Runway State
 

Can anybody come up with a reason for Gatwick not wishing to give their Rwy State over the air. I had to ask four times landing in heavy rain the other day. Two calls were totaly ignored by the Twr; finaly I got we don't have that!.
Funny the water was about an inch deep!
Is this a liability issue.
Just asking? :confused:

Hi Icepack.

The problem is that to get on official runway state including breaking action GAL need access to the runway for a mumeter run. It takes 10 minutes in each direction, uninterupted, which therefore has an impact on movement rates. They are very reluctant to do that unless they have to which usually means only in snow or known runway icing conditions.

This came up on another forum. I believe for some of you that means you have to assume the b/a is poor which impacts your landing criteria? Doesn't seem quite right somehow. :)

I appreciate the problems faced by controllers in the towers at these busy airports, but why don't they give an unoffical observation?

I know they are, in some cases, some distance from the actual runway, but using the good old "Unofficial Observation, Pilot of preceding 737 reports runway surface as flooded" (etc) might help.

Otherwise, yes. It is the airfield operators responsibility to report on its satte, and a controller is right worried in these litigious times.

Personally, I think it is piss poor that HAL/GAL seem more worried about the declared landing rate.

And if an A/C slides off the R/W, it will do wonders for the landing rate! Appreciate the difficulties in busy periods, but agree an "Unofficial Ob." is fine for starters.

Official Ob. could then be done on an on/off basis, between movements. GripTester, or mumeter not required just to give damp/wet/flooded etc. Stick it on the ATIS, job done.

A "totally" unofficial observation/response
At "Most" MAJOR airfields, the runway 'state' is determined by a "Runway Inspection". If it p*sses down, and the "Declared" r/w state is "Dry, dry, dry",
We [as ATC] can do nowt about it. [As you look out of the "Tower" and do not [neccessarily] agree with the "Official" obs, then it is "TSB" Tuff S*it Baby".
At EGCC/MAN we do pass a[totally (unofficial) observasion] wx state
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy