Discussion: Weston flight paths and related issues.

cp251

Reluctant though I am to re-open the closed thread. I just happened to have been in Weston and Leixlip during the week and I had a few observations which might be helpful. I was disappointed to see the thread locked.

First off though the circuit altitude is 1000 feet that is above sea level. Weston is 150 feet ASL. That in fact puts the aircraft 850 feet above ground level in the circuit. Now the ground rises quite steeply from the main street in the village towards the housing estates. I don't know how high but it could be as much as 300 feet ASL. Therefore any aircraft overflying that part of the town would in fact be only 700 feet AGL even if his altimeter is reading 1000 feet. Which is periously close to the 500 feet mentioned by Kbannon. Now the circuit is actually south of the main street but give or take some margin for error, which is likely with student pilots you might well find them flying too far out over the higher ground and thus appear quite low. In all probability it was not done deliberately and indeed the instructor is probably cuffing the poor students ear and casting doubts on his parentage as they apparently saunter effortlessly overhead.

Aircraft should not be that far North but it happens. Sorry for doubting your observations. It will certainly make me a bit more careful and if I ever become an instructor, it will be drilled into my students.

RoundyMooney

That's fine cp251. It's a real world experience and hence worth reading. I've edited the title slightly vis a vis a discussion thread on the issue, as obviously it's something you guys want to talk about.

Keep it clean ladies and gents and we may have a good discussion here.

oscarBravo

cp251 wrote:

First off though the circuit altitude is 1000 feet that is above sea level. Weston is 150 feet ASL. That in fact puts the aircraft 850 feet above ground level in the circuit. Now the ground rises quite steeply from the main street in the village towards the housing estates. I don't know how high but it could be as much as 300 feet ASL. Therefore any aircraft overflying that part of the town would in fact be only 700 feet AGL even if his altimeter is reading 1000 feet. Which is periously close to the 500 feet mentioned by Kbannon.

OK, I need to correct this ASAP. Yes, the ground rises sharply to the north of the main street in Leixlip, but it also does so to the south - in fact, it may surprise you to know that Louisa Bridge railway station is at most 10m higher than Weston's runway.

It's never a good idea to rely on local references to judge ground level - always check a reliable map (I just checked the OS Discovery map for the area).

andy_g

hey all i fly at weston on a regular basis the pattern at weston is 1450 and not 1000 thats to flyover the airfield to make ur turn to downwind and descending to 1000 for base

cp251

Yes andy, the overhead join is 1450 or 1500 descending to 1000 on the downwind. On base you better be descending to not below 500 as you turn finals.
The complaints are that people are are too low on the downwind.

Davidth88

Guys,

What are the operating hrs in Weston ? The web-site says 8am , the local people around Liexlip think it's 10am

Its just that about 3 times a couple of months ago we were woken up at 6am by a biz jet departing Weston , I imagine they were going over to Dublin to pick up , but were using Weston as cheap parking.strangely he screamed over our house which is not usually on the flightpath ( Celbridge )

Oh, I am not bashing aviation , anyone who has read my posts will know that..... just interested that's all.

Ohhhh also , yes I was 100 % sure it was a biz departing Weston .

Time Magazine

oscarBravo wrote:

OK, I need to correct this ASAP. Yes, the ground rises sharply to the north of the main street in Leixlip, but it also does so to the south - in fact, it may surprise you to know that Louisa Bridge railway station is at most 10m higher than Weston's runway.

I'm not doubting you, but how is this relevant? Kbannon lives near the village - what relevance is the elevation of Louisa Bridge (which is about a mile away)?

oscarBravo

I was correcting the impression given in the OP that the ground only slopes away to the north. This could be seen to imply that Weston is at a similar altitude to the village, which it's not.

cp251

David, there are several jets based there. It's unlikely they were heading to Dublin, more likely somewhere in the UK or Europe. Departure routes are based on the traffic situation in Dublin so that would explain the routing. Opening hours are 8am but no doubt for the payment of the requisite fee it will open earlier. It should be noted that at least one of the jets is operated by the airport owner, Jim Mansfield so I suspect if he wants an earlier departure he gets an earlier departure.:D

Davidth88

thanks cp251

I thought that international flights now had to go from Dublin to pick up their passengers ever since the drugs bust.

I have seen jets take off and not climb but turn towards what looks like the approach to DUB, maybe they are told to keep below the DUB traffic or something

Anyway, if it happens again, I will complain to the tower It woke me up !

By the way, forgot to ask you , what do you operate out of Weston yourself if you don't mind me asking ?

Also , I hear the restaurant at Weston does a cracking breakfast ? I went for dinner there last winter had a really nice middle-eastern meal.

cp251

Woke you up as late as 6am? You obviously don't have children!;) I doubt if it will happen often. It costs a fortune to open the field that early. Any jet departures will be probably be strictly IFR, that is under instrument flight rules, and are coordinated with Dublin and indeed Baldonnel. It's a crowded sky out there these days. Thought you wouldn't think it from ground level.

I just fly the little ones at the moment but am ever hopeful of the day when I thunder over your house at 6am. :cool: Yes the restaurant is great although I've never done breakfast.

Talking of noisy jets, I see they have just taken delivery of a Blackburn Buccaneer, an ex RAF fighter bomber, Gulf war veteran. Wait till you hear that baby at full power over Celbridge. Talk about noise complaints.:eek:

cp251

Ok I'm only joking about the Buccaneer, it's a museum piece and will never fly again. Christy Keane seems to be trying to set up a museum. He already has a old Catalina flying boat in piece on the other side of the airfield.

I will bet the local resident will freak out when they see jet though. They will think it's going to fly.

Davidth88

Actually I have an 18mth old , but I am lucky she sleeps most mornings until 8am

I remember Buccaneers. There was a story , they were used in the Leb back in 80's, apparently the local malitia there used RPG's against them , and they bounced off..... they were fantastic aeroplanes.

peter1892

Buccaneers, Bizjets...next thing there'll be 747's doing low passes over Lucan...