Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By tomdove
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1893293
Hi,

Does anyone know if Bovingdon airfield is active / can be flown into? Any up-to-date contact info?

I have found contact info on the Bovingdon airfield website and called the mobile number (left VMs) and texted the number, emailed; all with no reply.
(And done a search here and the other place.)

SkyDemon has an SD plate with a 'Bovingdon Traffic' frequency (and I have emailed the email address on that); no Pooleys plate tho'.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Tom
By SteveX
#1893296
Have you read the SD pilots notes? One speaks the truth. Good luck in trying to get any response from the so called owner of that place. I think it's covered in filming stuff and should be down as disused on charts and SD tbh
By chevvron
#1893317
Only the bit east of the old main runway is blocked by 'Dancing on Ice', the bit west of the runway is available although how you contact them for PPR I don't know.
They had a real struggle with Dacorum District Council a few years ago to get approval to use the airfield so I hope things are OK.
User avatar
By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1893329
The current strip is owned by one of the adjacent homeowners. Complex story which I took the trouble to get from both sides. Came to the view that even if he was a tough cookie and not to everyone's taste, he was more sinned against than sinning in this case.

I suspect like Steve at Ashcroft, ordinary politeness goes a long way.
User avatar
By James Chan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1893514
Bovingdon has never really functioned as an airfield as long as I have been flying. Officially it’s been long re-purposed for other activities.

Perhaps it should be stripped of the name “Airfield” altogether and taken off the chart to avoid misleading people.

Try Denham instead.
User avatar
By kanga
#1893651
James Chan wrote:Bovingdon has never really functioned as an airfield as long as I have been flying. ..


ISTR it was still home to a VGS when I was a Cadet, 1960s (which merely shows, again, that I am ancient :? )
By chevvron
#1893654
James Chan wrote:Bovingdon has never really functioned as an airfield as long as I have been flying. Officially it’s been long re-purposed for other activities.

Perhaps it should be stripped of the name “Airfield” altogether and taken off the chart to avoid misleading people.

What a load of rubbish you spout.
It's been a recognised as an airfield by Dacorum District Council for many years and it is PARTLY used for a sunday market and for the TV series 'Dancing on Ice'. Even after RAF occupation, aircraft used to be based here.
I flew from Bovingdon many times before the RAF closed it and before RAF closure it was used first as a detached flight of 613 Gliding School (I got my soaring certificate there in 1965) and then by 617 Gliding School when this school was kicked out of Hendon so it has 'continuous use' status for planning purposes..
kanga liked this
By Lefty
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1893657
The last flying that I am aware of there was about 3 years ago, when the owner organised a mini fly-in, which because of the limited runway length was aimed at the microlight fraternity.

I think my last landing there was around 1986/7 when flying from Booker. We used to use it for practising VOR DME approaches.
By SteveX
#1893661
I'm sorry but you are the one spouting rubbish about something from the 60s. The owner clearly doesn't care about visitors (a previous thread from about 10 years ago on here was clearly tosh when it asked for details of all those who claimed to have landed there in years gone by). It is covered in other stuff, the one runway available is regularly covered itself. It is disused and nobody is based there, there are no buildings relevant to the so called existing runway.

I have written to the CAA/NATS chart people asking for it to be marked as disused.. It most certainly isn't a microlight place as the current M states.

The comparison with a council definition is misleading. My back garden could be described as a helipad, only because it is suitable. No helicopter will ever land there.

There is evidence above that someone asking to land there has been told no, therefore with no based aircraft it can only be classed as disused.
James Chan liked this
User avatar
By James Chan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1895048
What a load of rubbish you spout.


Keep up. We’re no longer in the 1960’s.
User avatar
By Genghis the Engineer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1895050
MPK - what you're looking at there is the biggest open air market in Europe, most Saturdays.

Also probably the UK's biggest site for retailing cheap Chinese knock-off counterfeit goods. Once upon a time there were also rather nice grocers, butchers, etc. - but they've all been crowded out. As a local, I can say that most would be very happy to see the market shut down - whether that's replaced by an airfield, more TV studios (which seems to be the trajectory) whatever.

I think that there was a single aeroplane being kept there recently, no idea about the exact current situation.

It does have a moderately useful VOR.

G