LHR single runway operation - how long to open the 2nd runway?

[tired]

Question for LHR controllers, prompted by recent early morning arrival (ie 0430 -0600LT) from the Far East - had the runway-in-use become unavailable for any reason, how long would it take to get the 2nd runway operational? Is it available immediately at that time of day or would it have needed a runway inspection or an ILS warmup period or something?

Rgds

[Gonzo]

It really depends on the reason for the closure.....there might be cranes up which preclude landing (30-45 minutes), or resurfacing (coming soon!), or merely a light fitting replacement that was complete hours ago, in which case it would just be an inspection before promulgating it as available.

[tired]

Thanks Gonzo.

Actually, what I had in mind was if it was just the 'usual' pre-0600LT single runway ops. In all the years I've been operating out of LHR it's always been single runway before 0600 - I've always assumed that this was to do with noise abatement etc. Is that correct?

Your points about closure due to resurfacing, cranes etc are understood - in those cases there's usually a Notam giving a time required to return the runway to service. In the 'usual' case when there's nothing specific going on how long would it take to get a runway imnspection done, bearing in mind that you'd have to get Checker out of his cosy bed and into his vehicle etc etc? Would you expect to be able to use the runway after 10 minutes? 15 minutes? Just a ball park figure based on your experience.

Question prompted by the fact that fog was forecast for our arrival time last week, which lead to a discussion on how much delay we could expect if the operational runway suddenly became unavailable at that time of the morning - as a general rule, not only in LVOs. I always err on the side of safety when it came to carrying holding fuel(!!) but a ball-park figure for how long we might wait for the 2nd runway in the period before the "0600 rush" in normal circumstances would be interesting.

Rgds

[Gonzo]

Yes, there is a designated 'night runway' up to 0600, but there will be a runway closure every night in line with this.

In many cases the work, whether major or minor, will be finished by 0530, so the runway will be available if required. So I'd think 15mins would be a good figure. However, there's no guarantee that the work is finished of course.

[Musket90]

On single runway ops overnight the runway not in use should only have "routine" maintenance activities being carried out, unless published otherwise (Notam/AIP) so that in the event of the operational runway not being available at short notice the other runway can be operational within a short time period.
As Gonzo says 15 mins is a good estimate to enable pre-opening inspection to be carried out and nav-aids to be available.

[tired]

Excellent, that's what I wanted to know.

Many thanks for the replies guys.

Regards,
t