QF 737 at Sale
 

Not in any way intending to be critical of QF but I'm down in Sale today and notice a QF 737 went into the RAAF airfield a short while ago.

Just wondering what the emergency might have been ?

Why does it have to be an emergency. QF do charter too.

Didn't the RAAF use Sale for touch and gos with the 707's many years ago? Perhaps QF is doing the same?

Whatever. Rang a mate of a mate and the tale is that due windshear at Melbourne, QF diverted to Sale to uplift a small quantity of fuel ?

That would have been the Townsville refueller!

Although I think even he could refuel a 737 in less than 98 minutes!

Only one runway in use at ML due works on 09/27
Wind all over the place, 150-210 15 knts
Wind at 500 AGL 350/15
Runway 16 in use at the moment.

The 737 at Sale was from CBR

Its going to be like this for another 2 months. Peak periods will see holdings of 30-40mins.

Might be quicker and easier to go to Avalon and hire a car or catch a cab/train or something.

The 737 at Sale was from CBR

Latest story from the mate of a mate was that the aircraft, ex CBR, had held at MEL for around 5 hours and then made a dash to Sale for fuel ? Source is not 100 percent technically reliable but well-placed. Sounds a little strange, I would have thought ?

Obviously going to MEL these days is a pain in the bum ..

Held at MEL for 5 hrs? Doubt that very much........

If it sounds a little strange then it probably is. Highly unlikely.

The 0000 TAF yesterday showed a light southerly for most of the day but the METARS were showing a northerly. There was a period of time when there was a 30 kt overshoot shear on short finals (down to 100') at both ends of 16 / 34. When the first two aircraft went around it caused quite a delay for incoming aircraft and holding times were being continually extended. As subsequent aircraft went around it made matters worse. There were 10 missed approaches for the day according to ATC.

I checked the TAF shortly after they came into Sale and it certainly was talking a nasty lowish shear situation. Something doesn't add up here, though.

I met a lady today who flew CBR to MEL and had to divert due windshear. Spoke of significant holding time over MEL then a refuel stop somewhere.

What exactly doesn't add up? :confused:

There was significant windshear on both ends of the only runway in service causing delays to inbound aircraft. Was it an amended TAF that you saw? The 0000 TAF certainly had no indication of what was to come. I would conjecture that the aircraft inbound to MEL at the time you checked the TAF would have had no warning of the delays that were to be experienced and thus had to make a decision to either refuel and come back for another go or commit to an approach and landing when it is known that multiple aircraft were not getting in due windshear. Bit of a no brainer really.

Is Sale a normal airline alternate these days ? I would have expected the diversion to be Avalon (unless the wx was much the same there) or Adelaide or Launceston ?

If the airline world was logical, AVL would be used as an alternate, however Lindsay Fox wants a slice of the pie is QF use AVL as an alternate on a regular basis, thus the beancounters would prefer we drop into ESL on the very rare occasion than use AVL routinely as an alternate.

So we measure safety in $$$$ about where the PIC might just make a good decision in respect to passenger safety, C;mon really are we debating this ??????

Bloody good decision in my book.

You were dealing with a seabreeze front.

Sale's got an Approach Control Unit, an ILS and a couple of RNAV approaches AND NO CLASS E. Why wouldn't you go there? I wonder if they copped any delays there due VFR's wanting to transit the lane?

Does RAAF East Sale still operate a GCA and if so, could civil aircraft use it if operationally required?