In addition to ice and heavy rain, Constanta also had extremely dense fog from time to time. This is where the term “all-weather aircraft” reaches its limits. Unlike modern airliners, current combat aircraft cannot take off or land automatically, so weather minimums must be maintained in both phases. A miserable minimum visibility is required for take-off and an additional cloud base of around 70m for landing. In alert squad operations, the focus is on maintaining readiness, which is why fog usually triggers operational hectic: If the minimums for take-off are at least temporarily met, a landing airfield and an additional alternative airfield must be available. The repeated negotiations with the Romanian authorities about the use of civilian airfields repeatedly became a game of patience. If the seats are available, it must be regulated how we look after the aircraft at the foreign location. Is maintenance carried out? Do the pilots turn the machine around and guide it back without support? Many variables come into the equation, but in the end a decision must be made. Fast and reliable.
Despite our best efforts, we were not able to completely avoid weather outages, the picture speaks for itself. Nevertheless, the deployment contingent was able to keep downtimes manageable thanks to good teamwork.
Would you like to start in the fog?
"Spirit"
Gerald Groß