Aircraft overtaking others on same route

[munrobagger]

Last SAturday the evening Jet2 flight from AGP to EDI left about an hour down = FR6653 left about 5 mins later but was 10 minutes ahead in landing at EDI .
Would this have been ATC routing or what ?

[BOAC]

Most likely company policy on speed and if number 2 (Jet2) then also happened to require delaying for a departure or other inbound..... 15 minutes is easy.

Should have added of course that Ryanair use 737-800 cruising around 0.76-0.78M whereas (if a 737) Jet2 have 'Classics' cruising around 0.72-0.74M, so an overtake built in of up to 0.6 nm per minute. A 2 hour flight therefore approaching 10 minutes.

[Doug E Style]

Also, it is quite possible that the Ryanair pilots knew very well that the Jet2 was going to the same destination and wound the speed up to get home first for the fun of it. I've done it myself on a number of occasions.

[Peter47]

On long haul routes different types of planes have different speeds. B747 & B777 around Mach 0.84, 767s as low as Mach 0.78, A330/340 a little faster than 767s. This could be a difference of over half an hour on a route such as LAX - NRT.

A faster plane can overtake a slower one by flying at a different flight level.

Planes often fly at "reduced speed" to save on fuel. I was delayed on the ground for two hours at HKG last year on the afternoon departure to LHR due a maintenance issue. The pilot reduced the flying time by nearly half an hour when we got going, doubtless at the cost of increased fuel burn.

When there is heavy ATC congestion a flight may well be offered an earlier slot on a less direct route. (My sister was recently on a flight between GVA & LHR which was routed over Germany during the recent French ATC dispute).

[Piltdown Man]

Only the starting and ending points were the same - these aircraft could have flown two different routes. Or flown at two different levels, with differing cruising speeds, head/tailwind components or... maybe one got a short cut and the other didn't and then there's the reporting. Whose timings and what is being timed? The schedule, the time airborne or the block time? And whose timings? The handling agent's times, the airport's time or the airline's timing? There are just too many variables!

PM

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

It's when one overtakes another on final approach that things get a bit nervous!

[White Knight]

Just remember though to "mirror, signal, manoevre" and you'll get past fine:ok:

[chevvron]

When I was training at Northern Radar (RAF Lindholme) I was told the following;
In the days of joint procedural and radar control, a DC4 was following a DC3 on airway Amber 1 northbound; at Pole Hill (POL) the DC3 was 10 minutes ahead so they were procedurally separated. At the next reporting point, Dean Cross, the DC4 was estimating 7 minutes ahead of the DC3 so they were still procedurally separated as the DC4's greater speed meant the separation was increasing. The procedural controller was rather puzzled when the DC4 asked if he should overtake the DC3 on the left or on the right!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Love it T!!!!! A well-known character at Heathrow once cleared a Trident for take-off seconds after a Bristol Frightener had lifted off. It obviously wasn't going to work so he asked the Frightener "would you move over to the right slightly; there's a Trident to come past". The Freighter mover over, the Trident hurtled past and nobody said a word!!

[chevvron]

It was told to me by my mentor, another of those 'characters' Les Coyle. Les was fond of nipping off for a fag occasionally (that's a cigarrette for any american readers!). On one occasion after a busy session on 'mainland' sector, I turned to ask him something and there he was gone! Looking further towards some filing cabinets in a dark corner, I could just make out the orange glow of his fag!!