SOME AIRCRAFT departing from London Heathrow Airport will be operated at half the present take-off separation minima during a UK Civil Aviation Authority-sanctioned trial scheduled to start in June.
The current separation for a narrow-body following a wide-body is 2min, and the proposal would reduce this to 60s. The move is aimed at increasing Heathrow's peak-period take-off capacity.
The decision to take off with reduced separation, remains at the pilots' and air traffic controllers' discretion, says the CAA. All pilots flying the appropriate aircraft can ask for the reduced separation, but only British Airways and British Midland pilots are being asked to report their experiences for further analysis.
In electing to use the reduced minima, pilots and controllers will take into account the effects of the wind on wake-vortices, and the size and performance comparisons between the aircraft taking off and the one ahead, according to the CAA. One-minute take-off separations are already permitted for same-size aircraft.
Source: Flight International
