DancingDave Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Because of the fog ???? What's up i thought planes were guided in by an automatic device nowadays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain Talker Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 I'm sure he was thinking only of the aircraft's safety... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
never wrong Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Can somebody provide a link to this story is it true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Take off in fog is no problem but even instrument aided landing needs a level of clear visibility for the last bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 All commercial aircraft are fitted with instrument landing systems (or at least the radio navigation elemnt of these). Most light aircraft are fitted with the same systems. The ILS systems are in different categories, so most major airports and most aircraft will have category I, which means, in very general terms, that you decend to 200ft and then must either be able to see the runway or the approach lights, and must have a horizontal visibility of (usually) about 1000m. There are different categories of ILS equipment on the ground and the aircraft up to Cat IIIc which allows landing in nil visability with cloud down to the ground (which is fog). To be able to use cat IIIC both the aircraft and the runway in use have to have the facility. If they have the facility and nothing else is amiss then they will use them, if they don't then they are obliged, by law, to use the minimums for the best equipment they have. As far as I am aware, Finningley only has the most basic, Cat I equipment, which means that fog would make landings unlikely. This means that Ryanair can have all the fancy equipement they like but they will still have to go elsewhere in fog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Take off in fog is no problem but even instrument aided landing needs a level of clear visibility for the last bit. This isn't quite true, landings are possible with nil visibility, although I don't fancy this myself much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 OK? Most commercial ILS needs some visibility! Which is what you said in your bigger post. innit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 There's also the small issue of ground handling in low level fog once it's landed and as far as I know Finningley doesn't have ground RADAR at the moment. KenH, Finningley is indeed only Cat 1, but I understand that it will be upgraded to Cat 3 in the not too distant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 There's also the small issue of ground handling in low level fog once it's landed and as far as I know Finningley doesn't have ground RADAR at the moment. KenH, Finningley is indeed only Cat 1, but I understand that it will be upgraded to Cat 3 in the not too distant. Thanks for that info. I looked it up in the UK AIP and it said only Cat I, but it didn't sound right to me. This post was started by someone who complained that an aircraft didn't land in fog. Even with all the gadgets in the world, I would rather not be on an aircraft landing in dense fog and would much rather have to land elsewhere and get a bus. Given the current commercial pressures on pilots you can be sure that if they choose not to land then you really don't want to land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigflesh Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 All commercial aircraft are fitted with instrument landing systems (or at least the radio navigation elemnt of these) Not quite true Kenneth, but I get what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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