Melbourne to Gold Coast - Holding, and back home.

[Cralis]

Hi chaps,

We had some pretty impressive storms on Sunday, and afterwards, I noticed this aircraft got so close, and then, I'm assuming, diverted back somewhere. When you depart Melbourne, would an alternate be pre-selected, or is this pretty dynamic, and changes while situations evolve? For Gold Coast, I assume Brisbane isn't a suitable alternate, as it's so close, and this sort of thing might happen (Both Gold Coast and Brisbane not suitable?). Would he be off back to Newcastle? Surely not all the way back to Melbourne. It looks like he held for 3 loops, and then edged a bit closer and did 2 more, at which point, they'd have to have made a call that their alternate was in range, but there was a window which they had to take, in the event that Gold Coast might not be available in time? Strange that other aircraft were continuing up though.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/540x960/44519409_10156525445892279_4192438974876221440_n_f3abd378af0 d2b0e46f3680a3bae299206898237.jpg

[PoppaJo]

That one went to Sydney not back to Melb. No point going to NTL when SYD is right next door and is large VA base should they wish to reposition it. Brisbane was copping the same storm as was Sunshine Coast. Some diverted to Rocky.

My previous employer strongly discouraged diverting to non/company airports in sticky weather situations on occasions when we departed knowing the forecast wasn’t overly great (and hence carried a lot more fuel for a return to base) and preferred the aircraft returned to base, cancel the flight and they can funnel the pax around the network on other services to avoid destroying the rest of the schedule with an aircraft stuck somewhere.

[holdingagain]

Yes that aircraft didn’t hang around long at all, wondered why it returned south so quickly.
Assumed it better to cut their loses and reschedule

[cee cee]

That storm was strong, long and thin, stretching unbroken from sunshine coast to gold coast (see the BOM warning map on Wild storms lash the Gold Coast ? myGC.com.au (http://www.mygc.com.au/gold-coast-on-storm-watch-as-temps-rise/) ). It was also quite fast moving, any location only copped around half an hour.

Which brings me to my question: Would it have been possible in this set of circumstances for the plane to fly a holding pattern at cruising altitute above the storm for around an hour instead of diverting to Sydney?

[The Bullwinkle]

Which brings me to my question: Would it have been possible in this set of circumstances for the plane to fly a holding pattern at cruising altitute above the storm for around an hour instead of diverting to Sydney?
Not when the Bean counters and company sycophants are determining the fuel policy. :mad:

[Derfred]

Not when the Bean counters and company sycophants are determining the fuel policy. :mad:

Really? Last time I looked at my company’s fuel policy it was a minimum fuel policy.

I carried extra that day and didn’t divert anywhere.

[Cralis]

I'm not sure who does it, but who ever works out if fuel should be ferried (someone in an office>) ... or amount of fuel carried (Assume Captains role) must have some pretty sophisticated formulas to try and make sure these 'beans' are being efficiently used, in the safest manner, with ever changing weather conditions. I'm guessing / hoping it's not an excel sheet. :) In this case above, I'm guessing he was ferrying fuel for the return leg? Or would Sydney have been the alternate no matter what, and the fuel carried calculated based on that. (That means, no ferrying, right? As you would need to carry the normal load, plus the diversion, plus the return leg?). Wow... it might be pretty complex.

[Derfred]

We don’t tanker fuel to Gold Coast.