planefinder observations - Wed 13/10/10

[Jeff N]

Was watching movements on planefinder last night (endlessly entertaining!) and saw a few interesting things.

1. Mid evening noticed that no planes were departing from Mascot for 10-15 minutes, even though there were numerous ones waiting to do so. Only when I got onto the BOM weather radar, did I realise that the airport was getting absolutely hammered!

2. A flight I normally get back home to Sydney after a trip to Melbourne is Qantas 494 due out of Melb. at 2100. Last night on the Qantas and flightstats sites, this flight was shown as departing Melb around 2135 and due into Mascot at 2259. Strangely though, this didn't show up on planefinder at any stage. Why would this have been so?

3. Another flight that was late out of Melbourne last night was JQ528. I didn't see it actually take off, but did watch it from a few minutes or so later. From memory, it lifted off just after 10 pm. I thought it couldn't have possibly hit the ground in Sydney before the clock struck 11, however it touched down at 2252. That's got to rank as a pretty quick flight!

[Jason H]

QF494 last night was a 763, and i've found that plane finder and flight radar both don't display 767s, which explains why it didn't appear.

As for the JQ flight, 50 minutes in the air isn't all that odd, usually they can do it in an hour or less. I'm sure with no traffic in SYD and a more direct track onto final for 34L could very easily allow the flight to land at 2252.

Jeff, if you don't already, I recommend matching the radar up with the Sydney tower/app frequency on liveatc.net, brings even more hours of entertainment! :D

[Jeff N]

Thanks for that.

Actually it came in over Rockdale ..onto runway..??..It was the only plane last night that I saw use that particular runway.

What's with 767s not showing up on planefinder?

Are there any others that don't?

Do any military/VIP Squadron planes show up?

[Jason H]

Looks like they were using 07 then, which is even more direct for flights from MEL.

734s don't show and neither do Dash 8s. Rex show up but doesn't show the flight number and seems corrupted.

DNGO Beechcraft aircraft show up, as do the 737 PM transport, both being military. It's scary, that if you know where the PM is going to, you can track her flight....on a STAR which happens to pass directly over my house. It's happened plenty of times.

[Owen H]

I believe those programs are based on ADS-B transmissions, with neither the 767 or 734 being equipped.

That will change progressively, with all aircraft requiring it as of 2013.

[Jeff N]

Was just watching planefinder a short time ago, and observed UAE413, being an Emirates A380, on its nightly departure from Sydney to Dubai.

Of interest was the fact that, instead of it's normal path over the Blue Mountains and beyond, tonight it flew north out of Mascot, headed over to Parramatta, then did a sharper than 90 degree turn and headed south to around Sutherland, before turning SW and heading for Mittagong and Moss Vale. Thereafter it headed WSW towards Goulburn before disappearing over Gunning.

What would have been the reason for such a circuitous route out of Sydney?

[Jason H]

Looks like it was avoiding a jet stream over the northern part of Australia?

Some days the flights to SIN/BKK/DXB take a rather southerly path towards Melbourne and Adelaide before heading north through WA

[Jeff N]

In a day of A380 dramas, I was watching UAE 413 on planefinder this evening as it crossed the Sydney coast over the northern beaches ex NZ. It threw a lefty near Hornsby as it lined up to land at Mascot.

For some unknown reason, it reached the airport and then immediately flew off, turning right, and then headed towards Parramatta before having a second go at approaching the airport on the same approach path.

It didn't depart Mascot until around 2245 (around 50 minutes late).

Any clues as to what may have happened?

[Jason H]

Looks like a heavy shower passed over the field while it was on final, and they lost visual reference, and so conducted a missed approach.