Perth (West Aus) Storm & QF go-around
 

Just out of interest, approx 18:40 yesterday (17/02) was SW of Perth field by 5 km's as large electrical storm was closing in. Noted a QF 737 going around at approx 1,500ft. Not sure if storm was crossing / or over the field at the time or if there was another reasonfor go-around. any takers?? It was getting pretty tight to get in by the looks of things.

Regards

Probably had a politician or two on board, and wanted some pointers on how to fly his aircraft!!

Cheers

!!Probably. Should have flown through the mosh pit!

Twas indeed a mother of all storms.

Increased the RH from 100% to 150% and one of the gazillion el monstro lightning bolts made my son drop the pizza in the gutter flowing at some 10Gigaliters per minute. :rolleyes:
Did not sleep well.
So here we are in the hottest humidest weather we have in yonks and we have Western Power put a ban on all airconditioners, pool pumps etc etc. unbelievable. We pay for something we can't use when we need it most.:mad:

Is that the same Western Power Corporation whose CEO is paid squillions by the WA government and flies "home" to Victoria every weekend??:mad: :mad:
Glad I was on the ground before that thing hit!:eek:

It is believed a shortage of gas from up north is to blame for the power cuts at the mo. The government is blaming the previous powers to be from 4 years ago on the lack of expansion.....and the fact that we export the stuff to China which comes off the ship at next to nothing.

And all the while we are expected to pay ever increasing amounts for something that is becoming frequently more interupted and less reliable, supply is never consistent, was listening to a radio show just now which a couple of callers reported brown outs. Pretty cr@ppy service for what we cough up.

We had around 20 blackouts last year in my suburb. When I ring western power to complain they just make some excuse about dust on the lines etc.

Interesting though how there aren't as many power shortages in the more affluant areas

It was not a go around. There was weather on finals to runway 03 (not as bad as the weather approaching from the north). The aircraft you saw required to join for a shorter than normal final approach to avoid that weather. At the time there was other traffic that prevented the aircraft you saw from descending . To avoid the weather and other traffic and be able to join final approach at an appropriate altitude the aircraft performed an orbit. No big deal.

Don't know where you get your info from, but the more affluent places suffer just as many black outs as every one else does.
Dunno about it being a yarn about grubby powerlines and insulators either......... think about it, if you live on the coast, you WILL get a salt build up that Will cause shorts and shut downs.
Also, another point to remember. when you are ringing up about a blackout, so have hundreds of other people..... so when they say they are working on the problem, they ARE working on the problem. Maybe you all should winge about the roads to whoever controls them, as well as the pubs, and the police for chasing people into power poles. alot of the time the lights gop out, its because some fool has just crashed into a pole. another point I might mention is when the phones are diverted to whoever is on call, it will be the partner of the employee that answers the phone. they do this to support there partner and it is done at no cost to the consumer......... so before you go getting abusive (as 85% of you do) remember the person on the phone could have nothing to do with anything other than being the partner of the employee.
If you people got the service and reliability you demand all the time............ you couldn't afford it.
when you get a blackout you don't use power......thus NO charge.
stop winging about what you think your paying for..........your not being charged for anything other than what you use.
Do any of you have a clue how old the average transmisison system (poles, wire, transformers, insulaters) is in western australia?.... I can tell you, it makes the GA fleet look positively brand new.
(climbs off soap box)

Wiz,

Well said. Too many people forget how to behave as a customer.

What I have a lot of trouble understanding is that we export bulk gas via ship from the NW, the same gas that powers the turbines in the south.

If they need to do maintenance, why do they not take a ship load of gas from the NW to the south, that would take the pressure off.

/me hands Wiz a chill pill!

I think the reason people are so cheesed with the situation is because of the lack of notice and unclear demands from WP.

I knew nothing about it when I got up so I left for work leaving 1 x 2.5hp RC AC and 2 x 1.5hp pool pumps running. I also left the Evap running on the shed.

When I got to work I switched on the AC, checked my email and then left the office with everything still running.

It was not until I got to site that I was told that WP had banned the use of AC's and pool pumps.

My kids got to school and there was to be no AC in the buildings so Mrs NAP pulled them out. Yet we found out later that it was up to the Head Master if they wanted to run the AC but they did not know this at that time in the morning.

Shops and like thought that they were included in the TOTAL AC ban when in fact they were only required to run on a warmer setting.

A bit more clarity and information would have been nice.

Yes we did our bit. I turned off the AC in the shed when I got home, bit of a bummer that because the cars got hot!:ok:

NAP

Sounds just like NAS!

Atlas

Sodoff, Cheers mate, that would explain why it looked so odd at the time, with not cleaning up etc. Thanks for the post.

Solar power looks more and more appealing.

hah... Wiz you've made Western Power sound like a soup kitchen.. line up, get what you're given, and don't complain..

Wiz I don't see a problem in people expecting a reasonable service from a utility. They are just like any other company in that regard. Yes, utility infrastructure is expensive, that's why they are either owned and operated by the government, or strictly controlled by the government.

People are already paying enough for a reasonable service. Western Power hasn't delivered on the reasonable service bit. Your right that people shouldn't call up and be abusive. However when people are angry, the people answering the phone are being paid to represent that company.

It's especially important for WP to provide a good service as people cannot change to another power provider if they aren't happy. The current Government has the power to fix it, the current government is responsible and has been for the last 4 years. Perhaps if the government invested the money it's pouring into tearing up the freeway and under the city for a new train track instead of using the Armidale line the infrastructure could be upgraded.

From Western Powers Media Releases...


Profit on the way up, service on the way down.. and people have to use Western Power..:hmm:

Solar Power
 

tenke,

100% behind that idea. How much power would two solar panels, the size of a Solar Hot Water System on the North side of every sun-exposed roof in Perth generate? Seems like the obvious solution to excess power loads on sunny 40C days...

A Government subsidy for installation, building regs for new housing and Western Power rebates to residents for excess power generation in the grid isn't beyond reason.

We just need to embrace change.... geez, I'm sounding like an Airservices Australia manager... quick, someone shoot me...

Euthanasia... the only option... :{

Well, the only problem is the cost of installation. I don't believe from my own research you make the money back. Much like the Prius Petrol/Electric Car. Takes something like 15 years to make the extra price back. :(

Solar Power and the Toyota Prius II
 

...don't get me started on the Toyota Prius II...

The Prius II retails for $US19990 in the States, which I reckon is about $AUD28000. Yet, in Australia, it's on sale for $AUD36990... work that one out!!! And, the other thing that got up my nose... in the UK the base model Prius II comes with all the SRS Airbags fitted as standard for no extra cost.... and... you guessed it... in Australia they're an optional extra...

The Toyota salesman's excuse... in the US they receive a government subsidy. This is incorrect. In the US, the purchaser can claim a rebate (between $US2000 and $US3000) from the IRS after purchasing the car by filling in a form and sending it off to the IRS.

I hope Toyota doesn't make the same mistake that Honda made with the Honda Insight. They priced the car at $AUD55000 and then wondered why no-one bought it. In Australia, a massive total of 65 Honda Insight cars were purchased over three years... surely a candidate for the worst designed and marketed car in history.

When will the car companies start listening to the consumer...
:rolleyes:

Hopefully the Free Trade Agreement with the US will make em cheaper. Made by mexicans = cheaper cars :ok: