I wonder if this article posted on the Flight Global website (18th July 2011) and written by Kerry Reals will help us all understand what is happening. It can get confusing.It strikes me that a battalion of thinkers had already been employed to work out how Heathrow can ensure that it's daily ration of flights in and out can be achieved..especially when there have been delays either in the air or on the airport aprons. This is particularly in the case of arrivals stacking in the air...or departures not being ready to take off..the runway thus being wasted.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000""Mixed-mode operations[ie take offs and landings on same runway?] will be allowed at London Heathrow during times of severe disruption, under new measures unveiled last week(July 2011) by UK aviation minister Theresa Villiers.The measures were laid out in a final report by the UK government's South East Airports Task Force."They are focused on making Heathrow more resilient and better able to recover on days when the airport's operations are disrupted by poor weather or other problems," said the UK Department for Transportation."When such problems occur, these proposals would allow, exceptionally, both Heathrow's runways to be used simultaneously for either arrivals or departures as a way to cut delays and cancellations and get punctuality back on track."Heathrow currently uses one runway for arrivals and one for departures, switching halfway through the day to give local residents a break from the noise.Airports operator BAA is permitted to use both runways simultaneously in certain circumstances to clear major backlogs, but the new measures would allow "more flexibility for the operator as to when these measures would be used, and this approach would be extended to cover departures", said the DfT.The new measures will be trialled this autumn and in summer 2012, and progress will be reviewed this time next year.The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) has welcomed the measures. BAR UK chief executive Mike Carrivick said the benefits "should include far less aircraft holding, resulting in much improved punctuality, fewer delays and reduced emissions".Mixed-mode operations have long been sought by Heathrow stakeholders, but were rejected by the previous government in favour of building a third runway at the London airport. However, plans to build a third runway have since been scrapped by the new UK government.""oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo* During the departures rush hour at 6am..don't aircraft already take off on both runways?* Isn't mixed mode already taking place..ie taking off and landings on same runway?* I'm noticing that arrivals are sometimes touching down at 80 second (and less) intervals.* Between 6am and 11pm the clock travels 16 hours, With there being 3600 seconds in an hour..divide that by 80 and some 720 aircraft could land..plus the 18 "night flights that's a total of 738 possible landings per day. That's 12% more than the 660 ish that land at present. (Check figure someone).I'm rumbling on....apologies!
Jim Lawes ● 5041d