St. Helena Service
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The Avro RJ 100 has arrived in St. Helena: https://www.facebook.com/atlanticstarairlines/
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Landings with a 6 kt. downwind component and upwind with an 18 kt. crosswind were completed at St. Helena uneventfully: https://whatthesaintsdidnext.com/201...-on-st-helena/
The plan is to operate a St. Helena- Ascension shuttle twice a week to connect to RAF flights to the UK and Falklands until an extended range RJ100 can be obtained for flights to SA and other destinations. Two experienced RJ pilots that operate into the Faroes flew the aircraft.
The plan is to operate a St. Helena- Ascension shuttle twice a week to connect to RAF flights to the UK and Falklands until an extended range RJ100 can be obtained for flights to SA and other destinations. Two experienced RJ pilots that operate into the Faroes flew the aircraft.
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So have they given up on the 757? I assume it should become easier in the future to get their hands on a 757... Yes it would be older, but it wouldn't be operating the most taxing of schedules out in the Atlantic, so could probably last a significant amount of time
Rj100 and 757 sounds like a canny fleet to me!
Rj100 and 757 sounds like a canny fleet to me!
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As has been pointed out, Atlantic Star is not a certificate holding airline. The organization of one based in St. Helena would be a daunting task unless a current certificate holder like Atlantic Airways was involved. The lack of thrust reversers still concerns me. Atlantic Airways had a fatal BAe 146-200 overun off a 4600' runway in Norway in 2006 due to a failure of spoilers to deploy on a damp runway. I understand the "feathering" of the brakes on the St. Helena landing yesterday but I think I would routinely jam them on hard for a few seconds to ensure their function so a go-around could be accomplished if there was a problem. I have never flown a large aircraft without thrust reversers. I have experienced loss of braking in a DC-9-30 on a concrete runway that had just had a light rain after several dry months and the tire, fuel residue and moisture were a slippery deadly cocktail. We produced compressor stalls in reverse that were heard for miles getting it stopped. The tower asked us if there was something wrong and we reported the nil braking.
It was sunny and about a 7000' runway but wet. The Capt flying landed on speed at the touchdown zone and applied reverse thrust. At about 80 kt's he went to takeoff power in reverse. I said "too much" and he said "no brakes". Fortunately the P & W JT8D's weren't damaged by the "cannon fire".
It was sunny and about a 7000' runway but wet. The Capt flying landed on speed at the touchdown zone and applied reverse thrust. At about 80 kt's he went to takeoff power in reverse. I said "too much" and he said "no brakes". Fortunately the P & W JT8D's weren't damaged by the "cannon fire".
Last edited by lolder; 28th Oct 2016 at 14:51.
The 146/ARJ has operated out of challenging airports around the world for, what, 30 years, with a (mostly) very good safety record. Thrust reversers were, I believe, seen as an unnecessary complexity during it's design. In it's earlier days, London City Airport (with it's steep approach and 1300m, runway) would not have grown like it did without this aircraft.
It has 4 engines which commercially has been a bit of an achilles heel over the years, but for these largely over-water ops to a challenging airfield, where loads are never going to be massive, it seems it may be quite suitable.
Pity they're all getting a bit old!
It has 4 engines which commercially has been a bit of an achilles heel over the years, but for these largely over-water ops to a challenging airfield, where loads are never going to be massive, it seems it may be quite suitable.
Pity they're all getting a bit old!
Paxing All Over The World
St Helena airport will require an 'open chequebook'
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...pen-chequebook
Yes, Sir Humphrey ... 
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...pen-chequebook
Stephen Phillips, a Conservative committee member, pointed out to Lowcock that in the 19th century the anthropologist Charles Darwin in his travel journal The Voyage of the Beagle referred to the wind shear on St Helena.
“Darwin wrote this: ‘The only inconveniences I experienced on my walks [on St Helena] were from the impetuous winds. One day I noticed a curious circumstance: standing on the edge of a plain, terminated by a great cliff of about a thousand feet in depth, I saw at the distance of a few yards right to windward, some tern, struggling against a very strong breeze, whilst, where I stood, the air was quite calm.’
“If Charles Darwin, as he does in this passage, gives a very good example of wind shear in St Helena in 1836, how have we got a position where DfID commissioned a £285.5m airport, paid for by the British taxpayer, without appreciating the danger of wind shear?”
Lowcock replied: “That is a very good question, and one I will attempt to answer in my review.”
“Darwin wrote this: ‘The only inconveniences I experienced on my walks [on St Helena] were from the impetuous winds. One day I noticed a curious circumstance: standing on the edge of a plain, terminated by a great cliff of about a thousand feet in depth, I saw at the distance of a few yards right to windward, some tern, struggling against a very strong breeze, whilst, where I stood, the air was quite calm.’
“If Charles Darwin, as he does in this passage, gives a very good example of wind shear in St Helena in 1836, how have we got a position where DfID commissioned a £285.5m airport, paid for by the British taxpayer, without appreciating the danger of wind shear?”
Lowcock replied: “That is a very good question, and one I will attempt to answer in my review.”
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Some more news regarding the air service for the island from the St. Helena Independent:
Does anyone know the range/ passenger capacity and runway needs of the longer range Avro?
On Saturday the 19 th November Atlantic Star Airlines launched
a 2 minute video on Youtube containing footage of their arrival
on St Helena. The footage is accompanied by dramatic mu-
sic and contains scenes from the cockpit, including the suc-
cessful touch down, various meetings held around the island
and a meeting with local people and the take off the following
day.
Saint FM community Radio asked Captain Richard Brown
why they had initiated the film, “The reason we have released
it is to demonstrate to Saints and stakeholders that our work
in delivering a safe and sustainable air access solution for
St.Helena is on-going. We are confident not only in the capa-
bility and durability of the Avro, but also that we can deliver a
solution many months sooner than other potential access
solutions. Our discussions with DFID on this have been very
constructive and we look forward to seeing a Request for Pro-
posal document from DFID shortly - they share our desire to
see a solution decided upon that will reassure everyone as-
sociated with St.Helena that air access can be replaced, and
quickly” Response to the video has been heartening, Richard
said “We have had lots of positive comments about the visit
and the video both via email and on the Atlantic Star Airlines
Facebook page. So far more than 1400 people have watched
the video on YouTube which is fantastic. People are keen on
the link to Ascension and the fact that the long range Avro will
link to Cape Town as well as Johannesburg”
In addition Richard said “As you may know there are at least
Atlantic Star Airlines say: “We are making good
progress on all fronts”
Tammy Williams
2 other airlines potentially interested in the forthcoming air
access process. But we believe our solution with the Avro will
be available quickest and we will be the only airline offering to
keep an aircraft on the island 24/7 for passenger services and
also medical evacuations. Andy and I are visiting BAE Sys-
tems on Friday to talk to them about the longer range Avro
that we can use for services to Cape Town so we are making
good progress on all fronts. We are also meeting with Chris
Pickard in London this week”
Captain Richard Brown and his team can be contacted on:
[email protected]
Best value flights to St.Helena | Atlantic Star Airlines
a 2 minute video on Youtube containing footage of their arrival
on St Helena. The footage is accompanied by dramatic mu-
sic and contains scenes from the cockpit, including the suc-
cessful touch down, various meetings held around the island
and a meeting with local people and the take off the following
day.
Saint FM community Radio asked Captain Richard Brown
why they had initiated the film, “The reason we have released
it is to demonstrate to Saints and stakeholders that our work
in delivering a safe and sustainable air access solution for
St.Helena is on-going. We are confident not only in the capa-
bility and durability of the Avro, but also that we can deliver a
solution many months sooner than other potential access
solutions. Our discussions with DFID on this have been very
constructive and we look forward to seeing a Request for Pro-
posal document from DFID shortly - they share our desire to
see a solution decided upon that will reassure everyone as-
sociated with St.Helena that air access can be replaced, and
quickly” Response to the video has been heartening, Richard
said “We have had lots of positive comments about the visit
and the video both via email and on the Atlantic Star Airlines
Facebook page. So far more than 1400 people have watched
the video on YouTube which is fantastic. People are keen on
the link to Ascension and the fact that the long range Avro will
link to Cape Town as well as Johannesburg”
In addition Richard said “As you may know there are at least
Atlantic Star Airlines say: “We are making good
progress on all fronts”
Tammy Williams
2 other airlines potentially interested in the forthcoming air
access process. But we believe our solution with the Avro will
be available quickest and we will be the only airline offering to
keep an aircraft on the island 24/7 for passenger services and
also medical evacuations. Andy and I are visiting BAE Sys-
tems on Friday to talk to them about the longer range Avro
that we can use for services to Cape Town so we are making
good progress on all fronts. We are also meeting with Chris
Pickard in London this week”
Captain Richard Brown and his team can be contacted on:
[email protected]
Best value flights to St.Helena | Atlantic Star Airlines
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They add fuel tanks which increase fuel capacity from 10,000 kg to 14,000 kg as described here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...8EXhbumRB3qGhQ
It still doesn't have enough range to go CPT HLE with island reserves. It would have to make a fuel stop at Walvis Bay WVB and then carry only about 70 passengers of the 112 capacity. It's advantage is that it can land with a 15 kt tailwind instead of the usual 10. It's disadvantage is that it doesn't have reversers.
It still doesn't have enough range to go CPT HLE with island reserves. It would have to make a fuel stop at Walvis Bay WVB and then carry only about 70 passengers of the 112 capacity. It's advantage is that it can land with a 15 kt tailwind instead of the usual 10. It's disadvantage is that it doesn't have reversers.
It's disadvantage is that it doesn't have reversers.
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Most airliners have bloody good brakes. I would guess there is at least one airliner a day whose goose is saved from running off the end of a runway by reverse thrust. St. Helena won't have ice or snow and maybe not much "wet" runway but the cliffs at each end are enough worry. An Avro RJ100 dribbled off the end of a 4600' runway in Norway only 10 years ago and broke apart, burned and killed 4 after falling down a 50' cliff. The auto spoilers failed to deploy and the runway was wetter than anticipated.
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A ERJ190 operated by Embraer Commercial Aviation left Recife today at 11:35 UTC for a test flight to St. Helena. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/a...p-xma/#bc29c15
Here's a link to yesterday's action :-
http://whatthesaintsdidnext.com/2016...elena-airport/
Would it be commercially viable to fly this type of aircraft from Brazil to here and open up a new tourist route to the islands or is the distance too far?
http://whatthesaintsdidnext.com/2016...elena-airport/
Would it be commercially viable to fly this type of aircraft from Brazil to here and open up a new tourist route to the islands or is the distance too far?
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It's only 80 nm further from Recife than from Cape Town and downwind also so the flying time eastbound is less than the time NW bound from Cape Town. That's important because of the reserve fuel requirements to the island. I think it's a definite possibility. There's a much larger number of potential affluent customers in South America than in South Africa. Brazil speaks Portuguese, however. The ERJ 190 looks like a good candidate. I'd love to know how much fuel they landed with. It looks like they touched down at the 500 ft. bar from the end of the threshold. The threshold on 02 looks to be displaced anout 300 ft. so he touched down 800 ft. from the beginning of the pavement. There is also about a 500 ft. unpaved under run before the pavement. The best I've seen anyone else do is the Comair 737-800 in April who touched down 700 ft. past rnwy 20 1000 ft. displaced threshold or 1700 from the edge of the pavement. The usual touchdown zone for narrow body airliners is from 500 to 1500 ft. past the threshold with the 1000 ft. bars being the aiming point. I would certainly always try to touch down just at the 500 ft. point at this scary airport.
I just saw a new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvkfm2MDKeo and it looks like he touched down 300 ft. past the threshold or 600 ft. past the pavement beginning.
I just saw a new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvkfm2MDKeo and it looks like he touched down 300 ft. past the threshold or 600 ft. past the pavement beginning.
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While their may be no immediate alternative bar the ageing but ubiquitous 75 isnt a serious problem with both the Avro and the ERJ the fact they cannot carry any significant cargo compared to a 738 or 319/320. I thought cargo was important in being able to retire the RMS ship that served the island so what would happen if they accept that only the Avro ( a long way for one) or an ERJ are the only options but there is no material cargo uplift
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As shown on the Flightradar 24 website, the ERJ190 (reg PP-XMA) has done 2 sessions of circuits this afternoon. The first appears to have been 5 circuits and the second four. There was at least one full stop landing amongst these, with a backtrack to take off again, all on runway 20. It looks like these were otherwise low approaches with a late go around, judging from the speeds shown down the runway.
What I found interesting was that the first set of circuits were flown with (I think) the 5 degree offset relevant to the Localizer DME approach, however the second set all had approaches which appeared directly down the runway centreline - i.e. not one of the instrument approaches. Probably OK in VMC but a bit closer to the terrain!
It's nice that someone has agreed to install an ADSB receiver to contribute to Flightradar24 despite the cripplingly high internet costs on St Helena. I see that the track of PP-XMA on its inbound flight was picked up over 200nm from the island so the ADSB receiver antenna must be in a good clear location.
What I found interesting was that the first set of circuits were flown with (I think) the 5 degree offset relevant to the Localizer DME approach, however the second set all had approaches which appeared directly down the runway centreline - i.e. not one of the instrument approaches. Probably OK in VMC but a bit closer to the terrain!
It's nice that someone has agreed to install an ADSB receiver to contribute to Flightradar24 despite the cripplingly high internet costs on St Helena. I see that the track of PP-XMA on its inbound flight was picked up over 200nm from the island so the ADSB receiver antenna must be in a good clear location.