Ascension Island vs St Helena

[saaby93]

This article says that Ascension Island is no longer regularly visited due to the wrong type of plane
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40442318
Airbus A330 Voyager no longer suitable but doesnt say why not

Have they solved the wind shear issue at St Helena?

Is the switch from one to the other due to some other underlying politics?

[Fore Left]

Same fate as most British roads...

The Telegraph said:

British Antarctic scientists are among dozens stranded on the Falkland Islands by the closure of the “potholed” runway at the crucial Atlantic mid-point of Ascension Island.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/17/british...

[Markbarry1977]

When I flew down there a few years ago it was a chartered aircraft not one of the voyagers.

Ps it's the best place in the world to go scuba diving (boatswain bird island being the high point along with night diving off English bay.

[Topbuzz]

The airports new but I think the lack of visitors is due to the reduction in ships visiting.
I was there in June last year and they thought the plane issue would be resolved soon.
The most regular ship to visit was the post ship that was nearing the end.
I also visited Ascension island twice last year and once this. There are issues with the runway apparently.

Both interesting for a short visit but St Helens has more to see.
Saying that I loved the bar on Ascension.

[Fluid]

The RAF are currently using Cape Verde as the stop off point on the Falklands Sched, at the moment.

[saaby93]

Fluid said:

The RAF are currently using Cape Verde as the stop off point on the Falklands Sched, at the moment.

Looks closer to half way

[Markbarry1977]

Fluid said:

The RAF are currently using Cape Verde as the stop off point on the Falklands Sched, at the moment.

Brilliant I'm off to Cape Verde on my holidays soon, I could have just indulged down there on a RAF flight and saved a fortune and I wouldn't have had to mess about with Manchester airport.

[anonymous-user]

In suspect that the UK government is currently hoping that the USA (who run the airport) is going to stump up the money to repair the runway at Ascension. Good luck with that, in the current climate.

[blindswelledrat]

Markbarry1977 said:

When I flew down there a few years ago it was a chartered aircraft not one of the voyagers.

Ps it's the best place in the world to go scuba diving (boatswain bird island being the high point along with night diving off English bay.

Ascension or Falklands?
What is good about it?

[Markbarry1977]

blindswelledrat said:

Markbarry1977 said:

When I flew down there a few years ago it was a chartered aircraft not one of the voyagers.

Ps it's the best place in the world to go scuba diving (boatswain bird island being the high point along with night diving off English bay.

Ascension or Falklands?
What is good about it?

Ascension islands. Because there is literally nobody there, very few fishing boats then the amount of fish and wildlife is unbelievable. Egypt has been over dived and destroyed by the millions of visitors and I thought it was very bare and baton in Egypt. That and some of the five companies out in Egypt are pure cowboys and dangerous.

Like the newly qualified padi dive they pared me up with. Qualified to 18m, I'm bsac sports diver 35m. I had my five computer with me set to alarm at 17m.

I spent the first two dives dragging him back up from 25m+. When I finally asked him why do he hell he couldn't stay at a continued depth and kept going to deep he said because I don't have a depth gauge. I had assumed (incorrectly) that he had a dual faced gauge, depth one side, tank pressure the other. Nope. Just a tank contents gauge. Who rents equipment to someone just qualified with no depth gauge.

[Speculatore]

blindswelledrat said:

Ascension or Falklands?
What is good about it?

As a serviceman - History
As a person - The wildlife

[Gandahar]

I think we need to look after our own Empire, sorry islands rather than some other place.

As we are moving away from Europe we do need to now concentrate on our outposts, including Gibraltar.

I bet that runway could be repaired as well as sorting out cheap inflammable cladding . What, spend money ?

SHOCKA

[Gandahar]

Seriously though

If they have runways on the islands down to the Falklands which could take an A320/1 Neo then you would have similar to what United airlines do across the whole Pacific

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuPKFg4S6Mc

If the yanks can do it to such well know places as Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk then I am sure we can.

[Simpo Two]

Gandahar said:

If the yanks can do it to such well know places as Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk then I am sure we can.

They have a bit more dosh though - and also not a bunch of rowdy socialists to shout down every idea.

[Markbarry1977]

Gandahar said:

I think we need to look after our own Empire, sorry islands rather than some other place.

As we are moving away from Europe we do need to now concentrate on our outposts, including Gibraltar.

I bet that runway could be repaired as well as sorting out cheap inflammable cladding . What, spend money ?

SHOCKA

The ascension islands are a key strategic place for the uk. It is our staging post for the Faulkland islands, this will ultimately be our staging post for Antarctic oil drilling etc. That and we need to be able to defend it from Argentina.

There are also other strategic assists there such as HF relay, BBC world service transmissions for the uk world communication systems.

It's not just a runway.

[Yipper]

British Overseas Territories are fascinating. They have funny (in a good way) accents and boatloads of naval, economic and natural history. It is a shame we are neglecting them. They are pretty much the last shout of Empire when Britain was great.

The BOTs also have some very interesting websites worth a browse. Tristan da Cunha, the world's remotest country, is particularly cool. It takes a week or so to get there, and the Royal Mail still delivers letters by ship (the last RM ship).

http://www.tristandc.com
http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac
http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh