There Goes Transatlantic Air Travel.

[shaun ryder]

I have it on good authority that BA is pulling out of LGW permanently. Who else has heard this?

[wiggy]

There are all sorts of stories circulating about which fleets are going to be stood down, or is Waterside going to be turned into a hospital, etc etc but when pressed the "informed sources" often as not seem to turn out to be a mate on a Whatsapp Group.

As far as that rumour goes I have no doubt the LGW operation is going to be massively scaled down but I don't buy the "permanently" bit....

The fact so many rumours are running around is down to pretty much total radio silence form the top..

[chopper2004]

There’s also another issue which everyone hopes will not present itself as a problem when things start to show a degree of normality (hopefully not too long) and that’s gonna be safety/ currency on type. Obviously start at the top with the Top 100 Airlines as an example, work way down to corporate and rotary wing then GA will be the very last on the pecking order.

I have not forgotten the cabin crew nor engineers maintenance folk either

I doubt it will be the complete death of aviation ...but could take a year or two to come up to speed ?

All the best and lest get through this together.

Cheers

[cats_five]

Originally Posted by chopper2004

There’s also another issue which everyone hopes will not present itself as a problem when things start to show a degree of normality (hopefully not too long) and that’s gonna be safety/ currency on type. Obviously start at the top with the Top 100 Airlines as an example, work way down to corporate and rotary wing then GA will be the very last on the pecking order.

I have not forgotten the cabin crew nor engineers maintenance folk either

I doubt it will be the complete death of aviation ...but could take a year or two to come up to speed ?

All the best and lest get through this together.

Cheers

My gliding club instructors won't be waiting for the rest of aviation to get current! Nor, I suspect, will other non-commercial instructors. We have had the occasional long lay-off before due to weather, they know how to deal with getting us all current again.

[Piper.Classique]

Ok, one or two people in a glider. Weight up to 600/700 kg and six instruments on the panel. GPS, flarm and Vario. One lever for the wheel. With all due respect, not quite the same as a heavy, is it?

[cats_five]

Originally Posted by Piper.Classique

Ok, one or two people in a glider. Weight up to 600/700 kg and six instruments on the panel. GPS, flarm and Vario. One lever for the wheel. With all due respect, not quite the same as a heavy, is it?

Of course not, but neither is a small Cessna.

[Piper.Classique]

I grant you that. I won't be asking anyone to check me out for solo flying in my private aircraft either. But that's not the point, is it? There are going to be a lot of pilots who normally fly the heavies struggling to remain current. Not enough sims I suspect. Certainly not much actual flight time for those who have been laid off. And probably more needed than three quick circuits and good to go....

[kiwi grey]

Return to "normality"

Originally Posted by chopper2004

... when things start to show a degree of normality (hopefully not too long)

It will be not less than six months, more likely next northern spring - i.e. twelve months - before things get going again, unless a vaccine (probably Chinese developed and manufactured) comes through extra quickly.
And whilst Trump has said that the US economy will take off like a rocket, in my view it will more closely reflect the take-off performance of a heavy A340 from Quito ;-)

[blind pew]

Currency across types

Always amazes me the ignorance that some big boys have wrt other flying disciplines.
Ever winched, flown micro lights, paragliders, helicopters or even spun?
Recency regulation as demonstrated on AF 447 is questionable.

[Piper.Classique]

Not a big boy myself. Except for helicopters, yes.

[foxcharliep2]

Originally Posted by kiwi grey

It will be not less than six months, more likely next northern spring - i.e. twelve months - before things get going again, unless a vaccine (probably Chinese developed and manufactured) comes through extra quickly.
And whilst Trump has said that the US economy will take off like a rocket, in my view it will more closely reflect the take-off performance of a heavy A340 from Quito ;-)

Oh boy, that image of an A-340 T/O in Quito really makes the the current crisis visible ...Thanks for that !

Fully agree with you on a 2 year scope.

[ATC Watcher]

Interesting to see gliders discussed in a Transatlantic thread but we do live in strange times.. Regarding the extension of about-to -expire licences and medicals many Sates are already planning an automatic extension .France is one .
EASA is also looking into it . From the German LBA ( Google translation) :

Re FLC licences expiration, EASA announced in the middle of the week that it would apply the Flexibility Commission of the Basic Regulation and had taken the first steps

[Banana Joe]

3 months extension for the Belgian CAA, with a possible further 3 month extension. Hopefully not...

[Zeffy]

Only two Westbound tracks today.

West NATs

WESTBOUND TRACKS

NAT TRACKS FLS 310/390 INCLUSIVE
03/23/20 1130Z TO 03/23/20 1900Z

A RESNO 56/20 57/30 57/40 54/50 NEEKO
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-

B DOGAL 55/20 56/30 56/40 53/50 RIKAL
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-

REMARKS:
1. TMI IS 083 AND OPERATORS ARE REMINDED TO INCLUDE THE
TMI NUMBER AS PART OF THE OCEANIC CLEARANCE READ BACK.

2.OPERATORS ARE REMINDED THAT ADS-C AND CPDLC IS MANDATED FOR
LEVELS 290-410 IN NAT AIRSPACE.

3. PBCS OTS LEVELS 350-390. PBCS TRACKS AS FOLLOWS
NO ASSIGNED PBCS TRACKS
END OF PBCS OTS

4.FOR STRATEGIC LATERAL OFFSET AND CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES FOR OPS IN
NAT FLOW REFER TO NAT PROGRAMME COORDINATION WEBSITE
WWW.PARIS.ICAO.INT.
SLOP SHOULD BE STANDARD PROCEDURE, NOT JUST FOR AVOIDING WX/TURB.

5.80 PERCENT OF GROSS NAVIGATION ERRORS RESULT FROM POOR COCKPIT
PROCEDURES. CONDUCT EFFECTIVE WAYPOINT CHECKS.

6.OPERATORS ARE REMINDED THAT CLEARANCES MAY DIFFER FROM THE
FLIGHT PLAN, FLY THE CLEARANCE.

7.UK AIP. ENR 2.2.4.2 PARA 5.2 STATES THAT NAT OPERATORS SHALL FILE
PRM'S.

8.FLIGHTS REQUESTING WESTBOUND OCEANIC CLEARANCE VIA ORCA DATALINK
SHALL INCLUDE IN RMK/ FIELD THE HIGHEST ACCEPTABLE FLIGHT LEVEL WHICH
CAN
BE MAINTAINED AT OAC ENTRY POINT.

9.ALL ADSC CPDLC EQUIPPED FLIGHTS NOT LOGGED ON TO A DOMESTIC ATSU
PRIOR TO ENTERING THE SHANWICK OCA MUST INITIATE A LOGON TO EGGX
BETWEEN 10
AND 25 MINUTES PRIOR TO OCA ENTRY.-