London Gatwick

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

Can anyone confirm, does London Gatwick airport have two runways or one!?

In FlightSim it definitely has two, but when I passed the airport last week,
they seemed to be using one runway for all take-offs and landings - and,
what I thought was the other runway, was being used as a taxiway.

Aerial photos show two parallel runways, but today I read in the paper about
plans to "build a second runway at Gatwick".

Confused!!

D.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3lgmblF12ja04U1@individual.net...
> Can anyone confirm, does London Gatwick airport have two runways or one!?
>
> In FlightSim it definitely has two, but when I passed the airport last
> week, they seemed to be using one runway for all take-offs and landings -
> and, what I thought was the other runway, was being used as a taxiway.
>
> Aerial photos show two parallel runways, but today I read in the paper
> about plans to "build a second runway at Gatwick".
>
> Confused!!
>
> D.

As far as I remember (someone more knowledgable will jump in here) only one
is equipped for ILS. Although there are 2 strips of tarmac only one is ever
used in normal operations. The second is used on the rare occasions that
08R or 26L is out of operation.

I've just looked up the airport info on www.ais.org.uk and the text info for
Gatwick only mentions one runway, but the chart clearly show the second one.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"Keith Butcher" <keith.butcher@goesnowherewiththis.blueyonder.co.uk> wrote
in message news:1OFIe.83024$G8.42435@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
>
> "David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3lgmblF12ja04U1@individual.net...
>> Can anyone confirm, does London Gatwick airport have two runways or one!?
>>
>> In FlightSim it definitely has two, but when I passed the airport last
>> week, they seemed to be using one runway for all take-offs and landings -
>> and, what I thought was the other runway, was being used as a taxiway.
>>
>> Aerial photos show two parallel runways, but today I read in the paper
>> about plans to "build a second runway at Gatwick".
>>
>> Confused!!
>>
>> D.
>
> As far as I remember (someone more knowledgable will jump in here) only
> one is equipped for ILS. Although there are 2 strips of tarmac only one
> is ever used in normal operations. The second is used on the rare
> occasions that 08R or 26L is out of operation.
>
> I've just looked up the airport info on www.ais.org.uk and the text info
> for Gatwick only mentions one runway, but the chart clearly show the
> second one.

I was going to ask the same question having used it extensively for holiday
flights for many years.
I flew from there a few weeks ago and noted the ground markings suggest it
is a second runway.
However, my experience suggests it is used as the main taxiway. I suspect it
could be used in an emergency.
The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it, causing
me a bit of confusion the first time!

Chris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"Chris Curtis" <chris@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:z82dndbOyvwVqW7fRVnysg@pipex.net...

> The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it, causing
> me a bit of confusion the first time!

I meant the few times I have used Gatwick in FS.....

Chris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

> The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it, causing
> me a bit of confusion the first time!
>

Same here - FS2004 definitely treats Gatwick as a two-runway airport, with
take-offs and landings on seperate runways.

Might just be me, but I really got the impression - from the ground at
least - that, despite being an International airport, Gatwick really is a
poor-second to Heathrow - I'd always assumed they were close in terms of
traffic but the 10 minutes or so I spent looking through the fence on my
journey past, it didn't seem very busy at all.

Perhaps there is no need for the 2nd runway to be in use (they're also very
close together, unlike Heathrow where the Terminal buildings seperate the
runways by a fair distance).

D.

 

[Stevem]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3lgub1F12mcu5U1@individual.net...
>> The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it,
>> causing me a bit of confusion the first time!
>>
>
> Same here - FS2004 definitely treats Gatwick as a two-runway airport, with
> take-offs and landings on seperate runways.
>
> Might just be me, but I really got the impression - from the ground at
> least - that, despite being an International airport, Gatwick really is a
> poor-second to Heathrow - I'd always assumed they were close in terms of
> traffic but the 10 minutes or so I spent looking through the fence on my
> journey past, it didn't seem very busy at all.
>
> Perhaps there is no need for the 2nd runway to be in use (they're also
> very close together, unlike Heathrow where the Terminal buildings seperate
> the runways by a fair distance).
>
> D.
>
The second 'runway' at Gatwick is normally used as a taxiway, but is
actually known as the 'emergency' runway. As such, it is used whenever the
main one is out of use for some reason. Some years ago, when the emergency
runway was in use, an incoming charter got confused, and instead of landing
on the emergency runway, he used the main taxiway instead! Fortunately, he
got away with it.
In terms of traffic, for some time Gatwick was second only to Heathrow as
the world's busiest International airport. Don't know its current figures,
but it's still one of the busiest.
Regards,
Steve (four miles from EGKK).

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3lgub1F12mcu5U1@individual.net...
>> The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it,
>> causing me a bit of confusion the first time!
>>
>
> Same here - FS2004 definitely treats Gatwick as a two-runway airport, with
> take-offs and landings on seperate runways.
>
> Might just be me, but I really got the impression - from the ground at
> least - that, despite being an International airport, Gatwick really is a
> poor-second to Heathrow - I'd always assumed they were close in terms of
> traffic but the 10 minutes or so I spent looking through the fence on my
> journey past, it didn't seem very busy at all.
>
> Perhaps there is no need for the 2nd runway to be in use (they're also
> very close together, unlike Heathrow where the Terminal buildings seperate
> the runways by a fair distance).
>
> D.

You must have caught it during a quiet period. I suspect it will be a lot
busier in the summer.
When I flew in June on a Saturday there were 18 departures scheduled between
8.00am - 9.00am! We actually left the gate a few minutes early and despite
passing other queuing traffic still took off some time later mainly due to
traffic landing!
I'm often astonished at the level of traffic at our two main London airports
given their size particularly compared to some of the USA ones. Departing
O'Hare last year I had never seen so many aircraft movements but there
didn't seem to be any holdups. And when we landed at Denver I could barely
see the terminal in the distance!

Chris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

> The second 'runway' at Gatwick is normally used as a taxiway, but is
> actually known as the 'emergency' runway. As such, it is used whenever the
> main one is out of use for some reason.

Well, this has prompted me to take a look at the Gatwick master plan:

http://www.baa.com/assets/B2CPortal/Static%20Files/GatwickMasterPlan.pdf

To permit "independent mixed mode runway operations" the runway centrelines
need to be no less than 1035 metres apart - clearly the current "2nd" runway
is not that far from the main one! As a comparison, the main runways at
Heathrow are 1416 meters apart.

Some other fascinating facts from that - 41% of current movements at Gatwick
are 737's, and 20% for the A320 family. 1% of movements in 2004 were GA
flights - I'd love to fly a Cessna into there! They also want to be able to
take the A380 by the year 2030 - hopefully it'll be flying by then

D.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

> flights - I'd love to fly a Cessna into there! They also want to be able
> to
> take the A380 by the year 2030 - hopefully it'll be flying by then

Keep studying those books then David

You can theoretically fly a Cessna into Gatwick if you really must but you
will be hit by a 3 figure sum for a landing fee and you also need to be
flying IFR. Owing to the fact that major international airports in the UK
are in UK Class A airspace, VFR flight is prohibited in these areas.

MS

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

from my experience they only use 8R/26L.

on one of my many trips out of Gatwick, when we had a "Navigation system
failure" while waiting on the taxi way to take off, we used the 8L/26R
"runway" as a fast taxi back to the terminal. This way take offs could still
happen on 8R, while we could taxi back at the same time.

It isnt used as a taxiway as such due to the fact that its marked as a
runway, but its the old main runway i guess. Its too short now, and its path
heads straight into the newer terminal buildings at the end. Not good if you
overrun.....

In Fs2004, its used as the main runway by default, while light aircraft use
the main reallife runway! LOL So i got a patch from somewhere that mods it
to only use the long runway, and fixes a couple of bugs with taxi ways also.

Gatwick is very very busy on its busy days, and being only 1 runway does
hinder it. Im really not sure why they want to make a 3rd at heathrow, when
it would be better to make 2nd runways at gatwick and standsted. I rate
standsted's terminal and other parts well above the likes of Gatwick and
Heathrow. Its location is good too, loads of fields to concrete over instead
of knockign down buildings at heathrow.... However maybe im being alittle
unfair, being that standsted is 25miles away, vs 50-60 for heathrow/gatwick
;-)

Luton is also on the up, but i dont think theres any chance of second
runways there....?

--
From Overlag - Adam Webb
"David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3lgmblF12ja04U1@individual.net...
> Can anyone confirm, does London Gatwick airport have two runways or one!?
>
> In FlightSim it definitely has two, but when I passed the airport last
> week, they seemed to be using one runway for all take-offs and landings -
> and, what I thought was the other runway, was being used as a taxiway.
>
> Aerial photos show two parallel runways, but today I read in the paper
> about plans to "build a second runway at Gatwick".
>
> Confused!!
>
> D.
>

 

[Craig]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

Mark Seery wrote:
> You can theoretically fly a Cessna into Gatwick if you really must but you
> will be hit by a 3 figure sum for a landing fee and you also need to be
> flying IFR. Owing to the fact that major international airports in the UK
> are in UK Class A airspace, VFR flight is prohibited in these areas.
>

I thought only Heathrow CTR was class A, and all the other CTRs are class D?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"Mark Seery" <mark.seery1@nospambtopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:dcvq48$rmg$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
> You can theoretically fly a Cessna into Gatwick if you really must but you
> will be hit by a 3 figure sum for a landing fee and you also need to be
> flying IFR. Owing to the fact that major international airports in the UK
> are in UK Class A airspace, VFR flight is prohibited in these areas.


I have the AFE 2005 CFR Flight Guide in front of me and it says nothing of
it being prohibited. VFR requires between 24hrs and 10 days notice. The
airport may be used by both GA and private aircraft by prior approval (even
for listing as an alternate.)

The guide also shows both runways, and make sno mention of restriction of
use for 08L/26R.

Si

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"Chris Curtis" <chris@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:ZqWdnbbRGYwMzG7fRVnygQ@pipex.net...
> "David Wright" <nonewsgroupspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3lgub1F12mcu5U1@individual.net...
> >> The few times I have used it in FS I have been directed to use it,
> >> causing me a bit of confusion the first time!
> >>
> >
> > Same here - FS2004 definitely treats Gatwick as a two-runway airport,
with
> > take-offs and landings on seperate runways.
> >
> > Might just be me, but I really got the impression - from the ground at
> > least - that, despite being an International airport, Gatwick really is
a
> > poor-second to Heathrow - I'd always assumed they were close in terms of
> > traffic but the 10 minutes or so I spent looking through the fence on my
> > journey past, it didn't seem very busy at all.
> >
> > Perhaps there is no need for the 2nd runway to be in use (they're also
> > very close together, unlike Heathrow where the Terminal buildings
seperate
> > the runways by a fair distance).
> >
> > D.
>
> You must have caught it during a quiet period. I suspect it will be a lot
> busier in the summer.
> When I flew in June on a Saturday there were 18 departures scheduled
between
> 8.00am - 9.00am! We actually left the gate a few minutes early and despite
> passing other queuing traffic still took off some time later mainly due to
> traffic landing!
> I'm often astonished at the level of traffic at our two main London
airports
> given their size particularly compared to some of the USA ones. Departing
> O'Hare last year I had never seen so many aircraft movements but there
> didn't seem to be any holdups. And when we landed at Denver I could barely
> see the terminal in the distance!
>
I used to work for a company based at the entrance to the South Terminal
area and during the busy periods there are planes landing or taking off
every 90 seconds.

--

Simon.