behind the scenes at gatwick airport

Transcription

ISSN 2045 - 1105
Competitions
|
Screenshots
|
Real Pilots Read...
News
AIRWAYS
|
Reviews
80 Years
of
Gatwick
October / November 2010
Issue # 8
www.bavirtual.co.uk Free
...from the world of British Airways Virtual for the Virtual Pilot and Aviation Enthusiast
BEHIND THE SCENES AT
GATWICK AIRPORT
Liam Tallis
Journal #2:
Daylight Dash
Antonis Castrinakis
Virtual ATC
Daniel Parkin
Expedition
Tropic Eagle
Daniel Mathai
Destination of the month: Paphos
Daniel Edwards
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF BRITISH AIRWAYS VIRTUAL
The Team
Editor: Christopher Elliott
Image Editor: Neel Patel
Reviews Editor: Brendan Farmer
News Editor: Chris Siegrist
Contributors: Antonis Castrinakis, Liam Tallis, Daniel Parkin,
Daniel Mathai, Brendan Farmer, Daniel Edwards
Layout & Design: Christopher Elliott
Website Maintenance: Alan Hunter
Editorial Contact
Email: airway@bavirtual.co.uk
Website: www.bavirtual.co.uk/about/press
BAV Directors
CEO: Stephen Ellis
ACEO: Lee James
HR: Tom Moseley
Operations: Florian Harms
Technical: Adam Parnell and Alan Hunter
Training: John Barnes and Stephen Bell
Consultants: Rob Parker, Stephen Ellis and Graham Young
Editor
Christopher Elliott
Location: UK
Email: airway@bavirtual.co.uk
Chris has been using flight simulators for 17 years since
the early years of A320: USA Edition on the Commodore
Amiga 600. He moved onto MSFS in 1998 and now uses
FSX. Back in the 1990’s, he went on work experience with
British Airways and Air Canada, and he had two flying lessons
in a Cessna 150 and Grumman AA5A Cheetah.
Chris is currently studying BA(Hons) English Literature
and Media Production. During his time at University, he
has worked as a runner on a music video shoot and has
volunteered in PR. He has also published writing in
publications including Aviation News, True Detective,
Blesmag and Writers’ Forum magazines.
News Editor
Chris Siegrist
Submissions
Location: UK / Switzerland
Airways Magazine will happily accept and review for
publication all letters, photographs, screenshots, articles, or
other contributions. However, we do not guarantee
publication. Airways Magazine is unable to return any
submissions sent to us and we will not be responsible for their
loss. We will try and respond as soon as possible. Anything
sent to us will be assumed suitable for publication unless we
are notified otherwise.
Email: airways.news@bavirtual.co.uk
Copyright
The entire contents of Airways Magazine is © 2009 - 2010
and no part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form
or stored on a retrieval system without prior permission of the
publisher, BAV Publications.
BAV Publications takes considerable care and attention to
ensure the accuracy of the information published in Airways
Magazine; however, we cannot be held liable for any loss or
damage resulting either directly or indirectly from any error or
omission. We are pleased to recognise all trademark and
copyright holders and try to where possible. If we make a
mistake or omission, let us know and we will correct it in the
next bi-monthly issue of Airways Magazine.
Legal
Airways Magazine is produced for British Airways Virtual and
is completely independent. The thoughts, views and opinions
expressed herein are not necessarily the thoughts, views and
opinions of Airways Magazine or British Airways Virtual, it’s
Directors, Managers or Pilots.
Airways Magazine is produced free of charge for the members
of British Airways Virtual, and all articles are freely submitted.
The Editor of Airways Magazine reserves the right to change
articles for clarity provided that it does not alter their
Meaning.
Airways Magazine is no official medium of British Airways
PLC and any or all logos used herein are the property of their
respective owners and used under strict permission. © All
Rights Reserved.
Any and all aviation advice, guidance, information, tips and
techniques contained herein are for the exclusive use of
Virtual Pilots within the environment of Microsoft Flight
Simulator and as such are not to be used or attempted in a
real world aviation environment under any circumstances.
Front Cover Image: Copyright © Matt D
www.airliners.net
4
AIRWAYS magazine October/November 2010
Chris has been flight “simming” for the past 5 years, which
includes 1 year online. He is a regular traveler with British
Airways. He has also had a full-motion flight simulator
experience flying the Airbus A340-300.
Chris is currently a student.He enjoys reading aviation
related books and playing Tennis when he is not on
Flight Simulator 2004.
Image Editor
Neel Patel
Location: UK
Email: airways.images@bavirtual.co.uk
Neel has been involved in flight simulation since FS98
where he only flew default aircraft. Neel started to take
“Simming” more seriously with FS2004 and has since
logged hundreds of hours on IVAO and VATSIM. Neel
has also acquired competent image editing skills.
Neel said, “I have always been interested in aviation for as
long as I can remember. I will never forget the first time I
saw a British Airways Concorde fly over my house whilst
playing football in the garden. Since then, I have been
into airline business and operations, technical aircraft
information and anything aviation related!”
In June 2010, he started taking flying lessons and has now
logged a few hours as he works towards his PPL;
realising his dream.
Neel recently graduated from City University London.
He is currently working as an Import/Export Manager for a
Pharmaceutical company.
Reviews Editor
Brendan Farmer
Location: USA
Email: airways.reviews@bavirtual.co.uk
Brendan has been involved in flight simulator for about
10 years since FS98. He has gone on to accumulate
thousands of hours on VATSIM and, more recently, on
IVAO.
Brendan is also a co-host on FSBreak. He is
experienced in reviewing flight sim add-ons.
Brendan is also working toward his PPL; flying out of
Paine Field, WA. He has plans to persue a career in
aviation after he finishes his studies.
Contents:
Regulars
6
NEWS
36
Screen-shots
40
Competitions
46
UK2000 Gatwick Review
Features
10
Gatwick Trip by Liam Tallis
18
Journal #2 by Antonis Castrinakis
30
Virtual ATC by Daniel Parkin
42 Expedition Tropic Eagle by Daniel
Mathai
48 Destination of the Month: Paphos
by Daniel Edwards
Follow us on...
@airwaysmag
AIRWAYS magazine October/November 2010
5
NEWS
airways.news@bavirtual.co.uk
UK2000 London Heathrow
V2 Released
On the 25th of August 2010, the
UK2000 Scenery design team
released Heathrow Xtreme V2. So,
what‘s new in version two?
Terminal 5C with all stands
(including the A380 ones!) have
been added, some modifications
have been made to Terminal 5 A and
B. The BA hangar has been
demolished, as well as Terminal 2.
A new front has been added to
Terminal 4, the ex-home of British
Airways, and that’s just to mention a
few!
The UK2000 team has suggested
100 FPS (!) is possible on modern
PC’s with Microsoft Flight Simulator
9 installed. With over half a million
polygons, it’s surely one of the finest
and most detailed sceneries for
Flight Simulator.
There’s one little contra (at the
time of writing): at the moment,
there’s no AES support.
Owners of the previous version are
offered a £5 upgrade to version two.
The scenery is available through
their website here: http://
www.uk2000scenery.com/newsite/
default.htm, or through Simmarket
http://secure.simmarket.com
BA Welcomes the Boeing
777-300ER
On 10th of July 2010, the first of six
Boeing 777-300ER’s landed at
Cardiff - where British Airways has
its main maintenance facility.
The aircraft arrived at 09:51 local
time. The aircraft was fitted with
seats until it was ferried over to LHR
(Heathrow) where the problems with
the new Thales IFE (In flight
entertainment system) were fixed.
On 31st of August, the first flight
as BA139 took off to Mumbai/
Bombay.
The aircraft is being used on
flights to Dubai, Mumbai/Bombay,
Chicago and Delhi. The aircraft is
fitted with 14 First Class seats, 56
Club World (Business) seats, 44
World Traveller Plus (Premium
Economy) seats and 183 World
Traveller (Economy) seats.
At the time of writing, the sister
aircraft (G-STBB) was at Cardiff to
be fitted with the seats, IFE etc.,.
Once G-STBC enters service, the
aircraft will be solely used on the
Dubai and Delhi routes. The other 3
aircraft are due to arrive in 2012.
The next issue of Airways Magazine will be available in December 2010
6
Airways magazine October/November 2010
NEWS
British Airways’ Share Price
Rising
Microsoft Flight...Second
Video Released
In
August 2010, Microsoft
announced a new addition to their
flight simulator franchise, Microsoft
Flight.
Microsoft released a short video
of the new product along with a
press release stating the new version
would be catering for "everyone" and
would be incorporating Microsoft
Live for "interactive online
experiences."
Since then, a new video has been
released, which is available on their
website. The video features some
sky and pans down to some trees
and the light, yellow aircraft passing
overhead. It looks good; however,
so did FSX.
Many community members have
been speculating on what this new
offering will include, and whether or
not this version would be for serious
"simmers." On a YouTube channel,
FSProductions2010, they state that,
"...it runs all FSX planes as well is
DX11 and amazing on frames,"
allegedly sourced from "a website;"
although, the website wasn't stated.
Whether this is true or not has yet
to be seen. Emailing Microsoft, we
got this response, "Please refer to the
website for further information."
Microsoft are clearly keeping a tight
lid on this release with more teaser
videos to come in the interim period.
Between 2nd September and 1st
October, investors have seen an
increase in the value of BA shares.
Despite strike action, BA was able
to announce a profit and has since
seen a positive step forward toward
2011.
The rise has been from 220.9p to
242.4p over the period, which is a
9.73% increase.
The past month’s performance has
been continuing since 10th July. The
last three month increase has been
from 188p to 242.4p. This is a
28.94% increase over the last 3
months.
Watch the videos at: http://
www.microsoft.com/games/flight
The transatlantic ticketing and
revenue sharing agreement with
American Airlines has finally been
signed, having been rejected twice,
which should mean cost savings for
the group, which also includes Iberia.
As 2011 looks promising, Brokers
are reporting that BA shares may not
be for the “faint-hearted” but may
start to see a good return in 12
months time.
7
NEWS
Rolls-Royce appoints new
CEO
John Rishton has been named as the
incoming CEO of Rolls-Royce,
taking over the company from John
Rose who will step down at the end
of March.
Rishton, already a non-executive
director of the Rolls-Royce board
and head of the audit committee, is
currently CEO of Royal Ahold, a
Dutch retail group. He was CFO at
British Airways for four years, a key
Rolls-Royce customer.
Rishton takes over the engine
maker at a vital time for the
business, in particular in the
commercial aircraft engine domain.
In the narrowbody market, RollsRoyce faces a difficult period, having
failed to secure a commitment for a
its powerplant offering in the market
for the coming years while Pratt &
Whitney is moving forward on the
geared turbofan and CFM
International has secured customer
backing for its Leap-X. Rolls-Royce
is a key partner on the International
Aero Engines V2500 program, but
the future of that partnership is in
doubt given uncertainty over the
road forward.
Additionally, development
activities for the TrentXWB for the
Airbus A350 will be moving into
high-gear just as Rishton takes over;
Rolls will be looking to avoid some
of the development glitches it has
recently experienced with the Trent
1000 for the Boeing 787.
Rose has been at Rolls since 1984
and CEO since 1996.
8
BA paints last 757 in retro colour scheme
its last Boeing 757-200 from
revenue service on October 30,
visiting Shuttle cities on the last day.
celebrate over 17 years of faithful
service. The last three 757s
currently in service are G-CPER, GCPES and G-CPET (besides those
operated by OpenSkies).
An Ian Allan special enthusiast
charter flight from London to
Manchester is also being planned for
November the 6th. BA will paint the
last 757 in this delivery livery to
G-CPET (msn 29115) entered the
paint shop on 26th September 2010
and rolled out at London (Heathrow)
around October 3rd in the retro
colour scheme.
British Airways is planning to retire
Are we soon going to see
winglets on BA's B767s?
British Airways is eager to upgrade
its Boeing 767-300ERs with
Aviation Partners Boeing blended
winglets, but needs to overcome
certification issues stemming from
the engine fit on its fleet.
Because BA’s 767s are RollsRoyce RB211-powered, the
approved blended winglet retrofit
developed for the General Electricand Pratt & Whitney- powered
versions cannot be used due to the
different weight and installation
characteristics of the Rolls engine.
BA operates 21 of the 31 Rollspowered 767s in service, while seven
are operated by Qantas and three by
China Eastern Airlines. BA CEO
Willie Walsh says the airline is
discussing with the manufacturers a
way forward to fund the design and
certification of a retrofit for the small
fleet of Rolls-Royce powered 767s in
existence.
NEWS
“We had originally planned to phase
out our B767s in 2012, but because
of the B787 delay, we are keeping
them until around 2015, which has
improved the business case [for
winglets],” said Walsh.
Takeover in the UK
September 21: UK regional airline
Eastern Airways has bought Air
South West from Sutton Harbour
Holdings plc and will take over
operations in October.
In the £2 million deal, Eastern will
absorb losses made by Air South
West, valued at £3.8 million. It will
enable Eastern, based at Humberside
Airport, to open routes to Plymouth,
Newquay and ten other UK, Irish
and Channel Islands destinations.
Commenting on the disposal of
Air South West, Michael Knight,
Chairman of Sutton Harbour
Holdings plc said, "Air South West
has made an important contribution
to the Group since its inception and
we look forward to seeing it continue
to provide a valuable service to the
region. This disposal will bring to an
end to the Group's exposure to
airline trading losses which have
severely impacted the Group's
financial results, particularly over the
last eighteen months."
AA, BA AND IBERIA ANNOUNCE BETTER DEAL FOR
TRANSATLANTIC FLIERS
More
access to cheaper fares,
bigger choice of flight times and
easier connecting journeys will
become reality for transatlantic fliers
with the launch of the new joint
business between American Airlines,
British Airways and Iberia.
The CEOs of the three oneworld®
airlines met in London on 6th
October for the official start of the
new trilateral relationship, which
enables oneworld to compete far
more effectively with other global
alliances on routes between Europe
and North America.
American Airlines, British Airways
and Iberia announced today four
new routes that will start from next
April as an early benefit of the new
joint business. They are: New York
JFK-Budapest and Chicago-Helsinki
(operated by American), London
Heathrow-San Diego (operated by
British Airways) and Madrid-Los
Angeles (operated by Iberia).
The airlines have also placed
codeshares on a significant number
of additional routes, greatly
increasing the number of destination
choices available to customers.
American will add its code to 322
British Airways and Iberia flights
serving 101 destinations, British
Airways will add its code to 2063
American and Iberia flights serving
181 destinations and Iberia will add
its code to 354 American and British
Airways flights serving 96
destinations. There will be further
opportunities to increase codeshares
in the future. In total, customers will
be able to travel more easily on the
airlines’ combined route network
which will serve more than 400
destinations in 105 countries with
around 5,200 daily departures.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of
British Airways, said: “Today’s route
announcement is a great example of
how by working together we can
benefit customers. Combined selling
and scheduling means that we will
able to operate routes that would
not have been viable for us to
operate individually. This partnership
will provide a one-stop shop for
transatlantic travel regardless of how
you book, which of our airlines you
fly with or where you want to
transfer.”
9
Behind the
scenes
at
Gatwick Airport
Since Gatwick Airports’ humble beginnings 80 years ago, when Ronald Waters
first licensed the airfield, Gatwick has grown into a busy, vibrant airport.
Liam Tallis remembers his trip and guided tour...
Some years ago, around 2003, the date having now
slipped my mind, I was much more involved with
VATSIM-UK (or SATCO back then?). A few of us
who made Gatwick our regular controlling haunt were
offered, I still to this day think, a once in a lifetime
opportunity. It was arranged that a small group
(about 10 of us) would be taken on a behind the
scenes guided tour of Gatwick airport by the (then)
Managing Director, Roger Cato.
We all arrived at the airport, at the designated time
and meeting place in the south terminal, with
passports in hand. After being checked by security, we
were issued our temporary airside passes, which I
assumed would allow us to be airside; but, only under
the supervision of someone in possession of a full
pass. The group was spilt up, one group visiting the
10
tower and the other having an airside tour by car.
I was in the group having the car tour first, and the
first thing I noticed, while reviewing my pictures for
this piece, was that British Airways had a much
stronger presence at Gatwick back in the early 00’s.
Much of the long haul operations since then have
moved to Heathrow, and a large number of the shorter
flights have either moved to Heathrow or are now
cancelled.
We were initially transported to the tower area, by
bus, before being taken in a small airside car, which
nipped quickly around the airfield. We saw all the
areas of the North and South terminals. I felt
privileged and excited to be getting up close and
personal with the large aircraft for the first time.
After our airside tour, we were further indulged by
the National Air Traffic Service with a guided tour of
the control tower. Standing outside the tower, I was
surprised at how tall it was and I was pleased to find
out that a rather rapid lift would be taking us to the
top.
Image © Lee Shand
At the time, being part of VATSIMUK, we were all interested to hear
about specific procedures at Gatwick
and thinking about how we would
take them back to the virtual world.
We were given demonstrations of
how the radars worked, the weather
system and even the runway lighting
system!
The final part of the day was at the
fire training location near the
threshold of runway 08R. We
inspected the equipment used for
fire training and fire fighting that was
based at the airport. It was
reassuring to see the extensive
training that the fire fighters undergo
and the various situations they train
for.
To end our day, Gatwick provided
lunch in a meeting room by the
airport and we had time for
reflections and questions with the
Airport Manager. It was a great day,
from a spotter’s point of view, and
the day was also informative about
the airports' future plans.
My day was concluded with some
further spotting at the viewing
gallery, on the South Terminal roof.
If anyone is in the position of being
able to organise, or attend such a
1939 - 1945
During the Second World War, the
airport was requisitioned by the Air
Ministry for use by the RAF, its area
was later extended by further
requisitioning to include part of
Gatwick Racecourse.
day for members of the virtual
aviation community, then do make
sure you try to go as it is such an
enlightening experience for those of
us who do not work with aircraft on
a daily basis.
History
1946
Gatwick was retained under
requisition and operated for civilian
use by the Ministry of Civil Aviation
with a small number of charter
airlines using the airport.
1937
1952
Gatwick became the nineteenth
Elementary and Reserve Flying
Training School in the country.
Airwork Ltd moved in from Heston,
having been displaced from there
due to lack of space. This
maintenance company brought with
them its contract to maintain Whitley
bombers for the RAF and, along with
Southern Aircraft, became a vital
component of the RAF's
maintenance operations in WWII.
The Government gave approval for
the proposed development of
Gatwick as an alternative to
Heathrow.
1956
Gatwick closed in March 1956 and
building began on 'the new London
Airport'.
Gatwick Airport Consultative
Committee, an independent forum of
all interested parties concerned with
11
the development and operation of
the airport, met for the very first
time in 1956. The committee still
plays a pivotal consultative role on
airport issues today.
The new Gatwick Airport was built
in two and three-quarter years
costing £7.8 million.
1958
Her Majesty The Queen officially
opened Gatwick Airport on 9 June
1958.
A 1958 Evening Standard feature
about the newly built airport
marvelled at the new 'finger and gate'
system (piers and gaterooms) which
would enable passengers to wait in
one place until called to their
aircraft, rather than walk or take a
bus.
Gatwick was the first airport in the
world to combine air, rail and road
transport in a close-knit single unit.
The first airline to operate out of
Gatwick in 1958 was Transair and in
the first seven months of operating,
186,172 passengers used the airport
- Gatwick now welcomes that many
passengers in one busy weekend.
1959
Passenger figures grew to 368,000,
still less than a busy week in South
Terminal today.
1962
Work began on enlarging the airport
12
- the terminal was doubled in size
and two more piers were built.
1964
The runway was extended to 8,200
feet to accommodate the growing
number of jet aircraft using Gatwick.
1967-1968
Passenger figures exceeded 2 million
for the first time and the new office
block was constructed above the
terminal building.
1970-1973
The runway was extended to 9,075
feet in 1970 and again in 1973 to
10,165 feet (today it is 3,256 metres
in length).
1977
Pier 2 was opened. It was extended
in 1984, providing extra jetty-served
stands.
1982
Pope John Paul II flew into Gatwick
on the first Papal visit to the UK.
1983
The Satellite Pier was officially
opened by Lavinia, Duchess of
Norfolk. The satellite replaced the
old North Pier and incorporated the
first rapid transit system of its kind
outside the USA. Work also began
on building a second terminal. The
North Terminal was to be the largest
single construction project south of
London to have taken place in the
1980's - the main building is
approximately six times the size of
the Royal Albert Hall.
1984
InterCity launched its non-stop
Gatwick Express rail service from
Victoria.
The new Air Traffic Control Tower
was built and officially opened by
Princess Michael of Kent - the tower
is still among the tallest in Europe.
1985
Construction began on the new
northern runway, which would be
used as alternative to the main
runway in case of emergencies.
Pier 1 is the only part of the present
day South Terminal that dates back
to the original building in 1958. A
complete modernisation building
programme was finished in 1985 to
refurbish the pier.
In July 1985, British Airways
Concorde made its first ever
commercial flight from Gatwick.
1987
BAA Plc, of which Gatwick Airport
Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary,
was floated on the stock exchange.
1.35 million people purchased
shares in the company.
1988
The £200 million North Terminal
was officially opened by Her Majesty
The Queen and The Duke of
Edinburgh.
A new extension to the North
Terminal international departure
lounge was opened, a £35m
development which offers
passengers extra seating and a wider
range of shops and catering facilities.
1991
2004
A second pier was opened at North
Terminal providing pier-served
stands for 11 aircraft.
The new Pier 6 Air Bridge spanning
Taxiway Lima was positioned and
lifted into position by a fleet of
massive cranes over the weekend of
22nd/23rd May 2004 and
'christened' by a specially positioned
BA 747-400 G-CIVM on Thursday
27th May 2004. There is a 2.5 meter
clearance for a 747-400 tail fin.
1994
The new North Terminal
International Departures Lounge and
the first phase of the new South
Terminal International Departures
Lounge opened. The investment for
both the lounges was £30 million.
1998
British Airways introduced the first
Boeing 777 to their fleet at Gatwick.
2000
BAA Gatwick launched its groundbreaking Sustainable Development
Strategy, which, following three
years close consultation with local
authorities and communities around
Gatwick, outlines how the airport
should develop during the next ten
years.
A £29.5m extension to the
international department lounge in
the South Terminal was opened,
offering increased seating capacity
and new shops and restaurants.
2005
The new Pier 6 Air Bridge was
officially opened on May 16th by
Alistair Darling MP.
Awards
2001
Gatwick Airport won 'Top UK
Airport' award by Travel Bulletin
2003
Gatwick Airport was voted 'Best UK
Airport' by approx. 900 travel agents
and tour operators in the 2003
Travel Awards.
13
Achievements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6th busiest international airport
Busiest single runway airport
UK's second largest airport
Passengers per year:
30 million
Airlines:
70
Destinations:
200
Terminals:
2
Breaking News: A380 Operations Approved
Gatwick Airport has been granted planning permission
by Crawley Borough Council to operate the new Airbus
A380 aircraft. £43 million has already been invested in
six new large aircraft stands, two of which can
accommodate the A380, helping Gatwick to compete on
an equal footing with other London airports for longhaul carriers operating the super jumbo.
Flying on a double decker jumbo to far flung places is
considered a ’must’ experience for many passengers, but
currently Heathrow is the only London airport to
operate scheduled A380 flights. This reduces the choice
available to many leisure and business travellers for
whom Gatwick is their local airport. And, with its nonstop Gatwick Express to Victoria, Gatwick is easily the
best connected airport to central London, which is a key
requirement for the tourist and business traveller coming
to the UK.
Now that Gatwick has the go-ahead to commercially
operate the A380 it can ramp up its discussions with
airlines that currently operate them and with airlines
which have placed orders for them.
14
If Gatwick can bring this next generation aircraft to the
airport long-haul passengers will have, for the first time
ever, a real choice of which London airport to fly from.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick Airport CEO said: “The
Airbus A380 represents the future of long-haul aviation.
It’s modern, more efficient and uses less fuel per
passenger and we want Gatwick to be at the centre of
this exciting new era of long-haul travel.
“We are pouring £1 billion into Gatwick to improve the
infrastructure, modernise the airport facilities, improve
customer service, bolster the rail links and drive
competitive rates for airlines to encourage more
passengers and airlines to the airport. If we can bring the
A380 and other large aircraft to Gatwick, passengers will
have even more reason to choose to fly to and from our
airport and help us on our journey to becoming the
London airport of choice.”
Under new ownership, Gatwick is targeting growth to
at least 40 million passengers per year by 2018 – an
increase of 20% from its current 32.5 million passengers
per year. Operating larger aircraft is one way in which
Gatwick plans to drive traffic at the airport.
Gatwick 2010 Traffic Performance Summary:
Average passenger load factors reach a record high
Sep-10
Total
terminal
passengers
000s
Sep-09
Growth
(%)
Oct-09
Sep-10
Oct-08
Sep-09
Growth
(%)
3,206.9
3,291.8
-2.6
31,294.7
32,199.5
-2.2
UK +
Channel
Islands
331.2
337.1
-1.8
3,565.4
3,619.9
-1.5
Ireland
108.5
121.1
-10.4
1,261.1
1,444.5
-12.7
European
scheduled
1,580.9
1,623.3
-2.6
15,159.5
14,963.7
1.3
European
charter
638.6
684.2
-6.7
4,904.5
5,340.9
-8.2
North
Atlantic
183.2
185.8
-1.4
1,902.2
2,342.7
-18.8
Other long
haul
364.5
340.3
7.1
4,702.0
4,487.8
4.8
22,428
25,563
-4.8
236,077
244,621
-3.5
8,220
5,959
37.9
101,642
73,725
37.9
Market
comparison:
Air transport
movements
Cargo
(metric
tonnes)
Note: Origins and destinations are classified according to ultimate origin or destination of aircraft in the case of multisector flights.
Note: Figures for the market sectors have been rounded. Totals as per traffic summary.
15
#2
by Antonis Castrinakis
19
21
25
Virtual Air
Traffic
Control
As a high proportion of British Airways Virtual pilots fly online using the two
available networks, Daniel Parkin explains about the tools that online controllers
on VATSIM use and what they see...
First let's briefly cover the positions that controllers can
occupy and their areas of responsibility.
XXXX_DEL:
(GMP)
Delivery or Ground Movement Planning
Responsible for issuing IFR clearances which includes
checking the cruise altitude for the flight and that the
SID departure point is valid. Delivery will also assign a
discrete Squawk Code based on your destination, which
is used for onward identification.
XXXX_GND: Ground or Ground Movement Control
(GMC)
Responsible for managing push backs and for safe
aircraft handling on the ground. If Delivery is not online,
Ground is also responsible for all their duties as well.
30
XXXX_TWR: Tower or AIR
Responsible for the active runway(s) and an area of 2nm
based on the centre of the longest runway, up to 2000ft
(or the top of their airspace in busy areas). This means
that the Tower controller is responsible for aircraft in the
VFR circuit and VFR aircraft entering the zone. Also
responsible for Ground and Delivery if they are not
online (yes that means it can get very busy).
XXXX_APP: Approach or “Director”
Responsible for aircraft arriving at the Aerodrome
concerned. Aircraft will be vectored onto an approach
for the active runway before being handed off to Tower.
Director can be responsible for departing aircraft if there
is no upper controller online, or if local procedures
demand it. Also responsible for Tower, Ground and
Delivery if they are not online.
XXXX_CTR: Control or Centre
An enroute controller who can also have top-down
responsibility for the aerodromes in their sector.
As you can see VATSIM operate a top-down structure
where the absence of one controller means that pilots
should contact the next controller up in the hierarchy. If
no controller is online pilots on VATSIM use “UNICOM”
a text only, global frequency that can be used to declare
intentions when there may be potential conflict with
other aircraft.
All the controllers will have passed some sort of
competency check to control on their position so an
enroute controller will be very experienced with
hundreds of hours under their belt. Other letters in the
position name may indicate a specific area of
responsibility e.g. EGLL_N_TWR, NY_CMR_APP, etc.
The Software
Just like the pilot client software, controller software is
specifically developed for VATSIM and available free of
charge. Most commonly used are VRC (Virtual Radar
Client) and Euro Scope. Whilst Euro Scope is the most
recent program to appear both clients aims to simulate
real radar scopes. This software connects to the same
servers that pilots use and also link to Team Speak voice
room for VoIP communications between controllers and
pilots.
What we see
Previously is a screenshot taken whilst using Euro Scope
to control EGLL_S_TWR during the VATSIM-UK Open
Skies event in September. Controllers at Heathrow on
VATSIM use a set of files specifically designed for
Heathrow based on real world displays and that are
different for each position. Above is a ground plan with
stand numbers and the yellow icons are obviously
aircraft with their call sign and orientation. The yellow
outlines show the area my position is responsible for, in
this case the southern runway and the ILS sensitive areas
at each end.
The list on the right shows controllers online with
stations displayed based on their visibility. As a Tower
controller at Heathrow I can't see whether Manchester
Tower is online but I can see Bremen or Oslo Centres
(Centres have their “visibility” set higher so they in turn
can see aircraft over a larger area). Next to that are the
call signs of aircraft connected to my frequency – just the
one in this screenshot, Olympic 87 Golf.
The list on the left in grey shows departing aircraft with
their call sign, aircraft type and weight category, whether
they are VFR or IFR, their status, cruise flight level,
destination, departure runway, Standard Instrument
Departure, initial altitude (nearly always 6000ft from
Heathrow) and their assigned Squawk Code (blank if
they are squawking the correct one). It's a large amount
of information but helps with clearances, taxiing and coordination with other controllers – when using Euro
Scope all controllers can see the same information. Also
on that list is a “Scratchpad” that we use for relevant
information, in this case taxi hold points - /PLUTO is
“hold PLUTO”. An excellent aide memoir when busy
and, as mentioned, good for coordination with other
controllers. Aircraft drop off this list as they depart.
The list in the middle is for arriving aircraft and is mainly
used to assign stands as aircraft arrive.
31
Below is the other display I will have open when
controlling on Heathrow Tower. Each controller has their
own setup but I run this on my other monitor so I have
good awareness of ground movement and aircraft
arriving and departing – remember I may be controlling
the entire aerodrome.
aircraft on approach, CSA650 and about 2(!)Miles
behind him Speedbird 735.
Both are squawking mode “Charlie” - if there weren't
they'd only appear as a small “+” sign with no other
information, not even altitude - and the history dots tell
us the direction of flight and, to an extent, speed.
CSA650 is at Altitude 1,600ft and descending.
Speedbird 735 is at Altitude 3,000ft and descending.
Both have submitted flight plans with their destination as
Heathrow, “LL”. The spoke circle is another aircraft,
possibly on the ground but due to its position probably
crossing London above FL80. As a Tower controller I'm
not interested in traffic that high so details aren't given to
avoid clutter.
The settings for this screen mean that aircraft on the
ground only appear as circles with spokes, I'm not really
interested in that information. What I am interest in here
are the aircraft on approach and, to a certain extent,
departing. In this scenario departing aircraft may become
a factor if I get a Go Around. In that case I need to
coordinate with EGLL_N_TWR (departures) and
EGLL_N_APP (Director who will handle the aircraft
next).
Let's have a better look at what I can see on this screen.
From a different point during the night here are two
32
Below is a screenshot from a slightly different setup that
I use for Gatwick Director:
This is Speedbird 8040 at FL161, heading towards
Gatwick (EGKK). The other data shows the assigned FL,
ground speed in knots (N375), any Assigned Heading
and any Assigned Speed. The information in this data
block can be quickly and easily manipulated in line with
given ATC instructions. Different controllers will use
slightly different set ups according to their personal
preference or the area that they cover but the
information imparted is very similar. As you can see
from all the screenshots shown, we can see exactly
where you are and what you're doing!
Your Flight plan
Finally here is a screen shot of something I will use
regularly as an Aerodrome controller. Whilst the radar
clients have many other functions, far too many to cover
in this article, here is one of the windows that is relevant
to pilots. This is how the flight plan you submit looks in
Euro Scope:
As you can see it mirrors the information pilots input,
even including your estimated time of departure, fuel
endurance and all the remarks you add. The remarks you
put in your flight plan are easily accessible and through
this page controllers can also edit your flight plan if
necessary. Also it is not necessary to put your SID or
STAR in. This flight plan has LOGAN as its final
waypoint and Euro Scope has extrapolated that data into
a LAM3A arrival something that cuts down on the
controller's workload.
In summary, I hope this brief guide has given you an
insight into the information an online controller has at
their fingertips. The software we use means we can make
the ATC experience “as real as it gets” within the limits
of Flight Sim (scenery, squawk modes, etc.) and by
having an appreciation of what controllers see I hope it
makes you as BAV members more active and skilled
online pilots. If you would like to start flying online or
want to know more about Air Traffic Control there is a
wealth of knowledge within BAV as well as on the
websites of the two online networks. The environment
that is created by flying with real people means that
many who start flying online never look back.
Airways magazine October/Nov ember 2010
33
Images.airways@
Screen-Shots
36
@bavirtual.co.uk
Screen-Shots
37
On-board the BA Airbus A320
by
Daniel Danhammer
Real Pilots Read...
AIRWAYS
magazine
...from the world of British Airways Virtual for the Virtual Pilot and Aviation Enthusiast
!!Congratulations!!
UK2000 Scenery
WINNER
Competitions
Augusts’ Crossword Answers:
40
Competitions
The Ebaft (www.ebaft.com) Summer
Simulator Competition 2010
The Winner is...Daniel Mathai, BAW1190!
!!Congratulations Daniel!!
Daniel has won a one hour experience in either the B747 or B777 full-motion simulators
at British Airways Flight Training near Heathrow Airport worth £449
The UK2000 Scenery October
Screen-shot Competition
The Winner is...
Kamil Stankowski BAW922
!!Congratulations Kamil!!
Kamil has won a UK2000 Scenery
of his choice
The SimTouch (www.simtouch.eu)
October Screen-shot Competition
The Winner is...
David Saunders BAW1066
!!Congratulations Dave!!
David has won a GPS Sat-Nav with
SimTouch Mobile installed
41
Expedition
Tropics
Eagle
As being members of the Air Training Corps based at 86 Squadron (Heston &
Isleworth), Daniel Mathai and Manpreet Settie, amongst twenty other cadets
based around the country, received the wonderful opportunity to take part in
the trip of a lifetime...an expedition to Borneo, a large island in South East Asia
shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
The
day before our departure out of London's
Heathrow Airport, I had my kit ready and packed and
spent the night at an RAF base in Uxbridge with the
other cadets where we received more uniform which
then had to be tightly squeezed into my extremely heavy
rucksacks. After messing around during the night I
luckily managed to get around four hours worth of sleep
and before I knew it I was back on my feet taking the kit
down to the coach. Before we went anywhere, we had a
pleasant full-English breakfast along with my first dose of
anti-malarial tablets and then it was on the coach off to
Heathrow Airport. We checked into Singapore Airlines,
roamed around the airport for a while until it was time to
board the aircraft.
The flight time onboard the superjumbo A380 was
around twelve hours to Singapore where we then
hopped onto a smaller sized aircraft for the final leg to
Borneo which was approximately 2 hours long. When
we reached Borneo it was late in the afternoon however
the strong heat and the sense of high humidity could be
felt the moment I stepped out of the airport. We were
then introduced to our guides from 'Asia-Ability.' I
jumped onto the luxurious coach which took us to our
place of residence which was at the Adventure Centre.
We were introduced to our hammocks which we had to
setup ourselves straight away before the sunset. I
seemed to settle to the new environment pretty
quickly....apart from the heat.
42
The next day we had a small walk around the village
and also began our Jungle training. We were taken to a
smaller version of the jungle we were going to be
camping in order to be taught how to light our own fires,
tie our hammocks to trees, purify water, and set-up our
campsite. Manpreet threw up at this part possibly
because of change in water, food, heat or a side-effect to
the tablets!
After a good nights rest, we began our Jungle Trek.
This lasted three days and two nights and was one of the
most tiring bits of the entire expedition. However,
before we went deep in the jungle, we visited a school
where the small children were overwhelmed to see our
presence as we handed them stationary and toys. With
several group photos at the end, we continued on to the
actual trek.
The trek literally involved walking from one end to the
other end of a jungle; however, it wasn't flat terrain.
There were parts that felt like we were climbing a
mountain as we had to rock climb flat against a steep
wall of mud as well as having a 15KG rucksacks behind
us.
Setting up the campsite wasn't easy since the change
between day to night was extremely quick! Also, during
the times we were setting up our hammocks, the
heavens opened up and it began to rain like it had never
rained before! We were told that there would only be a
5% chance of seeing a snake, and to our luck we
managed to see three! What were the odds of that?
Manpreet also saw a giant centipede, which we later
realised was very dangerous! I ended up throwing up and
collapsing on a steep climb uphill; however, I managed
to recover after a short while.
The food was 'bearable,' in my opinion, however, since
we were all so tired and hungry we could eat absolutely
anything! So everything tasted great! One night I had
accidently left biscuits in my pocket and the following I
was welcomed with a large troop of ants over my
trousers...hundreds if not thousands!!!
Everyone gave 200% on the final day knowing there
were only three bridges to cross until the end. Everyone
kept that in mind which motivated them as they kept
looking out for a bridge.
After I struggled to cross the final bridge, I was greeted
with cold drinks a nice lie down under the shade. We
then progressed onto one of the activities we all looked
forward to: White Water Rafting. We got changed into
our swimming trunks, put on our life floats, strapped on
our helmets and grabbed a paddle each. We were then
placed into random rafting boats in groups of six along
with one instructor. We faced calm water, wonderful
rapids and water fights with the other boats. And some
points we grouped up together to drench a chosen boat.
Some instructors even decided to throw cadets off just
for a laugh!
That night, we went back to the Adventure Centre and
I was so glad to be back to somewhere I would rather
call 'home' for now. Later on, we were briefed on our
community project for the next day which was a two day
process. The task involved refurbishing a huge bridge
which the local villagers, including school children use to
cross the river on a daily basis.
The next day, we woke up bright and early, enjoyed a
lovely breakfast before heading out into the scorching
hot sun. Manpreet and I had several jobs that day, but
out main job was being a transporter. This involved
carrying large pieces of wood over to the bridge where
the other cadets would arrange and nail them onto the
bridge. In the heat, this wasn't easy. After the wood
transporting was complete, we the cleared up one end of
the bridge from all rubbish and old wood so that it
would look neat for the opening ceremony. With the
help of the local villagers, the bridge had been
completed and was ready to be opened to the public the
very next afternoon. We stood, waiting for his arrival in a
cadet manner and once he arrived he gave his speech
and provided us with certificates, which was then
followed by the cutting of the red ribbon.
I was pleased to take part in a remembrance parade to
remember the Sandakan Death Marches where 470
prisoners of war were forced to march thought the
jungle until they eventually died. Air Cadet reefs were
laid in remembrance of those who died for us. Lest We
Forget.
The next stage of the expedition was the nervouslyanticipated climb of Mount Kinabalu. The 4095m
(13,435ft) beast of a mountain is not completed easily
and requires two full days of climbing at high altitude.
The team all completed the first day well. It was tough,
but everyone got up to the Laban Rata mountain hut at
3200m high. After dinner, we all went to bed ready for
the summit ascent at 02:00 the next morning. The next
day, with our head torches on, we plodded on further up
towards Low’s Peak - the summit of Mt. Kinabalu.
Finally hitting the top in time for sunrise, we arrived to
great open views of N.E. Borneo. The final push to the
summit was incredibly hard since oxygen levels were so
low, however, all apart from six people couldn't make it
to the top due to altitude sickness. I suffered from severe
chest pains however I couldn't let this stop me from
reaching the peak so I didn't tell anyone. However, later
43
on I then had problems during the descent. The scary
part was the descent from the peak. We had to hold on
to ropes and walk backwards while bits of rock were
chipping away beneath our feet. It was incredibly scary
from my point of view.
Our expedition was now over, and to end it after all the
pain we went through we stayed at a hotel in Borneo
where we got to roam around the city. We then travelled
back to Singapore where we stayed at the York Hotel
which was a four star hotel. We were also greeted with
the news of the volcanic ash cloud closing UK airspace.
We were stuck in Singapore. As we enjoyed our final day
in Singapore many were still worried due to exams. The
staff was also quite tensed since we didn't have a hotel
and were most likely going to be sleeping at the airport.
However, luckily, at the last minute, since we were a part
of a military based organisation, we were given
permission to stay at a U.S Marine Base. The rooms
were impressive and although meals had to be cooked
ourselves, we were very thankful to be staying in a rather
luxurious base.
On Wednesday 21st April 2010, we were woken up
and told that we had to be ready with our kit packed
within twenty minutes. There was a sudden rush and we
were all downstairs awaiting a group meeting by one of
the Officers. We were told of the good news that were
most likely going home today and that this we should
expect to land at Heathrow Airport at around 21.00.
With a few delays before departure and en-route
turbulence and an extremely hard landing at Heathrow,
everyone was glad that they could see their families
again and had made it back in time for their exams.
44
Reviews.airways
Review:
UK2000 Scenery
Gatwick (EGKK)
Uk2000 have been producing top quality UK airports for
FS9 and FSX for years. Brendan Farmer reviews one of
their popular titles, Gatwick Xtreme...
Gatwick Airport was built in the early part of the 20
th
Century starting as a small airfield owned by Redwind
Aircraft Company. They operated a flight school at
Gatwick. It didn’t take long for Gatwick to start being
serviced by commercial flights. In the year 1933 it was
approved for commercial travel and Hillman’s Airways
started service to Belfast and Paris from Gatwick.
However in ’46 after the end of World War II Gatwick
was decommissioned but still provided charter and
maintenance and charter services. Gatwick reopened in
1958 and only grew from there to what it is today. In
2008 it was ranked the 28th busiest airport and more
impressively the 8th largest in Europe in terms of
passenger traffic. There are plans to expand Gatwick in
the form of another runway and/or a new passenger
terminal. But for the time being Gatwick still remains
one of the busiest single runway airports in commercial
aviation.
But what about the UK2000’s representation of
London’s Gatwick Airport? UK2000 Scenery is known
for quality, this cannot be doubted. Water is wet, the sky
is blue and Gary Summons makes some of the best
scenery for the UK in Flight Simulation. This is just fact
46
and no avid simmer with an eye for quality will deny it.
To really, accurately give opinion on this scenery it will
be best to discuss it as a function of several parts, like
texturing, performance etc.
A close friend of mine once said that the scenery at the
arrival and departure airport make the flight. Scenery is
perhaps the signal greatest enhancer to Flight
Simulation; it makes airports look like airports, rather
than yellow and black uniform texture buildings. And
without a doubt the biggest portion of the scenery are
the qualities of textures. Day time textures in UK2000
Gatwick are very good. This scenery is a little bit on the
older side, so the textures will not be of the quality that
other modern Flight Sim sceneries. But this doesn’t
mean that the textures are bad, quite the opposite
actually. Through a bit of investigative work it seems
that all the building textures are saved in a 256x256
16bit format. That doesn’t sound high quality and it
really is not. But the ground textures that make the look
and feel of the airport are all saved in great, 1024x1024
32bit quality. Past the techno babble, I’m sure people
want to know how the textures look in the Simulator.
Perfectly fine is the answer. The buildings do honestly
look lower res that what simmers would expect
s@bavirtual.co.uk
but this trades off to better performance. The taxiway
markings are all clear and look good, as do other
features like hold short lines. That is the day lighting, but
what about night lighting? Night lighting is done in
UK2000 Gatwick very well. This scenery, unlike so
many others gets that very weird Sodium lighting just
right. Sodium lighting is the artificial yellow lighting seen
at almost every airport during the night. The other
notable thing about the night textures is how well the
Sodium lights at the gates blend to the darker parts of
the scenery. It is a great, gradient that fades out. This is
much better than a lot of sceneries and really shows
some skill at texturing. Overall the night lighting is very
pleasing and makes this a great airport to fly into during
the night and day.
Another very important part of any scenery is how it
performs. No one is going to want to fly at an airport if it
tanks peoples frame rates. Thankfully this is not an issue
with UK2000 Gatwick. Partly as a function of the texture
quality mentioned earlier, this scenery is very frame rate
friendly. Using the default Cessna 172 in FS9 this is how
UK2000 Gatwick stacks up.
Scenery – Frames Per Second (Avg. Daytime)
Fly Tampa KSEA – 55FPS
FSDreamteam KJFK – 40FPS
UK2000 EGLL v2 – 43FPS
UK2000 EGKK – 57FPS
Not only does the scenery give good frames, it does not
stutter when textures load which keeps the experience
nice and fluid. Even more, After operating out of
UK2000 Gatwick several dozen times I have never
experienced a CTD or scenery related crash of the
simulator.
There is also a bunch of great, smaller things that add
to the experience. One of which is the amount of traffic
at the gates. Traffic meaning airport vehicles and moving
cars. Seeing catering trucks driving around, buses taking
passengers to other gates, pushback tugs going to push
out airplanes, it all adds up a very immersive ground
environment at the gate. Not only this, but when at the
gate the jetway extends out to the aircraft and baggage
trucks come greet the airplane by attaching them to the
baggage doors. Although cool, this does not work 100%
of the time. For example, the Wilco 737 PIC seems to
work fine and is gladly accepted by the gate crews.
However the Project Opensky 777 does not work as
well. One other really neat feature is the ability to see
little silhouettes of people walking. This is really
noticeable in the air bridge and terminal areas. Really
adds to the feel that the airport is alive and really
functioning.
This brings up another point, the lack of AES (Airport
Enhancement Services by Aerosoft) support. No AES
work has been done for this scenery and it does not
appear that there are plans to include UK2000 Gatwick
in future updates for AES.
Having never been to Gatwick myself I cannot speak
directly to how this scenery compares to the real deal
but from comparing to pictures taken in real life,
UK2000 Gatwick seems to get it right. All the terminal
buildings are accurately modeled and look good. One of
the nicest touches is the animated traffic one sees
behind the terminals and on the roads. Much like the
silhouettes this really adds to the feel that the airport is
alive and nothing is more immersive than that.
In the end, UK2000 Gatwick is a great piece scenery. If
one can look past some lower quality textures on the
buildings and no AES support, one finds an incredibly
immersive and pleasing scenery. It includes great
photoreal textures for the immediate surrounding area,
great runway and taxiway textures. It performs great and
it very stable. I highly recommend UK2000 Gatwick to
all.
47
Destination of the
Month: Paphos
by F/O Daniel Edwards
Cyprus, the birthplace of Greek Goddess of love and
beauty Aphrodite, is the third largest island in the
Mediterranean. Rich in history, the earliest known
human activity on the island dates back to around the
10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this
period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of
Choirokoitia which has been
declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along
with the Tombs of the Kings. Over its history, Cyprus
has been invaded and occupied by several major
powers, including the empires of the Hittites,
Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Rashiduns, Umayyads,
Lusignans, Venetians and Ottomans. Today, however,
during the summer months it tends to be occupied by
large numbers of British, German and Russian tourists
seeking some summer sun. That being said, in many
places Cyprus shuts down for winter as other
destinations are more popular for winter sun. I am
sure this will change in a few years time when the
economy recovers and people have more disposable
incomes to second holidays. Although the average
high in summer can top 35 degrees Celsius, in winter
most days reach a high of 20 degrees but it can, and
does, suffer from the odd rain shower. For a country
that enjoys such hot, warm summers, it's a surprisingly
green island.
Since Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 the number of
flights and tourists visiting the island has increased
48
dramatically. I used to holiday in Cyprus nearly ever
summer with my parents when I was a child and it's a
country that I hold very dear to my heart and it's one
of the major reasons that flights to Paphos are my top
bid every month!
It's as close to long-haul as you can get for the 737
fleet at Gatwick. It is the longest flight we serve on the
737 with a block time of 4 hours 30 minutes on the
outbound leg and 4 hours 45 minutes for the return
sector. The usual outbound route takes out over
Dover, across the North Sea towards Brussels, into
Germany towards BOMBI intersection located almost
directly above Frankfurt Main airport, then the route
takes a more southerly track towards Munich,
Salzburg, some spectacular views across the Alps into
the Balkans with a routing near to Ljubliana, Zagreb,
Sarajevo and Belgrade and then into Greek airspace
before reaching TOMBI intersection, the boundary
between Turkish airspace and Cypriot airspace.
Because a conflict in 1974 Turkish-Cypriot relations
are, to cut a long story short, not great. The ATC units
do not coordinate with each other so the workload
begins to ramp up just before we start our descent
towards Paphos.
10 minutes prior to reaching TOMBI intersection,
the P2 will call Nicosia on the second radio box to
inform them of our estimated arrival time at TOMBI
together with our requested flight level. Nicosia in
return give us a squawk code to set when overhead
TOMBI. Not
long after, Istanbul will hand us over to Ercan who seem
to serve merely as an intemediary between Turkey and
Cyprus. They offer no clearances, or at least if they try
to we are to recommended to refuse them by our Route
Information Manual. Overhead TOMBI, Ercan hand us
over to Nicosia and after changing our squawk code we
check in with Nicosia stating our callsign, position, flight
level and squawk code. Only a few minutes pass before
the FMC lets us know that it's time to descend. Nicosia
usually give a clearance to descend to FL110.
There are a few quirks about operating into Paphos,
but it is still a relatively straight forward destination to
operate into. When British Airways began to serve
Paphos with its own aircraft after the franchise with GB
Airways finished, the flights departed Gatwick late in
the evening and arrived into Paphos shortly after
midnight. The runway lighting is, to put it politely,
appalling. There are only threshold lights and edge
lights and the approach lighting is almost non-existant.
There is a big feeling of descending towards a big black
hole. Fortunately, the flights have been retimed and
now arrive into Paphos mid-afternoon. The airport is
located very close to the coastline and experiences a
steady sea breeze during the daytime that's just about
strong enough to preclude a landing with a tailwind
onto runway 11. Only runway 29 has an ILS, the only
instrument approach to runway 11 is a VOR/DME
procedure. If the weather is good enough, a visual
circuit to runway 29 is a good chance to practice your
handling skills and it gives some great views of Paphos
on the left-hand side just before turning downwind. If
the weather is not good enough for a visual circuit,
Paphos airport does not have radar and therefore the
ILS approach to runway 29 must be flown procedurally.
The procedural ILS approach requires being overhead
the airfield at 5,000ft for an 8nm outbound leg. The
platform altitude of the approach is just 2,100ft. The
maximum speed during the procedure turn is 200 knots
for a good reason. Terrain rises steeply from the coast
on the extended centerline to just above 1,400ft. Less
than 5nm to the north of the extended centreline the
terrain rises up to 2,500ft. With a low platform altitude,
forgetting to arm VOR/LOC or flying through the
extended centreline could be disasterous. The ILS has a
regular 3 degree glideslope to a runway with a landing
distance of 2699 metres.
Slowing the aircraft down sufficiently after landing by
taxiway Hotel is difficult unless you're very light as from
the beginning of the touchdown zone to taxiway Hotel
is actually shorter than the runway in Jersey! ATC are
usually very pro-active at Paphos though and will offer a
backtrack to vacate via Hotel, or if preferred you can
roll to the end of the runway and vacate at taxiway
Alpha and taxi along the parallel before crossing the
runway to get to the Apron. Taxiway Hotel is perhaps
the bumpiest taxiway I have ever used, it is a good time
to remind the passengers that they should remain
seated until the seat belt signs are switched off, it is
uncomfortable sitting down, standing up without
stumbling would be quite an achievement! Fortunately
the apron was extended within the last decade and is of
a good quality with newly painted centreline and stand
markings. There are no on-pier stands at Paphos and
parking positions can vary depending upon local levels
of traffic but typically BA aircraft are parked at the
eastern end of the Apron relatively close to the
Terminal building.
If you've never visited Paphos on flightsim, I'd
thoroughly recommend it and it's one that our mediumhaul lovers will enjoy. You'll have to get in quick
though, BA has unfortunately decided that Paphos will
become a summer-only destination and the last flight
until next summer is on the 25th October. If you've
never visited Paphos for real, make it the destination for
your next vacation. The cuisine is fantastic, the people
are warm and welcoming, the weather is great and the
history is fascinating. There's something in Paphos for
everyone.
Airways magazinee October/November 2010
49
www.bavirtual.co.uk

behind the scenes at gatwick airport

Transcription

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