Thames Radar evacuated
 

Apparently, Thames/Svfr room at Heathrow is in quite a bad state after a flood last night. Controllers moved over to TC. Any one know any more?

Management ploy to force the move to TC????

Thames bursts its banks!

Aaaah so thats the reason.

I wondered why we had to effect co-ordination by dialling a telephone box in Porters Way and asking for Thames. :D

Regards

Biggin ATC

The service provided by Thames Radio can be performed from anywhere. I believe the majority are in Ascot drinking Pimms providing their unique brand of avoiding action and laid back grooves, eh AlanM?

;) P7

Well, looks like it could be permanent.

Damage has been judged to bad for new equipment to be purchased and set up just for it to be used for a few months.

Rumour is that SVFR will be notamed closed UFN until TC can set something up frquency wise.

Gonzo.

I wish someone had NOTAM'd it. It was a nasty shock to arrive on 127.82 this morning to be told that my EAT was sometime just after Christmas. :{

If this is permenant isn't it going to have a further knock on effect on Heathrows already difficult stafffing problems :\

Well - P7 et al.....

First of all, as one the three in this morning for the fun, thanks VERY MUCH to ALL at TC who made it less painful for us.

Everyone, the night shift, the day shift, the other controllers, the engineers and TC ops were excellent. With every problem we encountered (no radar maps, phones not configured for our use etc) there was someone available to help out and give us the answer or solve it for us. We owe ya!!!!!

What exactly happened in the tower?? Was it a burst main or sprinklers?

Why does it always happen on the first day of the cycle?:)

Cheers

Flower - look like it could be a staffing nightmare. Can't see much SVFR being available for some time.

This is what I've heard.....Burst main on the first floor, above Thames and loads of equipment rooms.

The water was seen pouring out of a ground level door into the car park. When it first happened the fire alarm went off, first 'Prepare to evacuate'. The fire service rang the tower shortly afterwards to check if it was a test or a real alarm. They said they already had two people in the subway under the tower which leads from the Tube station to T2 investigating flooding there (subsequently found to be water coming from the tower building).

Lots of tels equipment ruined, including the Code-Callsign conversion thingimy-wotsit. Not sure how widespread that was, but I know Manchester rang up and asked why they were only seeing squawks!

Apparently the smell in the tower was very very rank when the night shift were going home, lots of soggy carpets, walls and ceilings, I've heard the ceiling tiles were actually dissolving in the water.

Gonzo.

Glad everyone at TC was so accommodating for you guys from Thames, and I'm sure AlanM intended to include the Assistants when highlighting people to thank, after all, I didn't notice any of your own ATSA's following you from the tower!:D

The Greystation got rumours along the lines of Gonzo's post, but to be added is the Stand Mis-Allocation thingy-wotsit also created havok (not that T4 nees it anymore :} ) as it didn't do its job - at all. Word of an Assistant dangling on a telephone calling Ops with 'triple seven for you from JFK' rang the old recall of Bunny Gunsen and the French....... :uhoh:

I knew I would forget somebody!

Sorry to omit the TC Assts. Thank you too. Can't have been easy for you boys and girls.

A nightmare and quick learning curve for everyone who helped us.

Stand allocation works off the code-callsign, so the stand people didn't have any advance warning of any inbounds. The second person who'd normally listen to GMC 2 up to 7am was used to listen to Approach to try and judge the landing order, thus GMC couldn't be split until 0700.

Gonzo.

Sounds like someone forgot to jiggle the handle when they left the loo <G>...

Scott