Imaginary London: Approaches by air to South London
image generated by Craiyon Crossed posted from r/ImaginaryLondon In a classroom in Harmondsworth, Laurie Rose is teaching a small group of pilots how to manage a plane that has been caught in a Mayblush Column on the approach into Heathrow Airport. The Mayblush is one of the four London winds. The other three are the Beamer, the Ragsail, and the Nersha, all of which carry with them pros and cons, though none affects aviation so much as the Mayblush that rises during the Summer, and is credited with putting the pink in the apples. The Mayblush column is not an entirely natural phenomenon. It is caused by a descending aircraft interacting with localised weather fronts. Rose describes it as “quicksand at 2000 feet”. Once caught, it is impossible for a plane to land safely at Heathrow. Pilots are instead instructed to make for “the lull” at Mitcham Mills Airport in South London – formerly an aerodrome called Greenroost – now an emergency runway, surrounded by a nature reserve, capable of a...