St. Helena-2
 

An updated pdf with Q&A can be found at this link from SHG
http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-con...ember-2017.pdf

The prices quoted are far too high for the average Saint when jobs are paying £7,700 for a bakery worker or an Internal Auditor for SHG at £8828 or £11034 depending on qualifications ( all per annum.)
Someone on the minimun wage in the UK would get circa. £12700 p.a. approx. for someone over 21.
It is also important to understand that food etc.costs are very much more than in the UK.
For more information about Saint Helena follow these links:

http://http://www.saint.fm/the-independent/

SAMS The Sentinel newspaper - St Helena Island

https://www.facebook.com/groups/560571324116728/ (facebook)

Possibly, but no more so (in fact on average less so) than the ferries that Saints previously used to go to their better paid jobs in other places. The real issue of course is how they can get to the Falklands if not via Ascension Island :-(

The updated SHG FAQ note says: "Airlink plan to carry out an engine upgrade in the first quarter of 2018 which will allow the aircraft to be registered to carry 87 passengers on this route."

Any comment on the likely nature of the upgrade?

CF34-10E5A1 engines.

First schedules start

St Helena: Flights to remote Atlantic island begin at last - BBC News

You can see the aircraft on FR24 on the way to WDH at the moment..

https://www.flightradar24.com/SA8131/f33cce7

Commercial flights start to St. Helena
 

According to the BBC commercial flights to St. Helena from South Africa have at last begun. It makes me wonder what has been done to mitigate the dangerous wind conditions that were originally identified...

St Helena
 

I am amazed that as far as I am aware, there have been no comments relating to today’s first commercial flight.
Anyone?

BBC 1 news now

IIRC the first commercial flight was back in May with an RJ85 operated by Airlink but this seems to be the first scheduled flight to HLE.

Return flight, SA8132, just airborne now. Hope the crew enjoyed the nightstop - doubt they needed to pay for any "beverages" :D

Criminally lazy of the press to carry on referring to HLE as a useless airport when it's now starting to perform the role of what will by February be "one of the most vital airports in the world"!

Not sure how they have solved the "wind shear" problem apart from restrictive limits and skill?
Is there a more detailed explanation?

What else do you need (except for some luck...)?

Is it more challenging than, for example, Funchal? (or the old Kai Tak with a 700' cloud base? ;)

Big error on choosing the airline for the first attepmt TBH - -clear drive to "fly the flag" rather than getting someone who knew what they were doing................

I would suspect they were urged not to partake of alcoholic beverages on this lay-over.

Apparently Comair the first carrier has a firm policy to always go-around with a windshear alarm. Many carriers do not require a go-around when there are not thunderstorms or frontal passages. The systems were implemented originally because some misguided pilots crashed after flying through thunderstorms on short final. Micro-bursts are really the only events that exceed aircraft performance capabilities. The current St.Helena carrier SA Airlink intends to try to fly through the turbulence. Large control movements on short final are something that's rare in today's "stabilized approach" era. In preparation, the St. Helena route Airlink pilots have been hand flying the E190 all the time except in cruise to get their skills up. A prior ETOPS qualification flight made a lot of landings with the heavy winds which were "eye opening" but they are succeeding. The windshear alerts are ignored and the aircraft wrestled through the turbulence and if the energy is right at the touchdown zone, landed. That's what you get paid big bucks for. The chief pilot and training director are among the qualified Captains on the route. They haven't had to go-around yet.
The E190 can also land downwind where-as the Comair B 737-800 could not on the RESA restricted runway length.

Reserve fuel requirements
 

Thanks lolder,
This brings back memories of operating to Bermuda in the past with no diversion and just island reserve fuel.
We always assumed if someone got stuck on the runway there was equipment to remove the obstruction - however I think that was wishful thinking.