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Worlds newest airport at St Helena in South Atlantic can't open due to wind shear

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An airport built with £250million from the ballooning foreign aid budget risks becoming a white elephant because it is too windy to land there safely, it was claimed yesterday. A royal opening at the airport on the remote island of St Helena has been postponed indefinitely after test flights raised safety concerns. The cliff-top landing strip was built with £250million from the Department for International Development to help boost the tiny island in the South Atlantic, which is Britain’s most… (www.dailymail.co.uk) المزيد...

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BrianNasset
Brian Nasset 9
How Can They say it took 3 attempts the video shows only 2 with gear down I'd call the other a Flyby
ExCalbr
Victor Engel 5
First one with gear down also looked like a practice run. Seems perfectly reasonable for a new airport.
whip5209
Ken McIntyre 5
Didn't look particularly alarming to me. Seen jets land in much worse conditions.
TiredTom
Tom Bruce 1
agree...didn't look all that bad... pilots will be ready for it...
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 0
If you noticed; they flew a pretty well established glidescope...It wasn't until they were in ground affect whenever the wings flexed...Depending on what the winds are doing they may not give the pilots time to make power adjustments resulting in the plane slamming into the wind...Piston planes are usually better in that scenerio because the offer direct and immediate power....turbines however need time to spool.
cldis
Claude DIS 5
Just can't believe it !! In 2016, building a £250 million airport, and when it is finished, seeing the wind conditions are not good !! They didn't make studies, measures before ? Maybe they didn't have computers and just raised their fingers to see where the wind was blowing from… Incredible !
MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 3
Follow the money!
cldis
Claude DIS 1
I guess you're right. It's the only explanation. Or maybe, as Einstein said : "Two things are infinite : the Universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the Universe." :)
pilot62
Scott Campbell 3
Just get more foreign aid and install the runway on a turntable with a wind vane controller
cldis
Claude DIS 1
Great idea !!!
Exnihil
Jeremy Watson 2
Looks like it went as scheduled for a new runway test. A planned flyby, CHECK. A planned approach, CHECK. No problems, a planned landing, CHECK.
raleedy
ALLAN LEEDY 2
I wonder what their alternate was.
wopri
Wolfgang Prigge 1
From what I read their alternates are Ascension Island, Namibe, Angola or Walvis Bay, Namibia, each are quite a distance away.
minstde
Denis Minster 1
Napoleon's revenge...
radims
radims 1
... "South Atlantic" not Pacific
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
Where'd you see Pacific?
MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 1
Follow the money. Any chance that the Govt members who proposed and approved of this mess have any interest or would profit some way from the airport being built? Not a chance!!!
apmac77
anthony mchale 1
Looked like quite a bumpy ride. Did you see how the wings bounced rapidly on the first pass? (fly by)
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 1
Well...surrounded by ridges and at the edge of a cliff where the trade winds meet in a warm climate....wow....Maybe as supposed to ending the runway at the cliff they can use computer models to see if a Madeira style runway is better suited for that area...It wouldn't hurt because that seems to be a short runway as is so adding another 2000ft with a dis placed threshold might help.
Cadefoster
Cade foster 1
Please hold the person responsible for approving this decision accountable. 100's of millions wasted if they in do abandon it is unacceptable. Its not a "Company" that made the decision its a person.
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 1
I doubt they will abandoned it; they just didn't factor in the surrounding hills, cliff, and ocean...all of which disturb wind flow....Madeira had the same problem but is now a modern marvel.....The firm that corrected that airport needs to be brought in to correct this one....if they only add an additional structure that is 2000ft in length that would take the runway to just under 8500ft in length...As it stands now a fully loaded 737-8 isn't even permitted to land there; so the change would be beneficial.
nasdisco
Chris B 1
I thought of Funchal to when I saw this.
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 1
I believe we are talking about the same airport.
cldis
Claude DIS 1
Excellent text, from June 2nd, a bit long but which tells a lot.
http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2016/06/lord-ashcroft-special-investigation-a-dangerous-problem-with-st-helenas-new-airport-leaves-the-islanders-in-despair.html
PHLoperations
Swapnil Shah 1
Does anyone know which ATL gate is the only A380 gate?
vanstaalduinenj
Jon Van Staalduinen 1
"Every effort is being made to....."
How exactly do they plan on stopping the wind? Pay-off mother nature???
Sounds lIke a grand fail to me.
Site looks pretty in the pictures though.
jcasey
James Casey 1
And once you do get it on the ground you get to ingest an enormous quantity of sand/dust/and other crap when you open the reversers!!! Better bore scope those engines.
Av8nut
Michael Fuquay 1
Why a towered airport? I don't see this going to be terrible busy.
johnleslie48
John Leslie 1
I like the text that the local government will address the wind! I wonder what they have in mind, assuming they have a mind. King Kanute?
lindsaymcisaac
Lindsay McIsaac 1
Nice to know that NZ isn't the only place with stupid politicians.

winnithepooh
winnithepooh 1
Is this the late revenge of Napoleon Buonaparte?
ADXbear
ADXbear -8
Liberals, make and they will come mentality... maybe a few tests before the built it?
pilot62
Scott Campbell 5
Please help us make this one place politically silent...
Signed the Right
apmac77
anthony mchale 3
baw wa...take your politics somewhere else.

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