RAF Nightingale
 

https://ukaviation.news/london-city-...vid-19-battle/

London City Airport Could Become RAF Nightingale In COVID-19 Battle

Watching a C-17 undertake either the standard LCA approach or a tactical approach would be interesting.

C-130 went in yesterday.

https://www.newsflare.com/video/3466...4th-march-2020

Why? The RAF know how long the runway is at LCY and they know the performance of a C-130. All they have learned is that one crew can do what they've been trained to do. Isn't it?

Or did it maybe deliver ground support equipment?

Probably just a good opportunity when commercial traffic levels are so low.

I’ve seen Hercs landing in fields with a much steeper approach than LCY. They must be laughing.

Maybe a moral booster for those in London.

The cynic in me says they are testing the Government evacuation plan for evacuating from London when the place turns to poo. :cool:

They put one into Cosford a while ago and their runway is only 3700 feet!
It reversed back along the runway to take off!

Imagine if we still had Wroughton, Halton, Derriford, Haslar, Ely, Nocton.....

I've watched a C17 reversing around a ramp, the locals were somewhat not amused watching their vehicles being up ended and swept away.

At least they couldn't hear the bloke on the ramp laughing...

LCY closed for commercial operations.

Small 'bz' to the RAF in achieving this; the evolving situation will demand much more.

The best people, with suitable equipment, ability to respond, flexibility, adaptability, and required thinking to bring it all together

Also, good big picture planning, government, local authority, etc. Create large emergency hospital, staff it, near airport for airlift, etc.

Perhaps similar plans for Birmingham - NEC and airport; Puma trial operations for wide area air ambulance duties.

Well done to all - so far; confidence in people, the country, and pride. ( As one US commentator put it after the Falklands, the UK punches above its weight. )

why do they need to fly in? the roads are empty - oh I forgot - defence review coming up............................

No doubt the QE2 will shortly appear next to Tower Bridge

could have re phrased the heading

Asturias

I think you mean QEC! 😂

BOTH the way things are going....... :p

Asturias, 'why do they need to fly in?'

Good road access in London enables tactical movement for patients within the city.
LCY is more strategic air transport, moving people and equipment over longer distances, between airports, particularly supplies into the city for central distribution to other hospitals.

Compare this with Birmingham, where the need for air transport is highly tactical, between locations without airports - helicopters; hub and spoke to a main hospital, better time and distance than road.
Strategic supply still required, thus have a main airport base.

I expect the Navy will sail a ship up the Thames to show they're TOPP. Or a submarine.

(TOPP isn't an abbreviation but a quotation from Nigel Molesworth, in case anyone is scratching their head)

Several years ago Compton Abbas (800m grass) had a night visit from a Herc. Landed, backed up and departed.

Mog

Did no-one think of re-opening the 'contingency' hospital at Little Rissington? 1800m of runway there not just the 1500m of City.

Remote enough for a quarantine zone, but those days are past - and too remote from any city for a major hospital. Which is why the other sites on the list are near Birmingham, Newcastle etc, and where available airports exist.

If I may - please delete "Derriford" and insert "Stonehouse". RNH Chatham too far back in time and most of the many other RNHs too far back and too far away.

Jack

Two carriers to be used as hospitals?

Liverpool and Edinburgh maybe?

Wasn't one of the problems the air on the cruise ships was recirculated, one would imagine a carrier would when locked down recirc the air as well.. possible not the best place to be.
Must be plenty or recently closed airfields with hangarage that could be used or major venues.

Could use the USS Teddy Roosevelt as a test case there. currently sailing round in circles off Guam full of sailors with corona virus having been in Vietnam 2 weeks ago

I have no doubt that for a few £bn, BAe would be willing to attempt to turn the carriers into hospital ships by the end of next year.

"Did no-one think of re-opening the 'contingency' hospital at Little Rissington?"

The locals would complain like they did about second home owners.

This looks like some good joined-up thinking going on somewhere; field hospital next to an airport!

The 'truckies' are going to love it flying in and out of LCY all day and it is not exactly bad PR for the RAF is it?
Similarly a hub and spoke set up at BHX with 'truckies' and 'SH' - nothing to criticise here!

It's a good start, I guess 'oop north' will be next....

Rissy demolished' for housing'.

Actually not big enough and more importantly no staff to man them.

USN not been paying attention to the news headlines? To be fair though, I’m not sure where else they might have been better off making a port call. CVD-19 seems to be pretty much everywhere

27 March

RAF MoD Link

As I understand it Coronavirus cases are not time critical - you suffer for a couple of weeks (according to a friend who has it right now) - emergency evacuation by helicopter is very unlikely to be needed

And why would you risk infecting a helicopter that costs millions and its highly trained crew when a £20k ambulance will do the job just as well?

still I guess the PR folk have to do something....

Perhaps they know more about it than you do?

Really? Everyone is making it up as they go along. Do you think 'senior' people have any more idea than the rest of us? If they 'know more' we wouldn't be where we are now.

What is a universal truth, is that anyone 'senior' will never be short of subordinates who are absolutely certain they know more and could easily do better.

CG

CG,

Until it goes wrong and then you can't find them!

ACW

That's the root of progress. In this case, however,
​​you are choosing to select sustained, passed down experience, taught and learned, against the current CV-19 novel reality. They are not the same thing. But you made your point; so made mine.

How true

Success has many fathers - failure is an orphan

Having said all that. Some bugger has to have a go. And as we stand many of those having a go probably know they will very likely be giving their lives for us all. So I salute them as they walk slowly into their future.

I don't expect these are intending to be used for what your thinking, more likely its to facilitate quicker evacuation of those that are to be moved to the large temp facilities being setup around the country for the short time they have left to free up local NHS ICU's for those that are deemed to have a greater chance of recovery.

I think we are getting well away from reality. The Nightingale is needed because London is getting the surge. Modelling is an educated guess but suggests a massive influx in London needing this extra capacity. As has been said, patients deteriorate slowly, there is no need for urgent transfer, and the use of aircraft is pure posturing

I am very pleased that the UK is doing something, albeit far too late. It boosts morale to see lots of soldiers moving boxes, although I note the boxes have ordinary surgical masks that offer no protection. Meantime hospitals already getting patients which are full of aerosol-ed virus and where the doctors and nurses are themselves at risk of infection STILL await the promised deliveries of PPE. We have been waiting over a week. We had just one delivery.....of ordinary surgical masks. :ugh: I like many others have been buying up stock from hardware shops etc. Absenteeism due to isolation or actual disease is massive and means we cant even staff the volume of work we normally do. We should be prioritizing protection for the dwindling number of doctors and nurses who have patients now before moving PPE to a building that wont be receiving for days