Random Stuff!

[Ianbutty]

The Coronavirus bill that is going through Parliament has provision to force the closure of airports to passengers for the safety of the population, if a risk has been identified. Schedule 19 of the bill refers to Border Force being able to sufficiently provide cover at any relevant port, interpretation of this being any port of entry requiring the presence of immigration and/or customs, land, sea or air, may be closed.

Things continue as is, nothing but cargo will be able to move. I expect amendments to include closure of motorways to private vehicles. This is wartime style management of crises, new territory for most of us.

My worry is how much of this Act will be repealed when this is all over. Post 9/11 the Bush Administration brought in Draconian measures to monitor people which are still in place. Very worrying....

....but I have a theory and I have started to write a book. Just need some characters, a story line and setting...

 

[JENNYJET]

The Bill is likely to be amended to include a 'sunset clause', an auto repeal of you like, before Royal assent.

However, I believe the eventual new laws will be sensible and beneficial if people see them for what they are and remember the reasoning for enactment.

 

[HPsauce]

I have to say, living near the flightpath to runway 15, it is a most weird feeling with the dramatic collapse of flights. Reminds me of the 1960's when you could wait 2 hours for a movement!!. Desparate times!!. Stay safe and sensible everyone.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I am normally awake quite early and still can't get used to not hearing all those engines spooling up around 6 am as the first wave of departures get going

 

[Brummiegem]

I have just finished my last shift for a minimum of 3 weeks.The Airport airside once the A380 had gone was deserted.It was like being in a post apocalyptic film.I counted 12 Jet2 aircraft scattered around the airport including a 757 on the 20’s stands alongside 2 737-800s.The Flybe aircraft are still parked on the south Terminal,I counted 3 Q400s and 3 ERJs.1 TUI 757 and 2 737-800s are parked up as well.
In 27 years working at BHX I don’t think I can remember anything quite like this.It is the most surreal thing I have ever witnessed.
Not had chance to look over toward the Elmdon apron,although there seemed to be a few aircraft parked up from the short glance over I had.

Now I have to try and keep busy for a minimum of 3 weeks.

Stay safe everyone.

 

[HPsauce]

Worrying times. The small handful of landing aircraft on runway 15 have stood out the last couple of days, purely because there are so few.
Let's hope when this deadly virus is over everything returns to a level of normality for all.
Stay safe.

 

[Creguk]

I was wondering today, how many 747s will get an early retirement after this.

 

[Coathanger16]

I was wondering today, how many 747s will get an early retirement after this.

I imagine in 6 months time, BA will be the only airline operating passenger 747-400's. The 747-8i's are still fairly new so the likes of Lufthansa, Air China & Korean Air will likely still be operating them.

 

[JENNYJET]

Long term storage though no scrapping if plenty of cycles remain. Perfectly good aircraft should be kept airworthy if only held back in reserve to cover major incidents involving repat flights or conversion to freight useage.

They are glorious aircraft to be cherished given current economics do not favour them. Personally, I feel the A340 series are finer machines and seeing any great quad being torn to pieces is horrible.

Ammended on 25 March to correct anomalies.

 

[Ianbutty]

I was wondering today, how many 747s will get an early retirement after this.

I suspect we have seen the end of much long haul travel. It will take a decade to recover from this.

Nice to see the blue sky today not lost to clouds formed by contrails though.

 

[GliderPilot]

Thought this thread would be the most appropriate for this post as the NEC isn't part of the airport but is very very close to it.

Confirmed: Birmingham NEC to be dedicated coronavirus hospital

The head of the NHS said new coronavirus field hospitals will open in Birmingham and Manchester, after the first was created in London

www.birminghammail.co.uk

Interesting to see the confirmation that the NEC will be used as a field hospital. This and the Mortuary starts to paint a grim explanation/assumption as to why the RAF are suddenly practising approaches at the airport with a variety of their aircraft.

I am very much in support of them using the NEC for this purpose. Hopefully, it will help ease the strain on the existing and already overwhelmed NHS facilities even if just slightly.

Extremely worrying and unprecedented times we suddenly live in.

 

[Ianbutty]

And the airport to act as a mortuary! What the...

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Probably explains why the multi storey car park on the cargo side has been closed.

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

Somewhere that is temperature controlled, are there any buildings fitting that description or will the military construct a facility, as they do so well?

 

[rollo]

Suppose that initially they could construct a facility inside the old hangar 2 as it already will have power and water connections and would be away from prying eyes, just assumption but looking like desperate times coming.

 

[GliderPilot]

Another post I thought would belong here because it is completely off-topic.

People of F4A, how has coronavirus affected you and your life? Obviously this is something we've never seen at peacetime, and I'd love to understand to what extent it's having an impact on everyone.

Personally, I was meant to start training to be a pilot with a certain airline next month, but coronavirus has meant the training school has closed and further to that, the virus and its impact on the industry have thrown the future of my placement with the airline into doubt, should they start laying off existing staff etc...

However, I don't want to play my little violin for too long because there are people far worse off than myself. I got lucky, I work in retail currently and today got offered a temporary placement as a team leader as one of the existing ones has to isolate for 12 weeks. So I have something to do in the meantime until this virus is seen off.

What impact has it had on you? Whether that be with employment, travel, holidays, plans?

Obviously don't disclose anything you wouldn't want to, or don't reply at all if you aren't comfortable talking about your personal life on the forum, but that goes without saying I suppose

Stay safe all

 

[Jerry]

Life has carried on mostly normal for me except that the roads are quieter and it feels a bit surreal when working seeing places closed and quiet. At home I have to be careful to keep distance from my parents as especially my dad is quite frail due to illness and of course I can't do any planespotting or travel. But I'm sure people are having a lot worse time than me and normality will resume eventually I'm sure.

 

[Ray Finkle]

What impact has it had on you? Whether that be with employment, travel, holidays, plans?

My work place is now completely closed, I am working from home but in a fairly limited capacity.

We were due to head down to Cornwall on Sunday which has now been canx but I've re-booked for October so still something to look forward too. We are booked to Tenerife in May with Jet2 but I'm not expecting that to go ahead, we also have Parga booked for August which is very much a wait and see situation. Whilst losing holidays is disappointing my thoughts are more with those in the industry who are facing very uncertain times on many different levels.

As a family we do tend to have a lot of days out on a weekend but that has obviously had to stop along with visits to Yorkshire to see family. Along with keeping the kids up to date with their school work we've been spending quite a bit of time in the garden and with the weather looking like improving we'll be out there even more. After seeing the huge queues Mrs F has stopped going to the supermarket and is getting our food from the local butcher, fruit and veg shop etc. Each time she has visited she tells me she been the only customer in there. She still doesn't trust me to go as I always end up spending twice as much on stuff we don't actually need.

As it stands, with the kids and the house, I have more than enough to keep me busy but I do really feel for the most vulnerable of people who possibly live alone. It's a very scary time for us all but it must be awful for those who are now more or less cut off.

I hear many people describing this as 'stuck at home' but my attitude is that I am staying home to keep myself and my family safe. We are missing being able to jump in the car and head off for the weekend but if it means we get through this safely then it's a small price to pay.

It's a very scary time but we are all in it together and need to do whatever it takes to keep ourselves and our families safe.

 

[Ianbutty]

I am still going into work. My wife and step son are working from home and two kids home schooling. Where I work we are keeping a skeleton staff in the office, plus I am able to support my team better as they have limited acces at home to the network files etc. The office is clean daily and given how few people there are we are all semi self isolation and social distancing is not a problem. Common sense prevails.

Technology and collaborative working software such as MSTeams has come to the fore. My team and I have two catch up team chats a week - we start by sharing a quiz or crossword or funny videos - and daily calls. I miss the in office social element

But I am working on a very long term plan for the area and the ambition has been brought forward to some extent. Less cars (down 95%); cleaner air; more people walking and using their local environment for exercise; a more basic sustainable way of life: putting health and society and communities first.

At home everyone is coping and family going for daily walks. We are also shopping at the butcher's and farm shops. Supermarkets are for packed stuff only. So far all has been well, but boredom starting to set in, particularly at weekends when the kids do not have school...oddly enough. Oh how they are missing school. Not being with their friends is devastating. I cannot imagine how bad that must be and social media apps are no substitute.

My only frustrations are the idiots who do not obey the law: garden centres being shut when the health benefits of gardening are so well documented and at the most important time of the year; and the cold weather, although that will change.

I am absolutely loving the clear blue sky and the air is so fresh! Fortunately I got a new car just before the shut down. We got it as we only had one and it would make my wife's journey to work easier. And then she has only worked at home since!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I've been retired for yonks but fortunately have been able to remain physically very fit and active, that after successful cancer surgery eleven years ago so every day since has been a bonus as is each day forward. I walk at least 100 miles every month of the year at around 4 mph including at least one 10-15 mph walk each week.

We also have a large allotment. My wife is the gardener and I'm the labourer. I enjoy digging for the exercise - different muscles used than when walking. We can still walk to the allotment - even Michael Gove approved allotment working when asked at a recent presss conference - but I've cut down on my general walking in order to comply with the spirit of the one exercise a day edict. Going out for a 3-4 hour walk might not be. One day we walk the short distance to the allotment and work on it and the next day I go for a walk for about an hour, and so we alternate. At the moment anyway - we'll probably alter the pattern at some point for variety.

As well as the allotment we have a reasonably-sized garden in which we can sit or work.

We live on the edge of the city and many more people are obviously out walking for its own sake than pre Covid-19, although the pavements are still uncrowded and it's easy to maintain the 2-metre rule, even if at times it means carefully stepping into the road from the pavement in order to pass someone. At least vehicular traffic is now much lighter.

What we can't do is visit friends or relatives and vice versa but this is where Skype/FaceTime etc come into their own. We've already lost one short holiday break and will lose another at the end of next month but that's nothing compared with the lot of some.

I watch very little television - haven't done for years - but my wife told me that the local news carried a report of a family living on the 15th floor of a council tower block. They have small children and are virtually imprisoned. The washing machines are in a room on the ground floor and they have to use a lift to reach them or if they want to leave the building for exercise. When they do they find several other people in the lift at the same time - no social distancing possible there.