Gibraltar - Sporty Approaches

[Skeleton]

Interesting read re a Mornarch and a go-around at Gibraltar here

Be interested to hear what our aviators think happened and why, and any of there own stories of approaches to the "rock"

I know Gib was an "interesting" approach (particularly in a OCU Nimrod!)

Incident report mentions poor lighting - any clues?

Any lessons for us to be learned?

[GlosMikeP]

Shacking great bounces!

A Shack approach to Gib in the early 80s included 3 landings in quick succession, a clear view of the centreline though the port galley window (think about it!), a heavy landing (which one!), the port tyre creeping 6in round the rim, everyone's pacemakers selected to max and the ac pulling up just short of the sea at the Algeciras end.

Crew debrief of co in the bar over several dozen brandy sours! Happy days!

Oh and as an afterthought, we thought we'd be there for days. New tyre needed and we'd blown an oil seal on the way there too. Very helpful storeman pointed out to the Eng 'No problem mate: I've a tyre from a Halifax and an oil seal from a Mosquito left over from about 1943.'. BBMF info'd on return to Lossie!

[NDB]

I use to live in London House (about 100m on your left as you sit on the threshold on 27). When the wind was from the south west more than say 3kts you saw some very interesting approaches! I'm guessing something to do with a fairly big lump of rock!

Best approach I saw was a GB Airways 732 landed well after the road using nothing more than its left main and engine cowling!

Let me see if I can find any photo's. (It was 10 yrs ago!)

Is Gib a captain only landing for all airlines?

[Skeleton]

I do remember a Britannia 737 landing nosewheel(s) first and the the spoilers etc deploying as it bounced back up. The final bump made my eyes water and that was from the outside.

That and watching a SAR Nimrod departing (Air India 747) who blew most of the furniture on the beach in all directions as he staggered into the air. I vividly remember watching one poor unfortunate collect his belongings together and then give a very smart 2 fingered salute....

[Chainkicker]

Toombs

I remember an F4 snagging his tailhook on the end of the runway about 86 ish

[Tim Mills]

When I was on Canberras in Cyprus in the mid 60s, Gibraltar was one of those places, I think Hong Kong was another, that you couldn't land at unless you'd done it before! Rather like the other one, before the Hunter 7 came in, that you couldn't fly swept wing unless you'd done it before, regardless of the fact that countless others as well as myself had done just that!

I think I got round this by saying that 'Yes, I've landed there before, sir' without saying that it had been in the back of a Wellington from Shawbury in about 1950 when Cranwell entries were taken on so called 'long range navigation excercises'. From what I remember we stopped at Istres, then Gib, on to Malta, and back home, again by way of Istres. Not sure any of us did much navigating, but certainly found our way to various bars and other night life attractions in La Linea, and down town Valetta!

So I was allowed to go, probably with a squadron mate on the jump seat so he could do the same with someone else. Never made it to Honkers though.

[Wholigan]

One day during a Hunter detachment at Gibrltar, a Comet landed just about on the Spanish Road (about half way down the runway). Amidst much mild panic in the tower with the controller hovering his hand over the crash button, the Comet pilot smoked his brakes somewhat in his attempt to stop the machine before it dropped into the "sea-snake" infested wates off the end of the runway.

He did manage to stop the aircraft with a foot or so to spare.

The tower controller told him he was clear to taxi back to the dispersal. After a short pause the pilot replied, "Roger copy that, just give me a few seconds to get the passengers off my lap and I will".

[London Mil]

Daft place to put it. Who in their right mind would put a big bit of rock next to a runway?

[FJJP]

Another hazard is the large pool of water that has a habit of forming and standing just to the west of the road.

Boiled many a tyre, that has, and blown quite a few [inc the Nimrod who blew the lot on contact with the runway after aquaplaning across the pond!].

[GlosMikeP]

Another hazard are the 3 windsocks, all pointing in different directions! It confuses the life out of the banana eaters on the sun deck, who, it is well known, must have clear and simple directions.

Still, their antics keep the rest of us amused and means we get to drink on their bar bills for the detachment.

[BOAC]

Slightly off-topic but I recall the US Marine who led his 3 Sqn Harrier formation on a lowish flyby of the Spanish beaches to the west in the 80's.

[foldingwings]

Originally Posted by BOAC

Slightly off-topic but I recall the US Marine who led his 3 Sqn Harrier formation on a lowish flyby of the Spanish beaches to the west in the 80's.

Still off topic - or the RAF Hunters scrambled to intercept the Spanish Navy Beechcraft that had flown down the centreline at Gib only to discover that, when they caught up with it, it didn't say 'Marina' on the side, it said 'Martini'!

Back on topic - The Friday Happy Hour at North Front (Bucc Det) watching from the verandah a BEA (or was it BA by then?) Trident getting caught out by the downdraft such that he hadn't touched down by the Spanish Rd and would have to go around as he disappeared from our sight behind some building or other; it wasn't, at that stage, a reason for leaving the jug of BS to watch the outcome.

Anticipating the sound of an overshoot, we were amazed to here the noise of reverse thrust quickly followed by the detonation of 2 tyres! He stopped - just! His tyres were replaced in situ at the 09 threshold and he was airborne for London again in 45 minutes, talking freight (and probably shreddies) suitably replaced!

FW

[November4]

There was a Monarch 757 (?) sat in Gib for a few months in 2004 after a very heavy landing.

But during the winter months it was are regular occurance for the cross winds to be such that no aircraft could land at Gib and most of the civi flights diverted to Malaga and BA would have to bus the pax across the border.

According to admin, servicemen didn't need a passport to fly to /from Gib. As long as the aircraft went direct Gib that worked fine! If you were on a NATO TO and landed in Spain and said you were military.......

Remember a Chinese laundryman who was dropped off by the RN as he was semi comp and needed to get back to Hong Kong. The BA flights were being diverted and as he didn't have a visa for Spain, they wouldn't let him to go to Malaga to fly to the UK for onmove. This went on for 5 days - the ship had docked in the UK by the time a BA flight landed in Gib.

[airborne_artist]

On my first trip to Gib after 8 months at BRNC I was propositioned by the Captain's Sec, a blonde Wren who, it transpired, had already worked her way through the rest of the male occupants of the Wardroom.

That's what I call a sporty approach

[jindabyne]

Foldy

Was that just before you spilled your glass of red down your leader's safari suit?

[Flatus Veteranus]

Does anyone remember if a Vulcan ever managed to get into Gib? I think I heard some bar-talk on the subject. We used to overfly it sometimes en route to Malta, when the Frogs were being awkward about dipclears. A 101 Sqn Mk1 definitely went into Hal Far one night in the '60s when the runway was blocked at Luqa and he had "lost" Sigonella. Hal Far must have been almost as marginal as Gib.

Friends in BOAC (as was) said that a Kai Tak approach from the RH seat was a mandatory "rite of passage" for Ist officers upgrading to captain on 707s.

[FJJP]

Johnny Pack arranged for a Vulcan to be allocated to Gib as a 'gate gardian' when he was AOGib. It sat next to the stadium on the Gib side of the runway for years, until it deteriorated in the salt air to the point where you could push a finger through the skin [I know - I did it when it was sitting next to the dump awaiting the breaker].

I don't believe there was ever a call for Vulcans to use Gib - NEAF at Luqa was the nearest they ever got...

[foldingwings]

Originally Posted by jindabyne

Foldy
Was that just before you spilled your glass of red down your leader's safari suit?

Jinda, you old soak, that's the very one!!

See you in December! Booked your room yet?

None of this though and definitely none of this

Foldy

[exMudmover]

Jolly to Gib late '60s - Hastings (tailwheel) transport from RAF Lindholme. Me pax in back sitting over the wing. Wind SW and gusting on finals. Broke cloud at 400ft and STALLED. No fun being fully stalled in pax aeroplane at LL. Should have claimed indulgence fee back. Apparently IAS was all over the place. Not enough fuel to divert to Tangier so on second approach Pilot added 30kt to approach speed .

Bad idea.

We crossed the road half way down still well airborne. Pilot then forced it on to mainwheels and applied full braking - then stopcocked all 4 engines. I realised things were not good as fans stopped. Eventually tail came down and we stopped just a few feet from the sea. Not even enough room to turn round. Pax needed a stiff drink in the mess after that.

[Navaleye]

There certainly used to be a Vulcan at Gib but its not there now AFAIK. Had quite a few flights into Gib in very comfortable BEA Vanguards. Apart from the odd spilled drink nothing unpleasant ever happened. I did like the old Vanguard.