View Full Version : NZWN-Captain Only?
speaker
8th Sep 2011, 23:23
Hi,
Heard a rumour that landing at NZWN is captain only landing for jets, I find this a bit hard to believe, can anyone confirm or deny? I'm only a PPL but surely the star and ils approach arent that complex according to the charts i've seen? Is it because of the nasty Kaukau wind?
Cheers
Speaker
Artificial Horizon
8th Sep 2011, 23:34
Not true, with my airline there is a rule, over 45kts on the ground must be Captain only.
JohnMcGhie
9th Sep 2011, 00:46
Not true, with my airline there is a rule, over 45kts on the ground must be Captain only.
Right. That would make it Captain-only all the time...
Hat, coat...:E
speaker
9th Sep 2011, 01:56
Excuse my ignornace- you mean 45kts reported wind is captain only?
Can't imagine taxying at 45kts :)
The ASI often reads more than 45 knots when taxiing at Wellington.
Did my first route check there as an F/O on one of the two days per year they get a crosswind. That was back in the day where Qantas actually flew to NZ with Qantas crews.
Most max wind limits for company apply at WLG 60kts (jets and larger t-props) and 50kts (B1900) for most of the operators that go into there.
In reality the limiting factor for the aircraft (more so the pilots) is the shear and sev/extreme turbulence that can exist in those conditions. It can be a 40 - 60 knot wind from 350/010 and be fairly easy to deal with but 30 - 50 knot from 290/350 and my bet is that most operators will be bugging out, not after having a good crack at it:}. Generally that is only as the front is passing and will ease within a few hours of the front, that creates these conditions, has passed.
The limiting factor is really the ground handling operations. When the loaders say no then it's more or less shut up shop.
waren9
9th Sep 2011, 04:08
There are quite a few Captains Only things at Jetstar. That could be one of them.
mattyj
9th Sep 2011, 04:16
its always straight down 16 or 34..regardless of what the upper winds are doing..thanks to the hills etc. The challenge is that it goes 45kt...24kts..55kts..10kts on short finals sometimes. Well most times actually. The autothrottle can't handle it..the lighter your kite..the more the rug gets pulled out. Fun fun fun:E
Did my first route check there as an F/O on one of the two days per year they get a crosswind. That was back in the day where Qantas actually flew to NZ with Qantas crews.
...in a 767 - and a 747SP before that.:rolleyes:
Oxidant
9th Sep 2011, 05:38
There are quite a few Captains Only things at Jetstar. That could be one of them
Nope, not this time.
waren9
9th Sep 2011, 06:30
Oxidant. It appears AH has written what I was thinking of.
Oxidant
9th Sep 2011, 08:33
In which, in those circumstances, correct, old chap.
Capt Fathom
9th Sep 2011, 13:33
Wellington.... On a good day :uhoh:
P_LaAkAyoz0
Did they write-off that Dash8 at the end.....?
4Greens
9th Sep 2011, 18:46
747SP was Captain only.
ad-astra
10th Sep 2011, 12:01
Virgin Australia - Captains only landing.
Speaker - why do you find it so surprising that an Airline chooses to apply an increased standard of safety to a specific port.
There is certainly more to the whole operation than flying the approach (STAR/ILS) into WLG.
Gate_15L
10th Sep 2011, 13:19
Thats weird... usually Virgin Australia ops and Pac Blue ops are the same..
PB - no rule, F.O can land and take off in NZWN...
only Queenstown is Cat X, captains only approach and landing...
tinpis
10th Sep 2011, 23:14
Qantas DC4 was a combined effort I believe but could be scuttlebutt....
"Right, tad blowy down there, I'll take stick you look after the throttles" :hmm:
As a lad have been blown along a street in that god awful place.
http://geta-o.maxs.jp/CIVIL/US/MDC/DC-4/dc-4(qf)vh-eda-sd1.jpg
BrokenConrod
10th Sep 2011, 23:42
When I used to take the C206 in there it was "Captain only" !
I recall on one occassion it was closed to the Boeings and Fokkers due X-wind, so I landed diagonally across the runway - but could not taxi clear.
Every time I tried to turn onto the taxiway the wind screwed me back around. They had to get some bods to come out and swing off the struts so that I could taxi!
That was back in the days when you could call Air NZ ground and get approval to taxi up beside a B737. The ground crew would take your pax luggage and load it onto the jet and a dolly was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with their boarding passes.
BC:cool:
maybe an old Caribou pilot at :55 mark. ;)
Yousef Breckenheimer
12th Sep 2011, 20:08
Wellington is a sh*t hole some days, but you go in there enough times you pretty much know where the "holes" and shear will be so you can be prepared for these. Don't get slow!! Impacts are shared between the crew in my outfit into WN.
speaker
23rd Sep 2011, 11:44
@ad-adstra I don't find it surprising but i had never heard of it before. I fly in there a lot in GA aircraft and had been told that it was a "captain only" approach for some airlines but wasnt sure why when I hadnt seen the same idea being applied at somewhere like NZQN for example :)
Thanks for the replies, where abouts are the holes and windsheer locations in your experience anyone? Kauakau height totally has a knock to it but i havent felt much else...
Shredder6
24th Sep 2011, 07:58
There's normally a 'hole' at about 2-300' very short final 34 in most northerly conditions. The wind backing from 330 (at only 20-30kts) can be full of shear and rough.
Also short final 16 in a light sou'easter, generally a hole and some shear.
Don't get slow is good advice.
ad-astra
24th Sep 2011, 09:46
speaker
Sorry if the reply was a bit short - not meant to be.
VB or VA as we are now do not fly to Queenstown so its unknown territory.
We also have limitations on 30m 'narrow runways' and Low Vis Procedures for our First Officers.
Over time they have become less restrictive but will always be there in some form.
framer
24th Sep 2011, 10:22
Don't get slow is good advice.
As is "Don't get fast" :)