Brize Runway
 

Last weekend from two different sources I was told that Brize Norton runway may have to close again for up to two years? One source said that the centreline lights were 2 metres off-centre and the other said it was because the concrete had not cured from the previous refurb.... True or not?

Bloody hope not.:eek:

They initialy had a problem with the centre line lights being off-centre while doing the resurfacing, this is why the runway works ran over by a few months.

I understood that the contractor's workforce, who were largely from the Emerald Isle, were told they'd put the concrete down upside-down.

Some of them then tried inverting it, but were let in on the joke eventually.

No worries chee-apps, we'll just bolthole the AT/AAR force to....er.......er........

Bugger. We've closed all the alternates. :ugh:

Remember this post in 2012...:E

Saying nothing ....... :suspect:

It needs to be re-laid anyway :mad: , I flew in there the other day, why the hell have they made it so wide but so short? :ugh:

Is this the single runway that makes Brize an eminently more suitable (only one in the country) transport base than any bases with more than one runway then???????

Oh well, it's Macrihanish then I suppose!

How about we all relocate to Akt, and run the transport ops from there? Weather's nice this time of year, and with the Brize movers there to supplement the Akt ones, things should go brilliantly!

Civair for anyone going further West than Cyprus should also cheer up the troops going home!:p

You might have a pont there! Especially if the civair stops over at Gib and Faro on the way back.......

Get 'em to Wattisham. Nice long-ish runway there!

Close to where lots of squadies are based too :ugh:

Might liven the place up a bit ;)


LXGB

Ah but you seem to have missed the joy that is the Army/RAF movements system and what they would insist on.

A/C based at RAF Wattisham but check-ins still done through Brize Norton, you know it makes sense (to a muppet).:ugh:

Another enjoyable time down the road at a certain refurbished station like they did before then

I can just see the meeting.

Contractor: No one told us the centreline lights need to be in the centre of the runway.
MOD: That should be obvious.
Contractor: If it's not in the contract, it does not get done. In fact you were lucky we fitted them at all.
MOD: Ok, have another £10 million, I will get that seat on the board when I retire, won't I?
Contractor: Yes, Minister.

Unless it was an ops/ex flight; then they'd take them to South Cerney the day before, check them in there, then put them overnight in the worlds biggest bedroom, before busing them to Brize for erm "final processing" and then busing them to Wattisham. :E

Slightly off-thread, but...

I remember being at Brize for an RCDS (Royal College of Defence Studies) presentation many years ago, where an example of all RAF aircraft was expected to attend (and they had to be immaculate!). I was one of the earlier arrivals, and, standing by my ac, watched the Buccaneer approach and land in the slightly darkening grey day.

A nice smooth landing, quite nose high and bang on the centreline, and then the pilot dropped the hook. The sound effects went something like 'scrape, scrape, ping... scrape, scrape, ping...'

Some of the lights went about 30ft in the air, and the array of sparks was very impressive.

They had runway edge lighting at Laarbruch.

And by the time the Bucc mate had finished, all the Brize lighting was in the 'edge.

Coat, hat etc.

Presicely the same thing happened at Warton about a year ago. A Typhoon on finals elected to make a RHAG engagement as his nosewheel steering was suffering problems.

Typoon touched down bang on centreline 46 metres before the threshold. Hook damaged. Centreline lights destroyed. And because of the shattered hook, the (brand new) cable was written off too.

See the spring 06 (I think) Flight Safety Flyer for the full story.

Just another bloody example of the MOD's finest wasting millions of £s by poor contracts and by accepting the offer from the lowest bidder. Whenm will they learn. Hiring professional contract writers and putting out a proper tender to a proper company even though it seems to cost a bit more WILL save you money, because inevitably the contract isn't for what you want, is (partly) completed by shoddy firms and costs far more in repairs and afterthoughts than if they had done it properly in the first place.

Dear Defence Minister/CAS,
The Defence Budget is fine, just stop wasting our money on poor work and contracts. Write proper contracts and pay for quality, especially for the equipment and hardware that is supposed to last you many years.
Yours,
Miffed

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