Southampton-2
+112% for my local (ABZ) is welcome - wonder what drove that (leisure or business).
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That was indeed the case, there were also direct flights this winter season ABZ-SOU on a Friday evening and SOU-ABZ on a Sunday evening. I think they're selling seats on a positioning flight as the aircraft operates SOU routes for the weekend before heading back north. Loads seem fairly healthy. The direct flights stop this summer but return again for winter 18/19
Join Date: Dec 2011
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This airport is such a joke. There has been a light smattering of snow and by 11:30 only 2 departures. The first has already arrived in Guernsey and in that time only the EZY has departed. If an A320 can use the runway why can't all these BE Q400s! And why cancel odd flights at complete random? Especially routes with only one rotation! Such a badly badly run airport.
Join Date: Jan 2014
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This airport is such a joke. There has been a light smattering of snow and by 11:30 only 2 departures. The first has already arrived in Guernsey and in that time only the EZY has departed. If an A320 can use the runway why can't all these BE Q400s! And why cancel odd flights at complete random? Especially routes with only one rotation! Such a badly badly run airport.
Join Date: May 2003
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It's not an icing issue, the icing does have a major impact on operations into LCY due to the steep approaches, something SOU doesn't have, but rather than it being ineptitude from the airport I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for it because they wouldn't just not move the flights for the sake of it. The issue is, Rivet, you don't know what this reason is so you're just saying "there's a bit of snow and the flights haven't moved, they're a joke", which is the normal response from the general public, I would expect better from you considering you're in, or was in the industry.
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It's not an icing issue, the icing does have a major impact on operations into LCY due to the steep approaches, something SOU doesn't have, but rather than it being ineptitude from the airport I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for it because they wouldn't just not move the flights for the sake of it. The issue is, Rivet, you don't know what this reason is so you're just saying "there's a bit of snow and the flights haven't moved, they're a joke", which is the normal response from the general public, I would expect better from you considering you're in, or was in the industry.
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No I don't think you understand. It's a performance issue, as soon as you have ice on the airframe then operations into LCY is prohibited and this is due to the steep approach, this can even be a trace of ice. The ATR isn't certified to fly into severe icing just the same as the Q400, infact most planes in the sky aren't certified. You'll most likely find this was only Q400 operations into LCY and not Q400 operations into any other airport. I've flown it in both the left and the right seat for over 5,000hrs. I know it's capability. The Q400 is very resilient in icing conditions and it flies as good as any other turboprop, if not better. Google ATR and icing and it'll be very enlightening.
it does seem that Q400s have certain problems whilst the ATRs seem to be less susceptable.
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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This airport is such a joke. There has been a light smattering of snow and by 11:30 only 2 departures. The first has already arrived in Guernsey and in that time only the EZY has departed. If an A320 can use the runway why can't all these BE Q400s! And why cancel odd flights at complete random? Especially routes with only one rotation! Such a badly badly run airport.
Deano 777
Is the problem at LCY that on approach engine power may need to be increased to provide adequate bleed air pressure to operate the wing de-icing but it is this extra power that causes difficulty in maintaining the steep glideslope ? And then the short runway at LCY (1319m LDA) is not the place to be arriving with an excess of energy.
Genuine question, I was never Q400 qualified, just basing it on experience of other types.
Is the problem at LCY that on approach engine power may need to be increased to provide adequate bleed air pressure to operate the wing de-icing but it is this extra power that causes difficulty in maintaining the steep glideslope ? And then the short runway at LCY (1319m LDA) is not the place to be arriving with an excess of energy.
Genuine question, I was never Q400 qualified, just basing it on experience of other types.
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Tagron the issue is when you have ice on the Q400 airframe you have to increase your Vref by 15kts (flap 35). In doing so you push up your ground speed. Clearly if your ground speed has increased then you need an increase in rate of descent to maintain the glideslope. If you increase your ROD then you clearly increase your forward speed. The way to control that is obviously to reduce your power but with the power levers near idle anyway you're in the realms of not being able to control your speed (speed unstable regime of a high aspect ratio wing anyone?), or not having alot of authority left behind your right hand.
Then after all that you have to take your landing performance into consideration. The go around performance and gradients at LCY are reasonably standard.
Then after all that you have to take your landing performance into consideration. The go around performance and gradients at LCY are reasonably standard.
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I would imagine that the surface conditions today were blighted by snow and ice, the latter is particularly difficult and expensive to deal with. I assume that there are no Ops staff at EGHI 24/7? It could be that the morning shift had quite a bit to deal with?
Join Date: Dec 2011
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I could if the airport wasn't so inept. It doesn't help when the main operator is flymaybe. Bet they were rubbing their hands with glee this morning at the prospect of all the potential for havoc they could unleash on the poor people who had no choice but to use them. SOUs twitter and Facebook is full of angry comments. Turns out the slow departures this morning were because there was only one de-iceing team. Of course SOU and flymaybe were nowhere to be seen. Let's not forget their snow clearing equipment appears to be two tractors that they have probably borrowed from a local farmer. An airport run by small minded people with small minded aspirations. Oh and guess what, it's closed again. Pathetic.
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