MILDENHALL Wx DIVERTS

[willow70]

Some military crews prefer diverting to civil airfields to avoid some of the military BS they have grown tired of . I used to work at a BAe airfield and we had a good canteen and shops within walking distance. I went to lunch with a crew once and
asked why the did not use a military airfield that was not far away . They said it was on Taceval and they did not want to get involved with all that silly stuff as he and his co pilot tucked into a free lunch.

[page_verify]

Cross wind limits usually get determined by the crew's experience rating, the aircraft's landing weight and the runway's current surface condition (soaked damp or dry) rather than the aircraft's theoretical limit.

[big john]

KC-135s limits for crosswinds seem rather low compared to other types.

The new CFM56 dustbins are very near the ground compared to the old J57 engines, which may have something to do with it? I'm sure they never had a problem with the old engines!

old engines https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1226530955
new engines https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ph ... /145091942

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Weather, handling facilities, airfield opening hours, availability of fuel, accommodation etc, etc are all considerations when diverting. The decision on where to go is probably made by Operations (easier to access all the information in an office, rather than in a cramped, noisy cockpit being bounced around!), but the Captain has the ultimate decision.

KC-135s can trample cables, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Normally it’ll be decided by the crew in liaison with Ops depending on where and when is available. Large aircraft may often have more than one diversion available, the FJ stuff generally just the one.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Cross wind limits usually get determined by the crew's experience rating, the aircraft's landing weight and the runway's current surface condition (soaked damp or dry) rather than the aircraft's theoretical limit.

Crosswind limits will be defined in the aircraft documents, and as say, for larger aircraft will generally have a dry/damp/wet limit depending on the type.

It is also correct that a more junior crew member may have an artificially lowered limit until they reach a certain experience level.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

KC-135s limits for crosswinds seem rather low compared to other types.

The new CFM56 dustbins are very near the ground compared to the old J57 engines, which may have something to do with it? I'm sure they never had a problem with the old engines!

old engines https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1226530955
new engines https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ph ... /145091942

It’s also a common issue with the B707 types, such as the E-3 and E-6. The issue isn’t the CFM ground clearance as such, but the engine positioning. It’s partly a directional control issue should you lose an engine.