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Update 31 May 2016
From St. Helena Government Executive Council Meeting 31 May 2016
Looks very much like Comair and Boeing 737-800 are no option any longer ?
In the Closed Session Members were advised of the current progress on exploring options to ensure continued access to St Helena. There had been some significant progress in identifying suitable aircraft and air service operators, although there is no immediate solution available. This work will take some time, and in the meantime the continued use of the RMS is being explored. It is hoped that an announcement on the favoured access option for the immediate future will be made soon, although this is very much dependent on the outcome of a range of discussions currently under way. Naturally, we maintain close contact with colleagues in DFID and with aviation experts who have been contracted to undertake some of this the work.
ExCo
ExCo
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Wind shear predicted by Met Office - and GBAS...
I came across an interesting note on the Met Office website here:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pd...wind_shear.pdf
They did a study entitled "Assessing climatology and wind shear risk for a new airport" some time ago.
To quote part of it:
"Assessment of the wind shear risk was found to be relatively low. However we were able incorporate other findings arising from our analysis to highlight other risks that were not previously anticipated. This included crosswind risks and the potential of wind shear close to the surface, due to possible effects on localised air flow from the wind coming up off the steep coastline.
Analysis provided bespoke information for St Helena Airport, including a range of crosswind thresholds associated with specific aircraft types that are planned to be operational at this airport, in both dry and wet conditions.
Recommendations were made for the need for more observational equipment in close proximity to the runway to fully understand the more localised wind risks near the surface. The first would be to install an additional anemometer or windsock at the centre point of the runway as well as a windsock within sight of the Air Traffic Control tower to help identify if turbulent flow is evident."
So they foresaw the likely wind shear "close to the surface" which was so clearly evident when the Comair flight landed. I'm not sure if the extra windsock and anemometer have been installed though.
And further reading on GBAS has come up with particular worries for stations in the equatorial region. Rapid ionospheric changes near the equator can cause large changes in GPS propagation second by second under some circumstances, at such a rate that the augmentation (correction) signals cannot keep pace with. This would reduce the improvement in GPS accuracy that the GBAS system is supposed to provide.
It may be that ASSI will want an extended period of testing of the system on St Helena so that they can see how often this degradation of accuracy is likely to occur. In any case, it seems that extending the system to Cat II/III status looks very difficult in the equatorial region so there will be little advantage over the LOC/DME approach that's already available, which, like GBAS, offers Cat I minimums.
I think that SHG will have to come up with an air service provider soon - otherwise I can see the Public Accounts Committee taking a look at what that quarter of a billion has been spent on.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pd...wind_shear.pdf
They did a study entitled "Assessing climatology and wind shear risk for a new airport" some time ago.
To quote part of it:
"Assessment of the wind shear risk was found to be relatively low. However we were able incorporate other findings arising from our analysis to highlight other risks that were not previously anticipated. This included crosswind risks and the potential of wind shear close to the surface, due to possible effects on localised air flow from the wind coming up off the steep coastline.
Analysis provided bespoke information for St Helena Airport, including a range of crosswind thresholds associated with specific aircraft types that are planned to be operational at this airport, in both dry and wet conditions.
Recommendations were made for the need for more observational equipment in close proximity to the runway to fully understand the more localised wind risks near the surface. The first would be to install an additional anemometer or windsock at the centre point of the runway as well as a windsock within sight of the Air Traffic Control tower to help identify if turbulent flow is evident."
So they foresaw the likely wind shear "close to the surface" which was so clearly evident when the Comair flight landed. I'm not sure if the extra windsock and anemometer have been installed though.
And further reading on GBAS has come up with particular worries for stations in the equatorial region. Rapid ionospheric changes near the equator can cause large changes in GPS propagation second by second under some circumstances, at such a rate that the augmentation (correction) signals cannot keep pace with. This would reduce the improvement in GPS accuracy that the GBAS system is supposed to provide.
It may be that ASSI will want an extended period of testing of the system on St Helena so that they can see how often this degradation of accuracy is likely to occur. In any case, it seems that extending the system to Cat II/III status looks very difficult in the equatorial region so there will be little advantage over the LOC/DME approach that's already available, which, like GBAS, offers Cat I minimums.
I think that SHG will have to come up with an air service provider soon - otherwise I can see the Public Accounts Committee taking a look at what that quarter of a billion has been spent on.
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BB, Sorry you will have to do better than that. That Met Report is a puff. If you correspond with "Dan" from the Met Office you will find that the report you mention is not available unless through SHG. It is effectively not for promulgation and is under embargo.
Not that it said anything of substance that we did not know already. But the clip you quote is ten seconds of spin. If you enquire among fellow Saints you will, if you are discreet, and you have to be discreet because SHG do use injunctions, there is a lot to be humble about. [Try mentioning "Snapdragon" for example].
Bit of a giveaway I know but if you are an islander it is an open secret. If you are not an islander then then the ranks close not least because most on-island workers rely on the Castle for their daily bread. You cannot annoy the Castle and of necessity Saints cave in under pressure or they face ruin.
Try researching what happened to "LF", a man of your ability can unravel that though you may have to move 702 nautical miles and read case law. What happened there in LF v. the Chief Justice does not convey the nuances, it gets "redacted". And spin enters the game. St Helena once you get to know it is all about spin, the players move on but the islanders remain. [I use the term “islander” because not all islanders are Saints].
And there again as "Mick" found out in his other case the law can be re-written in Overseas Territories. "Mick" and what happened to him can be read up about in the Wass Inquiry. Sometimes you have to read in “parallel” if you are to understand what happening in “series”.
So I am suggesting to you that you have riper avenues to explore and I dare say you have the technological expertise to understand RF propagation and meteorology and other things.
Me? I have moved on. I have to work and if I have to come to a compromise agreement with my erstwhile employer I cannot spell it out as I am sure you appreciate. It is "gagging" I suppose. But I have better things to do.
Best wishes
Not that it said anything of substance that we did not know already. But the clip you quote is ten seconds of spin. If you enquire among fellow Saints you will, if you are discreet, and you have to be discreet because SHG do use injunctions, there is a lot to be humble about. [Try mentioning "Snapdragon" for example].
Bit of a giveaway I know but if you are an islander it is an open secret. If you are not an islander then then the ranks close not least because most on-island workers rely on the Castle for their daily bread. You cannot annoy the Castle and of necessity Saints cave in under pressure or they face ruin.
Try researching what happened to "LF", a man of your ability can unravel that though you may have to move 702 nautical miles and read case law. What happened there in LF v. the Chief Justice does not convey the nuances, it gets "redacted". And spin enters the game. St Helena once you get to know it is all about spin, the players move on but the islanders remain. [I use the term “islander” because not all islanders are Saints].
And there again as "Mick" found out in his other case the law can be re-written in Overseas Territories. "Mick" and what happened to him can be read up about in the Wass Inquiry. Sometimes you have to read in “parallel” if you are to understand what happening in “series”.
So I am suggesting to you that you have riper avenues to explore and I dare say you have the technological expertise to understand RF propagation and meteorology and other things.
Me? I have moved on. I have to work and if I have to come to a compromise agreement with my erstwhile employer I cannot spell it out as I am sure you appreciate. It is "gagging" I suppose. But I have better things to do.
Best wishes
if comair and their new 737-800 ops are now maybe a no-no what will TUIfly Holland now decide to do i wonder ??
they are due to start LTN-BJL-HLE flights for Atlantic star AL with same a/c type 738
they are due to start LTN-BJL-HLE flights for Atlantic star AL with same a/c type 738
Last edited by rog747; 1st Jun 2016 at 09:21.
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I am not sure what mathy is trying to tell BB or us. BB is only citing from a publicly available press release from the Met Office. Interesting.
TUI Fly (Netherlands) as part of the TUI conglomerate will certainlöy be more cautious too now. Atlantic Star is always good for a surprise, maybe they come with a 757 again. But Atlantic Star's problem is also the imbalance caused by the weak market on the island.
In any case it will become more expensive now for SHG and DfID. And keeping up the morale of HLE airport staff a full time job. Beautiful terminal and nothing to do.
TUI Fly (Netherlands) as part of the TUI conglomerate will certainlöy be more cautious too now. Atlantic Star is always good for a surprise, maybe they come with a 757 again. But Atlantic Star's problem is also the imbalance caused by the weak market on the island.
In any case it will become more expensive now for SHG and DfID. And keeping up the morale of HLE airport staff a full time job. Beautiful terminal and nothing to do.
Is this is runway/airport really that different from many airports in the world from a "risk management" point of view?
Places like Gibraltar and Funchal have already been quoted where flights are conducted on a regular basis.
Places like Gibraltar and Funchal have already been quoted where flights are conducted on a regular basis.
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Gibraltar and Madeira have better options for a deviation. Airlines flying to St. Helena are in a more difficult situation. Either risk a landing and hope for the best or safely deviate to Ascension Island not knowing what to do next with passengers and the aircraft. I can imagine Comair is not very keen to operate that route
the ALT field is back to a comair home base? if fuel permits - CPT 1692nm or JNB (300 nm further)
or Walvis Bay at 1220nm or WDH at 1352 nm
or up to Ascension 700nm with no/little pax facs.
the TUi flight from LTN what are the ALT's ? back to Ascension or to Namibia? surely not enough to go back to BJL?
how does the TUi Holland/ASA maths add up with costs of empty posn'g flights to/from Holland to LTN or will they sell those legs to punters?
given the tourism interest by German and Dutch tourists to St Helena and the RSA would it not make sense to sell the flight through from Holland via LTN? ASA's original plans were to serve a route network that will operate from London, down to the island and on to Cape Town with a Boeing 757-200 aircraft....
why did they use TUI Holland anyway?
assume TUI crew change at BJL and that crew will shuttle BJL-HLE-BJL with no night-stop on the island? (about the same crewing time as a LTN-TFS and back, a long enough day)
Thomson TUI UK still have good 757's (not sure if ETOPS equipped or is ETOPS even needed for HLE?
they op now to BJL as well as Sal and Boa Vista non-stop with 757's, crew change there and on to HLE? or stick with a BJL changeover...
757 is the right a/c but Cape Verde stop off means a crew shuttle to HLE and back similar to doing a LTN-SSH-LTN, a rather long day)
the 757 surely makes much more sense again to seek one?
see here
go to 12m 42s the clip shows the comair 737-800 do a first low pass/fly-by then an unexpected GA then the first landing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vndwvM6ieTw
or Walvis Bay at 1220nm or WDH at 1352 nm
or up to Ascension 700nm with no/little pax facs.
the TUi flight from LTN what are the ALT's ? back to Ascension or to Namibia? surely not enough to go back to BJL?
how does the TUi Holland/ASA maths add up with costs of empty posn'g flights to/from Holland to LTN or will they sell those legs to punters?
given the tourism interest by German and Dutch tourists to St Helena and the RSA would it not make sense to sell the flight through from Holland via LTN? ASA's original plans were to serve a route network that will operate from London, down to the island and on to Cape Town with a Boeing 757-200 aircraft....
why did they use TUI Holland anyway?
assume TUI crew change at BJL and that crew will shuttle BJL-HLE-BJL with no night-stop on the island? (about the same crewing time as a LTN-TFS and back, a long enough day)
Thomson TUI UK still have good 757's (not sure if ETOPS equipped or is ETOPS even needed for HLE?
they op now to BJL as well as Sal and Boa Vista non-stop with 757's, crew change there and on to HLE? or stick with a BJL changeover...
757 is the right a/c but Cape Verde stop off means a crew shuttle to HLE and back similar to doing a LTN-SSH-LTN, a rather long day)
the 757 surely makes much more sense again to seek one?
see here
go to 12m 42s the clip shows the comair 737-800 do a first low pass/fly-by then an unexpected GA then the first landing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vndwvM6ieTw
Last edited by rog747; 1st Jun 2016 at 13:55.
Gibraltar and Madeira have better options for a deviation. Airlines flying to St. Helena are in a more difficult situation. Either risk a landing and hope for the best or safely deviate to Ascension Island not knowing what to do next with passengers and the aircraft. I can imagine Comair is not very keen to operate that route
In the 1970s I recall operating to Bermuda in the B707 for which we only carried island reserve of 2.5 hours (no diversion) and Bermuda was renowned for crosswinds as the runway was 90 degrees to the prevailing winds. On occasions one might hold or go around and then hold for another attempt but we always managed to arrive there safely. And the B707 was far more challenging in cross winds and wind shear than any of the modern types of today.
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post script
A little background is necessary especially where runway length and weights are involved. When the Shelco/Arup consortium developed the idea of high value low volume tourism with SHG as its development partner there were bound to be raised eyebrows. Who they?
Actually the idea had its merits, it was well-researched though costings were skimped and they had the civil engineering side of Boeing on board. [Yes they do other things besides build aircraft].
What Shelco badly misunderstood was how SHG would handle what could be taken as an intimation that the Castle was not up to its job or had fallen asleep at the wheel. The reaction of SHG was predictable to Castle watchers.
What Shelco proposed was twin runways, arranged in a Vee with 2200 metres facing into the prevailing wind and a cross runway of 1810 metres. The opposite direction of the longer runway was impossible because of terrain and cloud cover but on St Helena because of its geographical location and Southern latitude the wind only blows one way. [On Ascension it is even more one sided].
The point is that on 99% of occasions the long runway is available for take-off and the shorter landing runway is available 95% of the time for North-South operations. If the cross-wind so dictates then 5% of the time it will be South-North. From the runway length there flows how much depth of construction is necessary for the expected traffic. Over to Prof Overrun.
Picture in your mind 2200 metres for take-off and 1810 metres for landing. The significance of 1810 metres is that a 58676kg landing weight [eg A319-100] needs that much. The crucial factor was Runway End Safety Area or RESA. Ideally according ICAO this should be 240 metres at each end but the power to relax this recommendation lies in the hands of the Governor and is mediated through ASSI. Shelco repeatedly sought assurances that there was no objection to 160 metres of RESA at either end.
Now here come the twist. The Shelco proposal is predicated on not having to fill Dry Gut. If you insist on 240 metre RESAs then the project becomes unaffordable as far as Shelco is concerned and any partnership is off.
Here I can only conjecture; SHG wanted no part of a risk-sharing enterprise because a) it made them look foolish having a commercial upstart upsetting their colonial ways and b) with SHG it is my way or the highway.
So what happened?
The worst of all worlds – ASSI changed their minds or had their minds change for them, in came 240 metre RESAs and entailing colossal earthworks so huge that the cost scuppered all thoughts of the twin Vee runways. Shelco wanted no further part of the airport.
I wonder how SHG will spin this if the next round of consultants propose this for an idea. Remove 80 metres of gravel and substitute 80 metres of extra concrete, always handy for those wind-shear and float moments. After all Basil Read have already paid for the first 240 metres to be concrete out of their own pockets making it a displaced threshold, solid all the way. Yes SHG would look foolish and Basil Read would undoubtedly put in a claim. And then Shelco might be justified in saying so SHG put in all that unnecessary fill for Dry Gut and if you had followed our suggested alignment not only would you have two runways but they would have been longer with less environmental impact and much less cost to the public purse.
The airport was built so that Saints could come and go, people would not die for want of a passing ship. Relatives could visit the aged and infirm without having to tender one’s resignation. And high value low volume tourism could open the door for enterprise of all sorts.
Thank you for your concerns.
Actually the idea had its merits, it was well-researched though costings were skimped and they had the civil engineering side of Boeing on board. [Yes they do other things besides build aircraft].
What Shelco badly misunderstood was how SHG would handle what could be taken as an intimation that the Castle was not up to its job or had fallen asleep at the wheel. The reaction of SHG was predictable to Castle watchers.
What Shelco proposed was twin runways, arranged in a Vee with 2200 metres facing into the prevailing wind and a cross runway of 1810 metres. The opposite direction of the longer runway was impossible because of terrain and cloud cover but on St Helena because of its geographical location and Southern latitude the wind only blows one way. [On Ascension it is even more one sided].
The point is that on 99% of occasions the long runway is available for take-off and the shorter landing runway is available 95% of the time for North-South operations. If the cross-wind so dictates then 5% of the time it will be South-North. From the runway length there flows how much depth of construction is necessary for the expected traffic. Over to Prof Overrun.
Picture in your mind 2200 metres for take-off and 1810 metres for landing. The significance of 1810 metres is that a 58676kg landing weight [eg A319-100] needs that much. The crucial factor was Runway End Safety Area or RESA. Ideally according ICAO this should be 240 metres at each end but the power to relax this recommendation lies in the hands of the Governor and is mediated through ASSI. Shelco repeatedly sought assurances that there was no objection to 160 metres of RESA at either end.
Now here come the twist. The Shelco proposal is predicated on not having to fill Dry Gut. If you insist on 240 metre RESAs then the project becomes unaffordable as far as Shelco is concerned and any partnership is off.
Here I can only conjecture; SHG wanted no part of a risk-sharing enterprise because a) it made them look foolish having a commercial upstart upsetting their colonial ways and b) with SHG it is my way or the highway.
So what happened?
The worst of all worlds – ASSI changed their minds or had their minds change for them, in came 240 metre RESAs and entailing colossal earthworks so huge that the cost scuppered all thoughts of the twin Vee runways. Shelco wanted no further part of the airport.
I wonder how SHG will spin this if the next round of consultants propose this for an idea. Remove 80 metres of gravel and substitute 80 metres of extra concrete, always handy for those wind-shear and float moments. After all Basil Read have already paid for the first 240 metres to be concrete out of their own pockets making it a displaced threshold, solid all the way. Yes SHG would look foolish and Basil Read would undoubtedly put in a claim. And then Shelco might be justified in saying so SHG put in all that unnecessary fill for Dry Gut and if you had followed our suggested alignment not only would you have two runways but they would have been longer with less environmental impact and much less cost to the public purse.
The airport was built so that Saints could come and go, people would not die for want of a passing ship. Relatives could visit the aged and infirm without having to tender one’s resignation. And high value low volume tourism could open the door for enterprise of all sorts.
Thank you for your concerns.
Super stuff Mathy, Rog747 and BB. Scratch the surface and watch the fun begin. The plot thickens
some of it you couldn't make up.
some of it you couldn't make up.
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I must admit I was staggered when the scale of the earthworks proposed to build the runway was revealed (when was that - about 10 years ago now?). I thought the Shelco proposal was novel and probably workable. I was taught on the first day of my engineering course "an engineer does for 19s 6d what anyone can do for 21s" (you can tell it was quite a number of years ago!). Shelco applied that principle whereas what has been built uses the "money no object" principle typical of many public projects.
By the way, I understood that the Americans have vetoed the idea of the Ascension runway being designated as a weather alternative, only allowing the once a month scheduled flight to provide transport home for Saints working on Ascension and the Falklands. (Ascension would be usable in an emergency, of course.) So the nearest diversion you'd probably want to use is Walvis Bay or maybe Windhoek. All complicates the fuel/cargo/pax load calculations versus commercial viability and possible subsidy required.
By the way, I understood that the Americans have vetoed the idea of the Ascension runway being designated as a weather alternative, only allowing the once a month scheduled flight to provide transport home for Saints working on Ascension and the Falklands. (Ascension would be usable in an emergency, of course.) So the nearest diversion you'd probably want to use is Walvis Bay or maybe Windhoek. All complicates the fuel/cargo/pax load calculations versus commercial viability and possible subsidy required.
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Not sure if this has been covered but I remember it from some years ago.
"HMG REQUESTS FORMAL CONSULTATIONS REGARDING WIDEAWAKE AIRFIELD ON ASCENSION ISLAND"
HMG REQUESTS FORMAL CONSULTATIONS REGARDING WIDEAWAKE AIRFIELD ON ASCENSION ISLAND - Telegraph
"HMG REQUESTS FORMAL CONSULTATIONS REGARDING WIDEAWAKE AIRFIELD ON ASCENSION ISLAND"
HMG REQUESTS FORMAL CONSULTATIONS REGARDING WIDEAWAKE AIRFIELD ON ASCENSION ISLAND - Telegraph
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Lord Ashcroft speaks
Interesting reading from a different perspective:
Lord Ashcroft: Special investigation: A dangerous problem with St Helena?s new airport leaves the islanders in despair | Conservative Home
Lord Ashcroft: Special investigation: A dangerous problem with St Helena?s new airport leaves the islanders in despair | Conservative Home
I was taught on the first day of my engineering course "an engineer does for 19s 6d what anyone can do for 21s" (you can tell it was quite a number of years ago!). Shelco applied that principle whereas what has been built uses the "money no object" principle typical of many public projects.
Broadly speaking, contractors look to make 5-10% margin on contracts, so if they can get something designed that's twice the effort of a feasible solution, that's twice the margin. So contrary to the opinions of some, contractors are always looking for the maximum they can charge for a project, not the competitive minimum.
By the way, I understood that the Americans have vetoed the idea of the Ascension runway