Flying from Stansted to Gran Canaria takes just over four hours and today, I was rostered to operate there and back. It’s a popular route, but Gran Canaria’s coastal location and island geography often make it a bit more dynamic than your average approach. True to form, today brought some classic Canarian challenges.
As we approached, we were met with a steady 22-knot headwind, gusting up to 33 knots. Luckily, it was pretty much aligned with the runway, making for a strong but manageable headwind on final approach, always preferable to a gusty crosswind.
The NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen, and yes, women too!) had flagged ongoing work on the ILS approach navigational aids, which was supposed to be completed before our arrival. But things don’t always go according to plan. During our descent, we were issued four different approach clearances before being instructed to fly a localiser-only approach to runway 03L, followed by a sidestep to 03R.
Last-minute changes like this ramp up the workload significantly. We had to re-brief the approach thoroughly, something that takes time and attention, especially during a phase of flight that already demands both.
I had elected to fly the outbound sector, knowing that Gran Canaria can be a bit of a wild card. A sidestep manoeuvre isn’t something we practice often so it was a good opportunity to fly one. Situations like this are where training, teamwork, and staying calm under pressure really come into play. And of course, it added another interesting approach to the memory bank.
No two days are ever quite the same in the sky and that’s one of the reasons I love what I do.
X Maria
Excellent photos A++++++++++++++