Lanzarote Departure
 

Returned to UK from a holiday in Lanzarote this week in a B737-200 (or maybe 100 series) and had to refuel en-route at Faro. The Skipper implied that this was because we departed Arrecife rwy 03 as opposed to 21.

As a simple area ATCO, just wondered why we could have carried enough fuel from a rwy 21 departure but not rwy 03.

Cheers,

96

Large lump of granite off the end causes a much reduced maximum take off weight on 03.
Quite often you can lift more weight (fuel) by using 21 with a 10kt tail wind than you can using 03 with a 10 knot headwind!
21 has no obstacles (the departure is over the sea).

Thanks. Spotted the lump but didn't realise it is so strategically placed!I guess your comment on downwind deps off 21 brings it home.

Any problems with the approach to 21?

Yeah But !!!! Over 80% of flights take off and land on 03.

This of course, is pretty much straight into the prevailing winds, the Trade Winds or Alisios as they are known locally and is the only runway with ILS.

Oddly enough, when the wind is in West and the storms come, all aircraft are required to do a visual, sometimes popping out of the cloud cover just in time to slam the aircraft down on the runway or occasionally whacking in full power for a go-around.

Quite something to observe !!

Quite why your flight had to refuel in Faro is more likely to be connected with headwinds, which is the most frequently given reason.

Rwy 21 is non-precision and steeper than normal(3 degree) slope. Recently been designated a captain's only landing off this approach with my company.

As for departures off 03, yes the majority are off there, but we have an emergency turn (used if you lose an engine as you can't outclimb the granite!)

PP

For "Lump of granite" read :- Montana Mina, a large cinder cone.

Still an obstacle in the event of losing a donkey.

:cool: :8 :8 :cool:

I paxed to ACE in an L10 going back a few years (in fact, it was a month before CKT retired them, CC all very watery-eyed!).

We arrived on 21, which I understand is offset as well as slightly steep....terrain was certainly impressively close.

When we left a few weeks later - departed off 21, against a flow of arrivals on 03 - we were at the hold for over 20 mins.

Winds were v.light/temps high IIRC, so another reason I guess not to depart towards the spectacular volcanic scenery.

who the hell is still flying -200's from ACE to UK ?????

.....a educated guess, European.

Some relatives are flying with them to FNC (nearly in the Canaries!) in a couple of weeks, ex. CWL

Correct - it was European.

Yes many is the tailwind take off I have flown off RW 21 in B737-200 and -300. The nice thing is that our B737-200 were certified for up to 15 kt tailwind whereas the -300 was 10kt tailwind max so the -200 had a greater degree of flexibility in this area.

Then they promulgated an Emergency Turn off RW 03:-

"At 100 ft (Yes thats ONE HUNDRED FEET) turn right heading 120 degrees...." - all this on ONE engine - GOOD GAME, GOOD GAME!