-----Original Message----- From: Mervyn Lobo
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Four-airports-in-India-unsafe-during-rains-report/Article1-1080919.aspx > Four domestic airports in the country are prone to air disasters this monsoon. An independent air safety panel > informed the government last week that flight operations at Goa, Jammu, Patna and Dibrugarh (Assam) are > unsafe during the rains. RESPONSE: While air safety is very, very important, the above statement has left me skeptical about its claims - monsoons have only just begun. > According to the letter sent by the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) on June 20, the runway > length at these airports does not meet international standards. The CASAC factored in inputs such as wet > runway surface, tailwind and temperature to revaluate the landing distance during adverse weather. RESPONSE: After all these years and thousands of landings........"airports does not meet international standards". > “The monsoon, this year, appears to be strong. If proactive action is not taken to prevent an accident, we will > cut a sorry figure,” said captain Mohan Ranganathan, member, CASAC. The CASAC was formed after the Air > India Mangalore crash in 2010. RESPONSE: "....appears to be strong"? Where is the raw data on rainfall, tailwind, temperature ??? > Based on flight operations studied at Patna, Goa and Jam-mu, earlier this month, the safety panel rapped > the aviation safety regulator for overlooking such a critical issue. RESPONSE: The monsoon arrived in Goa in the first week of June; in Patna this week; most likely yet to arrive in Jammu. Poor reporting or MOPA-engineered reporting ??? Mervyn, do you think this is good enough reason to build MOPA - too much rain, heat and wind at Dabolim. - B
