Veteran pilot Jonathan Palmer has given the AIA a passing grade. According to a facebook posting by Counsel General Fitz Huggins, Palmer was quoted as saying; “ I have extensive knowledge of all airports in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, however, I am the first to admit that I do not know it all”.
“The demonstrated crosswind limitation of a standard Boeing 737 is 35kts and the BN Islander is 30kts. Both Argyle and Canouan have an average crosswind component of 11.7kts”.
The post further quoted palmer as saying “My flights into Argyle were educational and not political. For comparison purposes, I made a point of practicing approaches or landing in Canouan and Argyle on the same day”.
The veteran pilot was further quoted; “ On take-off, ETJ has an average tailwind component of 12 knots which is a severe limitation for the majority of aircraft. Most manufacturers limit a tailwind take-off to 5kts to 10kts. The exceptions being 20kts for the Dash 8 100 and 300 series + EMB 110 P1 Bandeirante. Due to the compulsory downwind / tailwind take-off, it is unlikely that ETJ would ever comply with current ICAO standards”.
According to Huggins post-Palmer ended his thoughts on AIA saying “ I have done my due diligence, and feel completely at ease booking my family on the inaugural flight from Toronto to Argyle (SVD)”.
