Flybe (based at Exeter) and domestic air travel - ongoing discussion (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[Thatcham Crossing]

Simulator time will be in demand, as pilots need to stay current.

Chat on aviation forums suggests that both the Q400 and Embraer sims are now with Flight Safety International, the Q400 at Farnborough. The Embraer one was apparently dismantled and moved within a few days of the airline going into administration.

[TonyK]

Simulator time will be in demand, as pilots need to stay current.

Chat on aviation forums suggests that both the Q400 and Embraer sims are now with Flight Safety International, the Q400 at Farnborough. The Embraer one was apparently dismantled and moved within a few days of the airline going into administration.

Simulator time is indeed in demand, just not at Exeter.

Meanwhile, unsimulated flights from Exeter by Loganair start next month(July 2020), to Edinburgh five times weekly, and daily to Newcastle and Aberdeen. Support for workers in the oil industry seems to be the prime reason. The Aberdeen flights will be via Newcastle. All will use Embraer regional jets.

[GBM]

Newquay airport reporting a new operator will resume flights to Heathrow under the public service obligation in September, only once a day; but in the interim BA^» (British Airways - about) flights to Heathrow will resume in July with it's limited service.
Eastern Airways will commence three flights a week to Teeside.
Logan Air? will commence it's Scottish flights, plus those to Newcastle, Norwich, Leeds.

[southwest]

A Flybe plane has been outside the arrivals/departures on the tarmac at Newquay since the evening of failure. It hasn’t moved

It doesn't need to move, STS(Formerly Apple Aviation) probably have a small contract to keep the maintenance of it up to standard, as they previously did when Flybe was in operation. Once an aircraft has been prepared for long term storage, most of the maintenance is just checking & inspecting.

[TaplowGreen]

Newquay airport reporting a new operator will resume flights to Heathrow under the public service obligation in September, only once a day; but in the interim BA^» (British Airways - about) flights to Heathrow will resume in July with it's limited service.
Eastern Airways will commence three flights a week to Teeside.
Logan Air? will commence it's Scottish flights, plus those to Newcastle, Norwich, Leeds.

Really good news 👍

[paul7575]

Skills fade in ground handling? 

An investigation has been launched after a collision between two planes on the tarmac at Aberdeen International Airport.
The nose of one of the aircraft ended up wedged under the engine of the other on Tuesday evening, lifting it off the ground.
No passengers were on board the Loganair jet, which was struck by the former Flybe plane.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB^▸ (Air Accident Investigation Branch)) has been informed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-53076806

[TonyK]

Skills fade in ground handling? 

An investigation has been launched after a collision between two planes on the tarmac at Aberdeen International Airport.
The nose of one of the aircraft ended up wedged under the engine of the other on Tuesday evening, lifting it off the ground.
No passengers were on board the Loganair jet, which was struck by the former Flybe plane.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB^▸ (Air Accident Investigation Branch)) has been informed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-53076806

That's a possible explanation! I wonder if it was being towed, taxying under its own power, or someone didn't check the parking brake. The last seems odd, but I've done it once, thankfully with an instructor in the right hand seat who warned me before we hit the police helicopter. It's easy to get busy with the dials inside the cockpit after starting up, and forget to look out of the window. Sometimes, they are towed from the hangar and parked on chocks, so that the hangar crew don't need to go inside. Pilot comes out to plane, removes chocks, which isn't a problem with no engine on level ground, but when you get in and start up... I'm sure that the AAIB will get to the bottom of it very quickly. Referral to the AAIB is mandatory for any collision between two aircraft on the ground, no matter how trivial.

The Q400 involved was re-registered to an Irish leasing company on 18 May. They won't be best pleased, but hopefully the damage will be slight. The main thing is that nobody was hurt, just shaken up.

[Thatcham Crossing]

I wonder if it was being towed, taxying under its own power, or someone didn't check the parking brake.

Was being taxied apparently, after a few months parked-up.

Chat on aviation fora from people who know the Q400 is that this was probably a brake pressure accumulator issue. There is apparently a manual way to pump to create the pressure (a handle in one of the landing gear wells) but speculation is that this wasn't done.

I'm sure Loganair, who are starting to ramp up operations at the moment, could've well done without this.

[TonyN]

Just been to the local retail park.
There are a few people on the roads as well who have forgotten how their car works and how to drive it.

[Thatcham Crossing]

Newquay airport reporting a new operator will resume flights to Heathrow under the public service obligation in September, only once a day; but in the interim BA^» (British Airways - about) flights to Heathrow will resume in July with it's limited service.
Eastern Airways will commence three flights a week to Teeside.
Logan Air? will commence it's Scottish flights, plus those to Newcastle, Norwich, Leeds.

The update on Newquay Airport's website in terms of what they are expecting to operate over the Summer can be seen here:
https://www.cornwallairportnewquay.com/campaigns/flight-start-dates

Nothing from Loganair now, although Eastern will operate from Leeds and Teeside.
Nothing from Manchester, which was a popular route in Flybe times.

The Airport Chairman has confirmed that flying to London under the PSO will have resumed by the beginning of September, and it will be to Heathrow once-a-day. An operator has not been named, as far as I can see, but bearing in mind that BA are due to operate their Summer (commercial, non-PSO) service starting on 18th July, running until early September, one would suspect that it will be them.

[southwest]

I wonder if it was being towed, taxying under its own power, or someone didn't check the parking brake.

Was being taxied apparently, after a few months parked-up.

Chat on aviation fora from people who know the Q400 is that this was probably a brake pressure accumulator issue. There is apparently a manual way to pump to create the pressure (a handle in one of the landing gear wells) but speculation is that this wasn't done.

I'm sure Loganair, who are starting to ramp up operations at the moment, could've well done without this.

It was parked up preparing for engine start. Chocks all removed and presumably the accumulator lost pressure. Although why nobody tried to use the tiller or rudder pedals is beyond me.

[TonyK]

It was parked up preparing for engine start. Chocks all removed and presumably the accumulator lost pressure. Although why nobody tried to use the tiller or rudder pedals is beyond me.

When it sort-of-nearly happened to me, it was because I had my head down with the checklist, going through the controls and dials, blissfully unaware that I was trundling majestically towards an expensive police helicopter until the instructor in the right-hand seat said "You might want to look out of the window...". Nosewheel steering on a Q400 is hydraulically powered, so maybe the horn wasn't working.

[southwest]

It was parked up preparing for engine start. Chocks all removed and presumably the accumulator lost pressure. Although why nobody tried to use the tiller or rudder pedals is beyond me.

When it sort-of-nearly happened to me, it was because I had my head down with the checklist, going through the controls and dials, blissfully unaware that I was trundling majestically towards an expensive police helicopter until the instructor in the right-hand seat said "You might want to look out of the window...". Nosewheel steering on a Q400 is hydraulically powered, so maybe the horn wasn't working.

It's hydraulically powered but can still work, basically like a car when power steering goes.

[TonyK]

It's hydraulically powered but can still work, basically like a car when power steering goes.

The AAIB^▸ (Air Accident Investigation Branch) report is going to be interesting.

[GBM]

https://www.flybe.com/en
On 28 January 2023, the High Court appointed David Pike and Mike Pink as Joint Administrators of Flybe Limited (“Flybe”).

Flybe has now ceased trading and all flights from and to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) operated by Flybe have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

If you are a passenger affected by this event, please read the advice below.

(Continues)