BD - Apart from the unnecessary image I think you should check the facts in the rest of your message.....:ugh:

Its called humour mate.
Are you saying that both lifts at Heathrow Tower were working fine the night before? I was working at Swanwick that night (software delivery and AIRAC) and the brief was that they were out and the operation was being conducted from the old tower, a decision would be made at 0200 whether or not it was likely they could go back to the new tower. If they hadn't gone back we were briefed to expect a rate of 30%, which is what I was querying in my post.

BD

Who is that YS?

Both lifts were out as I understand it during the night shift. Internal fixed then broke whilst this was happening with two members of staff stuck.

Did they leave the new tower during the night and run the operation from the old?

Horses for courses I suppose, generally in ATC we employ black humour to lighten difficult moments.
Maybe we should have a poll as to its suitability and if the nays have it I'll delete it.

BD

Thats what we were briefed, although I wonder if they really meant the old tower or the contingency one. We were told that Health & Safety rules forbade staff using the stairs for normal work.
Thanks for the confirmation that the lifts were out.

BD

"If they hadn't gotten both lifts up to the tower working during the night before..."

Sorry, I didn't realise BOTH lifts were working:confused:

I think its bloody funny - black humour indeed, but given that everyone is ok, then IMHO I think it’s perfectly alright to post it. If there had been fatalities, then it would be a different matter.

Good one BD

YS.... BA can cope because we use a computer "performance" system... which is either already programmed for S/N4, or was very quickly. If the US carriers do not have the data on board, or via their company computers, they cannot go...

Whilst they get little or not delay in using 27R, and/or nobody has got onto UA/AA etc. and said you need to provided S/N4 data or you will be delayed, I doubt anything will happen....

There are plenty of outstations we got to where the local airline uses intersections we do not have data for...

HTH?

NoD

Sorry Gonzo, I'm not quite with you there. Why would the 27L ILS have failed when it was the 09R LLZ aerial that was damaged and he stopped well clear of the GP aerial as far as I'm aware?

BDIONU - Thanks for the animation.:ok:

bekolblockage,

the 27L ILS didn't fail, as Gonzo says. he turned it off as per unit instructions. You don't have an ILS radiating to a closed runway!

Nigel,

cheers for the info!

GT3,

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=309136 I may have misunderstood the tone! But it seemed negative

Errrr, no I didn't YS, you presume I had any clue as to what was going on!!!I believe the BAW38 passing very close to, or taking out, some sensors on the 09R LLZ caused the ILS to trip out.

BD.....we've not had BOTH lifts working since early December... I believe I was the last one to use the outside lift on the 7th December, when I got stuck in it for nearly four hours.The 'old tower' is the contingency now.It was unfortunate that ten minutes before BAW38 went in the remaining lift had failed again...I had just phoned TC to tell them that Heathrow might be transitioning back to the old tower contingency if it wasn't fixed. After the incident, that soon reached AC as chinese whispers that the a/c had crashed very near the tower as we were going to evacuate!

Was wryly amused by the BMA domestic flight that pitched up at BNN this evening and said he could only hold for 10mins before diverting with delays 15 to 20mins and increasing.

Hello? Has someone missed what's been happening? Reduced flow rates all day, bit breezy, delays a bit unpredictable due to not knowing how many 27R departures there would be. Surely not a good time to arrive with minimal holding fuel with not even a flash car at stake.

Anyway, very good of the BAW pilot to immediately offer to swap places so that the BMA got in with no issues. Top bloke.

BAW 1 BMA 0.

I have to applaud BAW's efforts over the past few days. I even saw the BAW9 going off to Singapore this evenning take the 2407m 27L! And I can't remember any BA long haul a/c not being ready for departure on reaching. Fantastic work by everyone concerned.

Yes well done to everyone.

Also to C watch in the in the Airfield ops unit.

The time given for the fire service was quoted as 1 min something, i arrived with the first fire unit and there was already airfield ops staff assisting with the evac, and then after that there was a runway to be re opened, many leaders to be done with the emergency services as well as leading aircraft around the unlit taxiways, also marshalling aircraft on to stands they shouldnt really go on and turning aircraft in small spaces.

So well done to the airfield ops unit for helping ATC and other important groups as well as the emergency services keeping the airport functioning,

And whos used to the well known phrase
"We have no stand guildance i dont suppose theres a marshaller about"

Cheers for now.

big

You guys are stars...thank you!:ok:

2407M! I worked a JAL B743 direct to Tokyo (quite a few years ago!) and he took 23 for departure (if memory serves me right the TODA was 2357M) - he rotated at the intersection of 27L, which, coincidentally is where a certain A300 touched down on 23 and use the taxiway to the Sierras (or whatever it's called now) as an RET! Ah! The good old days, when nostalgia was what was going to happen tomorrow.

Well done to everyone involved - and btw, the graphic had me laughing :)

BD...It made both Mrs Widger and I laugh. No-one killed, thank god and the 777SIM

BD fully agree, the graphic was funny, thank F*£k we can laugh about it as everyone walked away:)

Gonzo I stand, as always, corrected. Sir, I always presume you know whats going on, thats why I always ask you;)
I assumed you'd gone through the closed runway check list once the dust had settled! But, then I realised that 27L was never officially closed by ATC:rolleyes:

agree with Gonzo, all the leader types have done us proud these last few days (unlike certain of our managers who have been conspicuous by their absence while we kept things running- does anyone else feel like we're in some sort of social experiment where they'll keep throwing more and more s@*t at us till we all implode?)

BD, thought the graphic was rather amusing :)