Full operational data available here shows that the runway 07/25 length should be sufficient for any current type though certain aircraft such as the A380 or An-225 would probably have problems negotiating the taxiways….

http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=UK15784

Stan………….

Suggest you check the museum is still open. There are plans in hand to close it for a major refurbishment.

TLC.

I was last there in January of this year and I have not heard or read anything since then about the long-planned refurbishment, so I would be fairly confident that nothing has changed in the meantime.

Here is a not-very-good April 1982 photo – note the brown and green camouflage and lack of unit markings.

Pity it will not be at Waddington on the Saturday. It was the one of the reasons I decided to attend that show this year.

Thanks for the offical link SF,

If you’d spent as much time researching your name, you’d have known it’s final… 😀 (Unless we are taking about ‘Finals’ in the military, but then Short Finals wouldn’t really make sense)

🙂

(Oly kidding SF)

NG

Yes, I know all that, but I don’t want to change it now, having used it for several years! :diablo:

Personally, I prefer to read the actual official report rather than what I assume is a journalist’s analysis. In this case I would be interested to know whether the phraseology used by ATC was in conformance with standard international “ATC English”, because I suspect that some of the language used might not be easily understood by a non-native speaker of English.

Here is the link to the AAIB report: http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/cms_resources/Boeing%20737-500,%20SP-LKA%2006-08.pdf

The official report on this accident has just been published and makes for interesting reading. The summary reads:

“On a scheduled cargo flight from Liège Airport to London Stansted Airport the crew diverted to Nottingham East Midlands Airport due to unexpectedly poor weather conditions at Stansted. The weather conditions at EMA required a CAT IIIA approach and landing. On approach, at approximately 500 feet agl, the crew were passed a message by ATC advising them of a company request to divert to Liverpool Airport. The commander inadvertently disconnected both autopilots whilst attempting to reply to ATC. He then attempted to re-engage the autopilot in order to continue the approach.”

“The aircraft diverged to the left of the runway centreline and developed a high rate of descent. The commander commenced a go-around but was too late to prevent the aircraft contacting the grass some 90 m to the left of the runway centreline. The aircraft became airborne again but, during contact with the ground, the right main landing gear had broken off.

The crew subsequently made an emergency landing at Birmingham Airport (BHX).”

Full details here:

http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/publications/formal_reports/5_2008_oo_tnd/oo_tnd_report_sections.cfm

Good selection from the past. Is that a Bangladesh Biman 707 ex Aer Lingus with the Lingus scheme on fuselage in the background of the Iberia DC9 shot ?

That is S2-ACG (ex-EI-ASO) I think. This was one of many Aer Lingus 707 and 737 leases to carriers in developing countries. By the way, that SABENA is actually an FH-227, operated by Delta Air Transport. I remember this period well though I didn’t have a camera till a few years later. What a variety of types there was – such a far cry from today’s mundane and mostly characterless airliners.