Fog event 25/7/12

[Nigel C]

Expect a few delays and diversions this morning.

It looks like my nightshift ended at just the right time!

ATIS YSSY B 241951
APCH: EXP ILS APCH
RWY: 16L AND R FOR ARRS AND DEPS
OPR INFO: PARL RWY OPS IN PROG.
INDEPENDENT DEPARTURES IN PROG.
LOW VIS PROCS IN FORCE
ALL VEHICLES MUST CTC AN APPROPRIATE ATC FREQ
FOR TWY ENTRY CLR
WIND: 280/8
DW 5 KTS
+ RVR: RWY 16L: 225M, 250M, 275M.
RWY 16R: 375M, 325M, 400M
CLD: FEW 003
TMP: 10
QNH: 1023

[Brock Little]

Brisbane has already had VS200, VA2, QF568, QF22, JL771, DL17, B-LEX (BBJ from HKG), UA863, QF12 and UA839.
Also EY450 is diverting to Melbourne.

[Noel White]

Cathay 111 has gone around three times so far and now heading to MEL.

[George G]

Watching flight radar.

SQ 221 got diverted to Melbourne...now its doing loops again on the way back.

Would suck to be a passenger on that one!

[Michael Mak]

QF130 is being diverted to MEL.

[Zac M]

I was gonna ask if there was any diversions for Canberra, but I'm pretty sure we are fogged in down here as well

[David N]

Hi

Were the condition worst than using the 16R ILS Cat 1?

I heard BA and CX 111 report they needed a RVR of 550 metres, I think Asiana got in but the QF behind them went around.

BA got in after extending their downwind I believe until it improved past their minimum requirement.

[Mick F]

Were the condition worst than using the 16R ILS Cat 1?

I heard BA and CX 111 report they needed a RVR of 550 metres

That's got me interested, as it was always my belief (after holding an instrument rating for 9 years now) that the minimum vis required was the 800m's as listed for a Cat 1 ILS.

So I went in search for myself and discovered a new little tidbit that has been added sometime in the last few years.

The minima for the ILS at Sydney also has "550 RVR" after the 220ft and 0.8km vis.

AIP then add's this:

"Minimum visibility of 0.8km is required if instrumented RVR information in the threshold zone is not available"

So there you go, technology has lowered the minima just that little bit more in Sydney already, :).

Mick

[Rob R]

Traffic holding started at 40 mins and then updated to 70 mins. We got 30 mins ground delay followed by another 60 mins in the air.

[Nigel C]

They're funky things, those transmissometers. Accurate frequently updated readouts (every 3 seconds or so), plus it removes some of the risk for people like me because we don't have to do regular runway edge light counts to get an RVR; we still do regular runway inspections.

[Dave C]

For your Info: it is 550RVR or 800RV (runway visibility). RVR is measured by laser sights, RV is measured by human sight, hence the greater requirement. There are places, perth for example, that do not have the RVR measuring equipment.

[lloyd fox]

Brisbane has already had VS200, VA2, QF568, QF22, JL771, DL17, B-LEX (BBJ from HKG), UA863, QF12 and UA839.
Also EY450 is diverting to Melbourne.

Add Air China as well to BNE.B-6076 a Logo jet.

[Paul f.]

Unfortunately MEL got nothing that it already gets,EY A346,SQ A380,CX A330,SQ 744F,5Y 744F.

[Rory Delaney]

I made a video of the flights i filmed departing Sydney Airport today from my Balcony. These were some of the delayed flights ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fvrpcl1FYs&feature=plcp

[Lawrie L]

All planes from HKG were delayed due to typhoon.

VS 200 - arrive BNE early in the morning but depart at the evening from BNE to SYD. It should be arrive SYD at about 8pm. Very late. Then VS has to cancel the flight back to HKG due to SYD curfew.

[Rob R]

Another issue for the domestic airlines yesterday was Canberra also having fog.

[Hugh Jarse]

Nigel, a runway lights count is only valid for RV, as opposed to the RVR measured by instruments.:)

David N, fog often has clearer patches as it moves through, and Asiana may have been lucky to be arriving at the time when this was happening.

If I were a cynic, I might say they just autolanded with the prevailing conditions anyway :D But that wouldn't be nice ;)

[George G]

I made a video of the flights i filmed departing Sydney Airport today from my Balcony. These were some of the delayed flights ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fvrpcl1FYs&feature=plcp

Awesome video...

although i dont think Air Canada was diverted yesterday. Delay was more to do with holding pattern and ground delays. Someone can confirm this.

[Andrew P]

All planes from HKG were delayed due to typhoon.

VS 200 - arrive BNE early in the morning but depart at the evening from BNE to SYD. It should be arrive SYD at about 8pm. Very late. Then VS has to cancel the flight back to HKG due to SYD curfew.

it seems that typhoon really affected CX operations, delays still today 2 days later, normally back to normal within 24 hours

maybe unexpected raising of #10 caught CX on the hop

see one Dragonair plane sat on the runway for 6 hours with all passengers aboard, unable to move or unload

[Greg McDonald]

I got caught in the fog issues in Sydney yesterday. Was booked with Virgin on 8am flight to Brisvegas which was duly cancelled. Then rebooked on 10am flight which was delayed until 1110....and then cancelled! They then informed the next available flight to YBBN was 1700 :eek:
I went back to checkin desk and magaged to jag a seat on the 1200 flight...which left about 1pm. I walked into my Brissie office about 1545 instead of 10am!!
Best thing was my checked bag managed to track with me through all the changes and actually arrived on the same flight..well done guys:)

[Nigel C]

Nigel, a runway lights count is only valid for RV, as opposed to the RVR measured by instruments.:)

David N, fog often has clearer patches as it moves through, and Asiana may have been lucky to be arriving at the time when this was happening.

If I were a cynic, I might say they just autolanded with the prevailing conditions anyway :D But that wouldn't be nice ;)

Hugh, before the installation of transmissometers at Sydney it was widely accepted that the RELC's (runway edge light counts) we did were the RVR. When the transmissometers were ready to be commissioned, comparisons were made between the electronically measured RVR and the RV we were making using RELC's. It turns out our RELC's were fairly accurate!
Obviously, in the event of a transmissometer failure, RELC's are used as a back-up method of determining visibility. :)