A380 approach spacing at EGLL
 

Dear all

What is the current spacing applied to the A380 on final approach at LHR? I'm thinking in particular the evening arrival, SQ318, which presumably would be at a time of day when increased spacing would cause more problems than the early morning arrival of SQ322. From a look at some of the SBS logs, it would appear certainly at times in July the A380 was arriving with a 2-3 minute gap between it and the next aircraft, even when the following a/c was a narrowbody, for example:

SIA318 SQ318 9VSKE A388 WSSS 1746 301 27R
AZA5P4 AZ208 IBIXL A321 LIRF 1748 208 27R

SIA318 SQ318 9VSKE A388 WSSS 1754 303 27L
BMA3KD BD130 GMIDS A320 EIDW 1757 178 27L

Or perhaps just this is SBS being inaccurate?

Anyway, would be interested to know what nm spacing this equates to and the current procedures for A380 wake vortex separation at EGLL.

Thanks in advance.

Leading Following Minimum Spacing NM

Super (A380) Super 4
Super Heavy 6
Super Upper Medium 8
Super Lower Medium 8
Super Small 8
Super Light 10

Hope that makes sense, it doesn't want to format it particularly legibly.

Roffa - many thanks.

The information states:
Super Upper Medium 8
Super Lower Medium 8
Super Small 8

I assume an A321 would fall into one of these categories.

However, looking at the first of the two SBS records (this was the log from July 30th):

SIA318 SQ318 9VSKE A388 WSSS 1746 301 27R
AZA5P4 AZ208 IBIXL A321 LIRF 1748 208 27R

An A321 is following an A380 with a 2 minute gap, surely that spacing would be less than 8nm? Should I take it that the SBS data is just unreliable, or might there be extenuating circumstances?

A321 is a Lower Medium. Likely to be SBS playing up. 2 minutes is around about 4-6 miles.

17:46:01 to 17:48:59 perhaps, or somewhere in the middle..?

what is sbs?

A box that can receive Mode S transmssions, plug it into a PC and you have a pseudo-radar display.

Thanks all, I think timelapse is right, looks like if the A380 landed at 17:46:00 and the A321 landed at 17:48:59, it would just about have the 8nm.

In our (DFS) book, the separation for the A388 has been updated, becoming effective September 25th:

Super Super - None
Super Heavy - 6
Super Medium - 7
Super Light - 8
(we have no Upper/Lower Medium and Small)

Is that also the case in the UK?

Regards,

Robert

I have recently witnessed the A380 while planning on P13 in the early morning, I watched it onto final approach (didnt have much else to do) and there was considerably more thna 6 or even 8 miles behind it, more like fifteen. Was going to phone TC to ask but then we got too busy and i forgot. Could anyone tell me why the ginormous spacing?

Ginormous wake turbulence would be my guess.

On a morning, before 6am, if the A380 was coming in we had to provide a 15nm gap behind it as it wouldn't use reverse thrust on landing for noise. This restriction has since been removed in the last couple of days because it has become apparent it doesn't take that long to vacate the runway. Standard spacing behind it all the time now (The gaps Roffa mentioned)

Just to add more details to Defruiter's post. The consequence of not using reverse thrust opened the possibility that the A380 would enter the enlarged A380 Localiser Critical Area further down the runway, thus creating LLZ fluctuations for anything following it.

Hence 15 or 20 miles.

Link

I guess everybody is going to get new separation values for the 380 and it's not limited to us (DFS).

Saigor

I believe the separations at TC/LHR have reduced as of today to those mentioned by RobertK above.