1st Go-Around tonight
Discussion
Just experienced my first go-around tonight at Changi (Singapore) coming in from HK. After levelling off and lining up again, 1st officer comes on and explains
they spotted a vehicle on the runway on final approach ! All pretty calm but it does makes you wonder until an explanation comes through.
Pretty impressive when they went to full power even in an A320.
they spotted a vehicle on the runway on final approach ! All pretty calm but it does makes you wonder until an explanation comes through.
Pretty impressive when they went to full power even in an A320.
V41LEY said:
Just experienced my first go-around tonight at Changi (Singapore) coming in from HK. After levelling off and lining up again, 1st officer comes on and explains
they spotted a vehicle on the runway on final approach ! All pretty calm but it does makes you wonder until an explanation comes through.
Pretty impressive when they went to full power even in an A320.
A nearly empty A320 will have a thrust to weight ratio of about .5 (100,000lbs with a bit of fuel, 50,000lbs thrust under ideal conditions) which would tend to make it run like a scalded cat if the pilot opened the taps. Must have been quite lively.they spotted a vehicle on the runway on final approach ! All pretty calm but it does makes you wonder until an explanation comes through.
Pretty impressive when they went to full power even in an A320.
It's monstrous isn't it? 
I had one at Tenerife 2 years ago in - as far as I can remember - a 757.
We were on final approach, and I could feel the wind-shear. We dropped further and further, then the runway came into view...we flew along, and along, and along, the pilot fighting the wind-shear, until I started thinking "if we don't put down soon, we'll run out of..." and then it was full power and stick back - woohoo, what a ride!
Lucky no-one had a G&T on their tray table
I had one at Tenerife 2 years ago in - as far as I can remember - a 757.
We were on final approach, and I could feel the wind-shear. We dropped further and further, then the runway came into view...we flew along, and along, and along, the pilot fighting the wind-shear, until I started thinking "if we don't put down soon, we'll run out of..." and then it was full power and stick back - woohoo, what a ride!
Lucky no-one had a G&T on their tray table
I've ad a few over the years - and 3 that I can remember at one airport (MDW). Given that it's surrounded on all sides by built-up urban sprawl, railroad tracks and housing projects, has short runways - and is susceptible to a lot of high winds in winter, Midway takes a bit of concentration, I'm told.
Was in the tower at Birmingham a few weeks/months ago when the Emirates 777 that was on the news during all the winds went around from a few feet off the deck. Very impressive to see something that big just power up and go.
Quite a regular occurrence at Birmingham though due to our unorthodox runway orientation.
Never experienced one from in a plane though.
Quite a regular occurrence at Birmingham though due to our unorthodox runway orientation.
Never experienced one from in a plane though.
ked up the approach" 
One for me. Coming back one night from Lanzarote with the family, a couple of summers ago. Thomson 757 I think. We had clear skies all the way from the Canaries until we reached the Northern section of the M25, whereupon we hit a blanket of thick fog on the approach to Luton. Now I have never been comfortable with that escarpment at the Western end of the runway at Luton and even less so in a pea-souper. Sure enough there was an almighty roar shortly before landing and we went round for a second successful attempt.
Had one once going into Glasbow in an Embraer (145 I think) was comign in and I can only explain it as the plane "waddling" from side to side, it was pretty low and then, next thing we know we were heading upwards at a fair old rate of knots, pretty impressive, was in excess of normal take off agressiveness, proper thump in the back.
The other one was at Vegas, should have gone around probably, Virgin 747, seemed to be sideways as it landed, hit the ground with a huge smack and some of the overhead bins opened, much screaming and pitching to the right, the plane felt like it was being wrestled rather than the usual, then a huge cheer when it was at coasting speed.
The other one was at Vegas, should have gone around probably, Virgin 747, seemed to be sideways as it landed, hit the ground with a huge smack and some of the overhead bins opened, much screaming and pitching to the right, the plane felt like it was being wrestled rather than the usual, then a huge cheer when it was at coasting speed.
I had one In an Emirates B777 approaching Dubai en-route to Sydney in November 2003 (great final it was too!)
Thing with this one was that Emirates had the famous "nose-cam" and I am a bit of a plane-spotter type. From some way out I could see a Qantas 747 across the threshold of the runway. I though it was going to turn and take-off. We got closer, closer and closer still. It didn't budge. It really was at what seemed the very last minute our pilot decided to Go-Round.
Also had one at Tenerife in 1981, Iberia B727 - I actually thought we were going to die - The wind can be extremely iffy there and the plane was being blown all over the place.
Cologne and Dusseldorf are also very good for unpredictable winds.
Mind you, returning to LHR from Munich last Friday we did a "one-wheel bounce" in a 90 degree cross-wind, plenty of screaming on board ;-)
Thing with this one was that Emirates had the famous "nose-cam" and I am a bit of a plane-spotter type. From some way out I could see a Qantas 747 across the threshold of the runway. I though it was going to turn and take-off. We got closer, closer and closer still. It didn't budge. It really was at what seemed the very last minute our pilot decided to Go-Round.
Also had one at Tenerife in 1981, Iberia B727 - I actually thought we were going to die - The wind can be extremely iffy there and the plane was being blown all over the place.
Cologne and Dusseldorf are also very good for unpredictable winds.
Mind you, returning to LHR from Munich last Friday we did a "one-wheel bounce" in a 90 degree cross-wind, plenty of screaming on board ;-)
J4CKO said:
... The other one was at Vegas, should have gone around probably, Virgin 747, seemed to be sideways as it landed, hit the ground with a huge smack and some of the overhead bins opened, much screaming and pitching to the right, the plane felt like it was being wrestled rather than the usual, then a huge cheer when it was at coasting speed.
Had similar landing at LHR on an AA 777. Wallop! And then felt like it was in a 'tank slapper' for the first half of the roll-out. The OH slept through it!To those who know these sorts of things, what are the costs involved with going around in some variant of heavy metal? And are these sorts of things hammered home into pilots by Ops, or is it just not spoken of knowing that the decision to go around ultimately lies with the PIC?
And following a G/A, is there some sort of reporting/write-up procedure to be followed detailing why it took place?
I am guessing that from a safety perspective a carrier cannot put pressure on the PIC to not go-around, but was just curious anyway as there will of course be reasonably significant costs incurred.
And following a G/A, is there some sort of reporting/write-up procedure to be followed detailing why it took place?
I am guessing that from a safety perspective a carrier cannot put pressure on the PIC to not go-around, but was just curious anyway as there will of course be reasonably significant costs incurred.
We always report a GA with an Air Safety Report, regardless of the cause. There is a cost involved, an arrival delay by flying a circuit and being sequenced again for an approach. A fuel cost too, depending on type. My type uses a couple of tonnes for a missed approach and usually another 1.5 ish for a further approach.
No pressure from management. It is so safety critical to have the freedom to GA that it is a pat on the back for throwing away an unsafe approach that is nearer the norm.
No pressure from management. It is so safety critical to have the freedom to GA that it is a pat on the back for throwing away an unsafe approach that is nearer the norm.
percymk4 said:
Was in the tower at Birmingham a few weeks/months ago when the Emirates 777 that was on the news during all the winds went around from a few feet off the deck. Very impressive to see something that big just power up and go.
Quite a regular occurrence at Birmingham though due to our unorthodox runway orientation.
Never experienced one from in a plane though.
This?Quite a regular occurrence at Birmingham though due to our unorthodox runway orientation.
Never experienced one from in a plane though.
http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/strong-crosswi...
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