DL 747 Emergency Diversion Midway Island

[RobertS975]

Must be very rare to see any heavy metal at this Pacific outpost. Obviously, the field must have some infrastructure like stairs, but I really question whether there is any equipment to transfer luggage containers from one 747 to another.


Delta 747 Jet Lands At Midway Refuge - Honolulu News Story - KITV Honolulu (http://www.kitv.com/news/28277670/detail.html)

FlightAware > Delta Air Lines (DL) #277 > 16-Jun-2011 > PHNL-PMDY Flight Tracker (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL277/history/20110616/2325Z/PHNL/PMDY)

[1a sound asleep]

7XtFvMcHaaY

[Mr @ Spotty M]

I think Aloha used too or Aloha Cargo does operate B737-200QC into the airport, so they will have equipment to remove containers.
On the other hand if they don,t it is just tough luck and the pax will have to wait a few days for their luggage to catch them up.

[ross_M]

Is that a single fire engine in the foreground? Would have been iffy had this been an engine fire etc.

Interesting fieldMidway Airstrip Google Maps Sattelite Image (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=24.00+180.00&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=28.206701,-177.379632&spn=0.02099,0.054932&t=h&z=15)

Most of the island seems the airfield.

Also,

Extreme bird strike haz dur daylt hr NOV-JUN, night ops only dur these months.

Never knew there were "night ops only" airfields.

[crewmeal]

The crew hoped to complete repairs in 24 hours, wildlife officials said

Read more: Delta 747 Jet Lands At Midway Refuge - Honolulu News Story - KITV Honolulu (http://www.kitv.com/news/28277670/detail.html#ixzz1PbMCqRyn)


Wildlife officials? Are they fixing the birds as well?

[willfly380]

hahaha...crew meal good one...although i think they should get there before you.lol

[sabenaboy]

I've read that since 2004 the U.S.A was no longer willing to pay for the airport and facilities. Wikipedia says about the airport (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Field_%28Midway_Atoll%29) that it is subsidized by Boeing.

How does that work? Is Boeing asking contributions from airlines who want to "use" it as an etops diversion? Or are they providing that service for free for their customers? (Airport off-limits for Airbus planes perhaps? :} )

[oleczek]

All you want to know (including Aircraft Service Fees)

What's New - Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/midway/whatsnew.html)

[Tmbstory]

This story brings back memories of Midway from the past.

On flights from Anchorage via Adak in the Aleutians, then Midway and down to Australia, Midway was the key to a safe flight or the prospect of a water landing. It was a tiny spot in a large Ocean.

The birds (flying type) had to be seen to be believed, it gave you the impression from a few hundred feet above the runway, that you would not get down through the birds without a collision with a few. Same on the take-off.

[gas path]

That'll be an interesting job to do there...replacing a no1 flt.deck window!:hmm:

[con-pilot]

Never knew there were "night ops only" airfields.


Yes, Midway Island during the months mentioned is a sunset to sunrise operations airport. During those months are the most active albatross periods. After sunset the birds settle down until sunrise, well most of them do.

I have landed there for fuel and the reason for the fire truck is to remove the birds from the runway and taxiways. The albatross is not what one could call the most intelligent bird. They'll sit in the middle of the runway or taxiway and let you run right over them, never will they try to get out of the way.

So you follow the fire truck in and out, every few minutes the fire truck will stop, someone jumps out of the cab, picks up an albatross, carries it over to the side of the taxiway and puts it back down. Sometimes it will take a while to get to the ramp.

Now what is funny, or perhaps a bit weird to some, is when you taxi out at night for takeoff. As you taxi down the runway there are all these albatrosses lining both sides of the runway. You can see them starring at you as you approach them, they keep starring at you as you pass by them. So imagine hundreds, if not thousands of these big birds lining both sides of the runway, starring at you as you pass by, swiveling their heads in unison.

It is like something out of the Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds". :p

Oh, they do have a small hotel on the island, but it only has about 20 rooms if I remember correctly, not near big enough for a 747 full of passengers.

The primary reason for the US Wildlife people, and the reason the US still maintains the island is for protection of the Albatrosses.

Oh, forgot to add this. After you land and finally make it to the ramp, about a dozen people come out to the aircraft as soon as you shut down. They're not there to greet you, but to check for signs that you might have hit a bird while landing. If you did, they have to find out if it was an albatross or not. Believe it or not, the wildlife people on the island know the exact count of all the albatrosses on the island. Well, at least that's what they tell me. So if one is killed, they have to write a report on how the bird was killed or died.

Knock on wood, I never hit one.

[ross_M]

@ con-pilot:

Very interesting! Did you leave any con's behind there? ;)

I was actually just now reading the bird-strike reports you mentioned (http://www.fws.gov/midway/aircraft%20service%20solicitation.html) and wow; they are comprehensive indeed. I wonder how much of toasty albatross remains for them to know which birdie was hit.

The historical bird-hit list is long: albatross, petrel, canary, noddy, frigate, tern etc. A pilots nightmare indeed!

What did they feed a 747 full of PAX; barbecued albatross anyone?

[RobertS975]

I have been on this site for years, and here is my question: Why did the mods move this thread out of Rumors and News?

[MarkerInbound]

Wildlife officials? Are they fixing the birds as well?

Since the US Navy left the Fish and Wildlife Service runs the islands and they would be the relevant authority.

[con-pilot]

Very interesting! Did you leave any con's behind there?


Naw, this was after my 'con' hauling days. :p

Used Midway for west bound trips from the US to China. It's longer than going via Alaska, but the owner preferred the mid-Pacific crossings. Especially in the winter.

[ross_M]

Naw, this was after my 'con' hauling days.


I thought that's what you do with stateless deportees. ;)