Three engines -No sweat.

[commoner]

Yesterday a Jumbo had problems with an overheating engine and was forced to shut it down...also running short of fuel had to divert to Manchester after a flight from Los Angeles.....the Pilot apparently noticed a problem with the engine just ONE HOUR after takeoff..........What would YOU have done?...commoner. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 283857.stm

[Saitek]

Saw that, good everyone is ok.

See this too if you are Tornado fans. Twas a close shave.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4285777.stm

Ben

[Craig.]

If it was a problem after only an hour, i think they would have been best served to divert to JFK where they have a base. could have sorted it out there and been on their way.

[Jared]

lol....you'll have that.....glad it worked out somewhat...;-)

[C]

If it was a problem after only an hour, i think they would have been best served to divert to JFK where they have a base. could have sorted it out there and been on their way.

If the problem was that bad they would have diverted alot earlier, maybe to Iceland or Ireland. The my experience the common sense rules that govern this criteria would probably have meant he had enough fuel to get to Paris...

Quite often our jets at work have to carry enough fuel for a radar approach at somewhere like Lossiemouth or Kinloss having already attempted an approach at the home airfield (450 - 500 miles away)

Charlie

[Craig.]

If it was coming from lax why would they goto Ireland first? toronto or even calgary would be options

[Scottler]

If it was a problem after only an hour, i think they would have been best served to divert to JFK where they have a base. could have sorted it out there and been on their way.

There was a winter weather system moving through the northeast for the majority of yesterday.  This could be why they didn't.

[C]

If it was coming from lax why would they goto Ireland first? toronto or even calgary would be options

Am I right in thinking they encounter strong headwinds over the atlantic...

[Scottler]

Charlie, the jetstream moves west>east, so I wouldn't think the headwinds would be too much of an issue...

[Craig.]

I think alot of it is the usual journalist with no aviation knowledge, making a mountain out of a mole hill. I did start to wonder when they said head winds as Hype said, its west to east, with the Jetstream. They could have also used Detroit as BA fly there aswell, if the northeast was snowed in.

[Hagar]

I tend to agree with Craig about journalists in general. What surprises me is not the amount of fuel but that the problem with an engine was apparently noticed one hour after take-off. Whether it was shut down immediately is not mentioned in the article. I have very little knowledge of modern jet airliners but would it be usual procedure to carry on across the Atlantic with only 3 emgines at this stage in the flight? In the old days, even if it was almost half-way across it would have turned back.

[Woodlouse2002]

Prevailing winds might be west-east. However at the moment the wind is east-west. Hence headwind.

Honestly, just because a wind is prevailing it doesn't mean it comes from that direction all the time.

No aircraft cruises in the jetstream. Which is always west-east.

[C]

Charlie, the jetstream moves west>east, so I wouldn't think the headwinds would be too much of an issue...

I know. It is also very thin (around 200ft, despite being about 200 miles wide) and right underneath the tropopause.

[Hagar]

Put it this way - a BA 747 Captain is going to have a lot more experience that probably all of us put together so I expect he did what was required...

I accept that but would crossing the Atlantic on 3 engines so early in the flight be normal procedure? I must confess to being surprised, especially in those conditions.

[Craig.]

considering he would barely have been half way across North america an hour in.