Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By James Chan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597418
economics of establishing a grass strip somewhere.


I’d add that grass strips can be prone to muddiness and water logging, particularly in the winter.

I’ve had aircraft stuck in mud before and it was so much hassle to resolve that I almost didn’t want to touch grass again.

So one needs to consider the (adverse?) impact in movements should this occur and work out if the benefits of a hard runway & apron will outweigh the costs.
#1597453
Flyingfemme wrote:
chevvron wrote:Just buy North Denes; with a bit of grass cutting and hedge trimming it should be possible to get 700m :wink:

It's not the buying that's the problem with North Denes.......it's the business rates. ISTR it was £130,000 pa based on the previous (obviously swimming in money) helicopter operating owners.......

Given its position, and the fact that the choppers have relocated, it looks like a pretty good fly-in community at the seaside to me.....with possible small business premises for aviation related companies....but what do I know? :roll:

Golf course, race course and stock car circuit all on the doorstep, and don't try and tell me the airfield would make more noise than the stock car circuit.
But what do I know? :?
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597457
@chevvron:
Sorry to temporarily drift the thread but was it you I corresponded with a year or so ago about the loony who drove a souped up Ford Zephyr Six/Zodiac during the RAF/CCF gliding camp Easter 1962 at RAF Henlow? (ISTR name was Pete Something)
I'm going to a fly in at Henlow later this year and wondered if anyone from that era might be there.
C.O's name was Bullivant and Student Sergeant was Buckby.
Regards

Peter
PS Have searched through PMs to no avail.
#1597501
our grass strip has remained waterlogged for 3 months now. Thankfully it doesn't need to generate regular revenue in the way a commercial venture would.

North Denes, you'd really want to walk the field now to see what the drainage is like, but as it's elevation is quoted at 6ft and is only quarter of a mile from a tidal river, I'll bet it's quite wet! Not problem for helo ops.

Catchment area, everything east is water, so the local attractions have to be good to draw twice as many people from the west!
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597513
James Chan wrote:So one needs to consider the (adverse?) impact in movements should this occur and work out if the benefits of a hard runway & apron will outweigh the costs.


Good luck getting planning permission for a hard runway.

Which is why keeping existing airfields open and perhaps applying to reopen some disused ones may be a better option.
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By rikur_
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597523
Paul_Sengupta wrote:
Which is why keeping existing airfields open and perhaps applying to reopen some disused ones may be a better option.

Personally I'd say a complementary option.
I don't think it needs to be an either/or choice.
Airfields that are a gateway to a destination have an attraction, as opposed to just being an airfield in their own right in the middle of nowhere. e.g. I go to places like Skegness and NorthRepps because I can have a day-out - nice as Fenland is, I go to Fenland and never leave the airfield. That's not saying there isn't a role for both.

One caveat would be that in protecting those airfields that we've got, don't accidentally make it unattractive for someone to establish a new one. E.g. I could imagine a time in a few years where I'd consider using part of my retirement fund to own a field and use it as an airfield for a decade or so - but at some point I'll need the capital back out, which may well mean reverting it to aggriculture.

Sooty25 wrote:our grass strip has remained waterlogged for 3 months now. Thankfully it doesn't need to generate regular revenue in the way a commercial venture would.

North Denes, you'd really want to walk the field now to see what the drainage is like, but as it's elevation is quoted at 6ft and is only quarter of a mile from a tidal river, I'll bet it's quite wet! Not problem for helo ops.

I get that grass isn't perfect - a lot depends on the underlying land conditions and mitigations. I don't think we've had to close yet this year, despite being in the Vale of York surrounded by flood plains, but equally I know others have been closed for ages. But then a lot of recreational flying is seasonal too for other reasons.
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597535
Our grass strip (6acres)on the site of a WW2 airfield is high up and over sand and gravel>
It drains a treat even after heavy rain.
Our problem is that the ARC/Annual is due right now but the Maintenance airfield is closed due to waterlogging! Never happened before but a real PITA.

Peter
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By rikur_
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1597560
kanga wrote:
Should we expect publication of runway distances in 'perches' soon ? :)

Google seems capable of converting m to perches, so us younger ones are safe ;-)
but then again, Google is capable of converting 'blue moons' into Hz (!)