Made her Day!

[Fat Albert]

Had a meeting at a certain large airline at Heathrow today and had to take 2 of my colleagues on-site, as I have a contractor's badge I went to meet them at Pass Issue and then drive them airside to the building that we had the meeting in.

I had intended on taking my Wife's 730, but she then decided she needed it so I went down in the porker.

Turns out that one of my colleague's Mum had a Y reg 944 in red and she and her sister used to squash in the back of it, so it was a real trip down memory lane for her and she was going to get straight on the blower to her mum afterwards to tell her that she had been in one and that some were still on the road!!

 

[zcacogp]

Did you take it for a quick spin up the runway as well, to try to find the true top speed?

(It sounds like there weren't many aeroplanes wanting to take off or land ... [] )


Oli.

 

[os951]

It sounds like there weren't many aeroplanes wanting to take off or land

Here in land of Polar Bears we have no difficulties with runways during winter. I don't even remember when airports have had difficulties to operate because of snow. Perhaps we should send few plows to Heathrow []

 

[david924s]

Yep been to FInland quite a few times well Helsinki and Vaasa and never worried about the planes being able to fly due to snow, now fog and baggage handlers are another matter but never snow.

 

[AndyB]

Olli
I remeber taking off from Helsinki Airport in a blizzard many years ago in a DC6 I think - fantastic. I was a kid at the time. I was born in Helsinki in the Naistenklinnika? We lived in Turku and Helsinki. Came back in 2003 for the first time since leaving in 1962. Still as I remembered it. Great place, you are a lucky man. Hyvaa Joulu
AndyB

 

[Lowtimer]

Olli,
To be fair, though, you don't have the problem of the snow partly melting and re-freezing into solid ice on a daily cycle. It is a lot easier to clear snow when it's permanently so cold that it stays powdery.
However, I think our airports may well be looking to invest in some superior capabiliyt if htings carry on like this.

 

[os951]

I was born in Helsinki in the Naistenklinnika?

Andy, i was born at the same hospital. I am an old fart, borned in 1959. Hyvaa Jolula also to you []

What comes to finnish airports, in Helsinki/Vantaa usually conditions during the winter time are quite same as they are in central europe. That much snow we have here in the southern part of the country is very unusual. At the moment we have more snow than they have in the Finnish Lappland at the Artic Circle. So melting/Re-freezing is the major problem usually they have, but we have also prepared to snow, what is usually not the case outside the nordic countries. I just read few days ago from the local paper that finnish airport authorities have started to negotiate with several german & british airport authorities about the possibility to bring finnish know-how what comes to how to handle harsh winter conditions on the air ports and avoid in the future similar difficulties they have had during this winter. I also read from this morning paper UK coverment is going to put a multimillion £ fine to Heathrow air port operators (BAA i assume?) if similar deleys happen again.