Ascension Island
Issues with the A330 and the runway at Wideawake
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...island-flights
http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/s...ension-island/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...island-flights
http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/s...ension-island/
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Ascension Islanders left stranded after RAF halts flights - BBC News
Ascension Islanders left stranded after RAF halts flights
By Alastair Leithead BBC News, Africa correspondent
"Half of the island looks like the surface of the moon, the other half looks like Mars, but in a good way," says Caroline Yon, station manager for the European Space Agency tracking station on Ascension. "But I wouldn't want to put anyone off. We do have gorgeous white sandy beaches, and pristine clear blue seas absolutely jam-packed with marine life - it's a very unique place."
Image caption View from Green Mountain across volcanic cinder cones The island, which covers around 45 square miles just south of the equator, is formed by around 40 volcanic peaks.
It is rough and rugged - barren in parts - but at its heart has a lush peak known as Green Mountain, home to rare bird colonies which are the result of a unique botanical experiment led by Charles Darwin.
"We have the second largest turtle colony in the Atlantic Ocean," says Johnny Hobson, the island's dentist who has lived on the island for 31 years. "Outside our house at the moment there are baby turtles erupting on a beautiful golden beach," he says. "Everyone's finding it hard to get to and from Ascension at the moment. Currently the only real way off for most of us is an eight or nine day journey by sea to Cape Town and to fly back to the UK that way - at a cost of £3000-4000 for the round trip and the ship, the RMS St Helena, only passes by every three weeks."
Johnny, who also owns a hotel and car hire business, tells me visitors to the island have increased steadily over the past few years. Some were going to St Helena, the nearest landmass some 700 km to the southeast, while others included deep sea fishermen, conservationists and people arriving to see the turtles. "Last year we had five or six thousand visitor nights," he says.
But with the end of the weekly flights all that has changed and businesses are quickly collapsing.
The runway, designed as an emergency landing strip for the Space Shuttle, is maintained by the US military. It used to be one of the longest in the world but now badly needs maintenance, and while there's a plan to have the tarmac repaired by 2020, the Airbus A330 Voyager aircraft the RAF uses to land on the island is no longer suitable. The Ministry of Defence says it is committed to running an air bridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands, but not necessarily to Ascension. The plane was very convenient as it stopped off on the island to refuel, but now it lands on Cape Verde, and the residents have been left somewhat stranded.
"Well basically it was the hub, so all the flights came here before they went on to the Falklands - the planes, the ships came here," said Jacqui Ellick whose husband's job brought them to the island 22 years ago. She's an elected island councillor, volunteers for the local newspaper and manages the interns who come each year to monitor the turtles.
"There are other planes that can land here, just not the A330. At the moment the American planes still land here and the MoD have a C17 once a month for their own people, but for the rest of us there is no way off except for the ship. It's such a big question. I don't think there's anyone in the foreign office or the government with the time and inclination to sit down and sort it out," says Caroline Yon. "But it would be a shame if the island couldn't continue."
A UK government spokeswoman said: "We know that the rerouting of the South Atlantic air bridge flights has caused difficulties for those on Ascension Island and we are working closely with relevant parties to find and agree alternative access arrangements as quickly as possible."
Ascension Islanders left stranded after RAF halts flights
By Alastair Leithead BBC News, Africa correspondent
- 9 hours ago
"Half of the island looks like the surface of the moon, the other half looks like Mars, but in a good way," says Caroline Yon, station manager for the European Space Agency tracking station on Ascension. "But I wouldn't want to put anyone off. We do have gorgeous white sandy beaches, and pristine clear blue seas absolutely jam-packed with marine life - it's a very unique place."
Image caption View from Green Mountain across volcanic cinder cones The island, which covers around 45 square miles just south of the equator, is formed by around 40 volcanic peaks.
It is rough and rugged - barren in parts - but at its heart has a lush peak known as Green Mountain, home to rare bird colonies which are the result of a unique botanical experiment led by Charles Darwin.
"We have the second largest turtle colony in the Atlantic Ocean," says Johnny Hobson, the island's dentist who has lived on the island for 31 years. "Outside our house at the moment there are baby turtles erupting on a beautiful golden beach," he says. "Everyone's finding it hard to get to and from Ascension at the moment. Currently the only real way off for most of us is an eight or nine day journey by sea to Cape Town and to fly back to the UK that way - at a cost of £3000-4000 for the round trip and the ship, the RMS St Helena, only passes by every three weeks."
Johnny, who also owns a hotel and car hire business, tells me visitors to the island have increased steadily over the past few years. Some were going to St Helena, the nearest landmass some 700 km to the southeast, while others included deep sea fishermen, conservationists and people arriving to see the turtles. "Last year we had five or six thousand visitor nights," he says.
But with the end of the weekly flights all that has changed and businesses are quickly collapsing.
The runway, designed as an emergency landing strip for the Space Shuttle, is maintained by the US military. It used to be one of the longest in the world but now badly needs maintenance, and while there's a plan to have the tarmac repaired by 2020, the Airbus A330 Voyager aircraft the RAF uses to land on the island is no longer suitable. The Ministry of Defence says it is committed to running an air bridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands, but not necessarily to Ascension. The plane was very convenient as it stopped off on the island to refuel, but now it lands on Cape Verde, and the residents have been left somewhat stranded.
"Well basically it was the hub, so all the flights came here before they went on to the Falklands - the planes, the ships came here," said Jacqui Ellick whose husband's job brought them to the island 22 years ago. She's an elected island councillor, volunteers for the local newspaper and manages the interns who come each year to monitor the turtles.
"There are other planes that can land here, just not the A330. At the moment the American planes still land here and the MoD have a C17 once a month for their own people, but for the rest of us there is no way off except for the ship. It's such a big question. I don't think there's anyone in the foreign office or the government with the time and inclination to sit down and sort it out," says Caroline Yon. "But it would be a shame if the island couldn't continue."
A UK government spokeswoman said: "We know that the rerouting of the South Atlantic air bridge flights has caused difficulties for those on Ascension Island and we are working closely with relevant parties to find and agree alternative access arrangements as quickly as possible."
Several inaccuracies with the beeb report AFAIK:
The runway was not "designed as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle" and neither did it "used to be one of the longest in the world".
Furthermore, no one has the right of permanent residence on the island, all are there under arrangement for HMG or, as required by other Governments under agreements.
OAP
The runway was not "designed as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle" and neither did it "used to be one of the longest in the world".
Furthermore, no one has the right of permanent residence on the island, all are there under arrangement for HMG or, as required by other Governments under agreements.
OAP
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
I have a superb etching of Ascension Island from Cotswold Etchings. Available on a well known bay site.
I have a superb etching of Ascension Island from Cotswold Etchings. Available on a well known bay site.
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When I was operating on 216 Sqn Trimotors, I accompanied SATCO and OC 216 doing a runway inspection around 1992/3. The runway was full of cracks even then.
A contributory factor was (particularly) Trimotors arrivals within quite a tight area and with the high tyre pressures and the nature of the Tristar's undercarriage caused quite a lot of damage when compared with other aircraft types.
Reckon it's more of the same, 8 mainwheels at high tyre pressures on Voyager ?
A contributory factor was (particularly) Trimotors arrivals within quite a tight area and with the high tyre pressures and the nature of the Tristar's undercarriage caused quite a lot of damage when compared with other aircraft types.
Reckon it's more of the same, 8 mainwheels at high tyre pressures on Voyager ?
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P'raps we should ask The Trump to sort-out his runway............... or leave; happy Independence Day.
Personally I would have a go at St Helena but I suspect the Voyager boys and girls would find that just a little short.
Personally I would have a go at St Helena but I suspect the Voyager boys and girls would find that just a little short.
Already alluded to it in another thread but wonder what consequences this has on transatlantic flight planing (especially Europe <> south America) as this airstrip could not be considered as a decent alternative anymore.
Ascension is the Atlantic version of Diego Garcia , British Dependency partly/mostly leased to the Americans as a 'milaterry faciliteh'. Ask any awkward questions of the Yanks and they refer you to the F&CO, Ask the F&CO and they tell you to speak to the US .
If I recall correctly the airfield -Wideawake Field was built in WW2 as part of a south about route for US aircraft to get to the middle east via Brazil and Africa.
I worked for a UK company that had interests there and back in the day the only practical way on and off was via RAF flights that took passengers but only from UK Gov or related organisations and along with these was NASA tracking station and the USAF who leased the airport and related facilities. Ascension was very very important in the Falklands war , basically it could not have been contemplated without it.
It is an irony that just after the UK Government shells out for a lovely new runway/airport in 'neighbouring' St Helena the Ascension islanders lose their runway. Of course if oil/extremists/anyone DT doesnt like appear in somewhere like DRC or Angola or Brazil the runway will be repaired in a heartbeat but theres no sign of that.
Given their combined population of about 5500 People the three S Atlantic islands St H , Ascension and falklands have cost the UK tax payer one hell of a lot of money in the last 30 odd years just to cling on to vestiges of Empire. Still no doubt Liam Fox will be keen to negotiate a trade agreement with them
If I recall correctly the airfield -Wideawake Field was built in WW2 as part of a south about route for US aircraft to get to the middle east via Brazil and Africa.
I worked for a UK company that had interests there and back in the day the only practical way on and off was via RAF flights that took passengers but only from UK Gov or related organisations and along with these was NASA tracking station and the USAF who leased the airport and related facilities. Ascension was very very important in the Falklands war , basically it could not have been contemplated without it.
It is an irony that just after the UK Government shells out for a lovely new runway/airport in 'neighbouring' St Helena the Ascension islanders lose their runway. Of course if oil/extremists/anyone DT doesnt like appear in somewhere like DRC or Angola or Brazil the runway will be repaired in a heartbeat but theres no sign of that.
Given their combined population of about 5500 People the three S Atlantic islands St H , Ascension and falklands have cost the UK tax payer one hell of a lot of money in the last 30 odd years just to cling on to vestiges of Empire. Still no doubt Liam Fox will be keen to negotiate a trade agreement with them
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Incident: Delta B772 over Atlantic on Jan 9th 2013, engine trouble