CWL diversions tonight

[MerchantVenturer]

Is weather causing difficulties at CWL tonight, or is there another problem?

The evening KLM Cityhopper from AMS, the BY from TFS and 6G from ABZ/LPL diverted to BRS. The WW from EDI has gone to EMA.

The 6G to NCL is due there at 2300 (five hours late) and it looks as though the FR from DUB and one of the evening 6Gs from there are being held, whilst the second outgoing 6G to DUB operated from BRS according to the CWL web page.

If it is weather and does not improve by morning there are several inbound DUBs and ORKS due for the rugby that might be inconvenienced.

[MerchantVenturer]

No takers for the reason. I assume it must be the weather down along the Bristol Channel coast, although ironically after a gorgeous day in Bristol it is now a lovely starlit night.

The FR and 6G from DUB and the WW from PRG have now landed at BRS and the WW from PIK has gone to LPL according to the CWL website.

[nclairportfan]

The 1740 arrival at NCL from PLH via CWL is delayed until 0100 - knock on effect to the departure of this aircraft too!!

Not good for CWL considering the rugby this weekend.

[terrier21]

Its due fog in Cwl also Ext its manic here at BRS!!!

[Little Blue]

..tis the wx....Kept me busy all night, oop here at the hall !
Don't think EMA are too happy, either !
:O

[Standard Noise]

Oh well, nice to know we've been useful for something.

Up the Bottom!:cool:

[CWL_Chris]

I just checked CWL's website and there around 15 flights that all have a delayed status. Personally, I can see many flights being diverted into BRS. I would have thought that CWL has good enough ILS to allow aircraft to land.. ah of course CWL has ILS I..that could be why they are unable to land.

I hope some of this sunshine I can see from my bedroom window is able to clear this fog!

Regards,
Chris

[MerchantVenturer]

BRS appears affected this morning as well as CWL.

The easyJets from NCL and BFS went to EMA although the FR from DUBlanded just before 9.

It's still foggy outside my window although it is the sort of mist fog that sometimes sees BRS at 600 feet standing clear above the murk with a fine sunny day in prospect (according to the weather forcasters anyway).

Possibly part of the problem at BRS this morning is that the wind direction seems to point to a 09 operation which is only Cat II. I wonder if the easys that went to EMA this morning would have got in at BRS had the Cat III 27 been available.

[BRS_Dispatch]

Speaking to the crew who brought in the Britannia diversion, they said that the CATIII at BRS downgraded to CATI during their approach. They also said that they originaly planned to divert to BHX and loaded more fuel in TFS only to be turned away from BHX.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

CWL was down to 200m last night and everything was going into BRS instead until the ramp was full and they refused to accept any more diversions.

The forecasters got it wrong. We had in the afternoon forecast a 600ft 1500m Mist up until midnight and CWL was going to be better. Instead it was solidly clamped at 200m Sky Obscured by half past 10. Not a nice situation as for planning purposes to CWL all you would have needed was alternate fuel for BRS..

And we had a flightdeck visitor on the ground in BRS last night who asked us "so you just press buttons and the computers takes you to the coordinates - yes?"... Hurumph, if only they knew!

Cheers

WWW

[MerchantVenturer]

BRS and CWL both now receiving guests and residents.

Let's hope the weather does not repeat itself this evening and early tomorrow.

[Standard Noise]

How long have we had a CAT II on 09 then, MV ?
That is a surprise, never knew that.
But lets not get hung up on the category we at Brs have or have not got. Quite often, these flights divert because the crew and/or the aircraft are CAT I equipped/qualified only, but I don't suppose the airlines mention that much, do they? :rolleyes:

[MerchantVenturer]

Standard Noise,

Thanks for that.

That's the trouble when you get old, the memory goes.

I thought I read in the earlier part of last year that a company called Systems something had been awarded a contract to supply and install a new ILS, I thought on the 09, so assumed, obviously wrongly, it would be to Cat II standard because I understand the topography precludes Cat III on 09.

Was some significant work not carried out on the ILS systems at BRS last year though?

I understand your point about diversions because the aircraft/crew are not equipped/qualified for Cat III. In fact, when BRS publicly announced their 'blind landing system' in the press at the time it was initiated I emailed the airport and asked them how many a/c would be affected. All they wrote in reply was that about 80% of passengers would enjoy the improvement. I didn't realise at that time that the Cat III was only on 27 and the airport did not mention it in their reply.

I also remember asking on this MB a year or two ago the approximate proportion of commercial a/c using BRS that were Cat III equipped (without taking into account the crew's qualification).

In general terms it seemed from the replies that the bigger jets such as the easys and the Britannias and First Choices were but not the smaller regional jets and turbo props.

I don't know if that was accurate or indeed if it was whether it is still the case.

Slightly off the original topic I suppose but BRS's capability for accepting CWL weather diversions is still probably relevant.

[flower]

Yes arriving at work this morning to 275m visibility wasn't exactly fun when we had so many aircraft due in for the airlift.
We are also experiencing taxiway restrictions at the moment due to resurfacing, the resurfacing of the runway also means the airport shuts by 2330 each night so any aircraft arriving after that will be diverted.

It can be weird with two airports so very close how different our weather can be, With Bristol and ourselves often taking diversions for each other.

In the end we got in all the aircraft for the Rugby airlift but i am sure many of the Irish fans were getting a tad anxious.

[terrier21]

MV

It is due to weight restrictions that the smaller regional jets such as ba's 145's can not be equipt with CAT111 aparently they would fall over!!!

[Standard Noise]

The E145's usually come in on a CAT II approach in LVPs, minima permitting.
Last years work on the 09 ILS was a rolling replacement of equipment coming near the end of it's life. The 09 ILS is capable of being upgraded to CAT II or III (ie it's similar equipment to that on 27) however, it's not just the ILS which would need to be upgraded and it's not seen as essential at the minute.
Quite often, if we're in CAT III conditions, the pilots will elect to take 27 up to about a 10 knot tailwind as long as their procedures allow.