Welshpool

[2Donkeys]

Welshpool has a hold called Charlie at one end of their runway. To get to the hold requires a back-track of the runway, pulling off at the end onto a small handkerchief of grass by the turning circle. That's the hold.

I suspect it was approved, despite its proximity to the runway because of the displaced threshold... all the same it is very close.

This background out of the way, I enjoyed my first visit the other day in a reasonably large twin. On departure, we were surprised to find that having back-tracked the runway towards Charlie, on turnaround, we were nose-to-nose with a small Piper (based at the local school), that had followed us unannounced, up the runway, and could now only vacate to Charlie with great difficulty. In the event, we started our take-off roll wing-tip to wing-tip with the Piper still effectively sitting on the runway.

Is this standard practice at Welshpool, or just a one-off? This was not just some low-hours student, there was an instructor in the aircraft. I would have been more comfortable if he'd either announced his intentions on the radio, or not bothered back-tracking until we had gone.

-2Donkeys

[Pielander]

It's normally possible to get a couple of aircraft holding at charlie without too much trouble. As you can imagine, it's quite a busy airport, and backtracking one at a time is not practical, so two or three at a time is common practice. I would not consider it dangerous, and it seems to work as long as everybody gives eachother due consideration.

At worst, it can involve manoeuvring with one wheel on the grass (boo-hoo!). Would you honestly say that what happened at the weekend was at all dangerous? The worst that could have happened at the beginning of the takeoff roll is that you could have lost a wingtip light, and I think you would be far more likely to lose some lights on the apron than at the 04 threashold.

As for a landing aircraft, if you had managed to hit somebody at that holding point, then you would have to have just ploughed through trees anyway! (Or made one mighty steep approach).

Pie

[This message has been edited by Pielander (edited 06 July 2001).]

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Sounds like poor airmanship by the following aircraft. EGCW works very much off good communication by pilots as the A/g radio is operated by a non-flyer in and office often on the phone dealing with something else or making tea in the canteen (bless her).

Its easy to put a "backtracking in turn" call out in the circumstance you illustrated.

WWW