Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:54 pm
#850716
I visited Aberporth today and had the most friendly welcome and one of the best experiences at an aerodrome so far.
En-route from Waterford to London, I'd filed GAR for Aberporth last week and called yesterday to confirm it was OK. Barry in ATC said he was reasonably sure it would be OK but to call today to confirm, which I did. All OK and I was given a complete briefing. Don't let the RA(T) and Danger Areas put you off, it's not an issue at all if you follow the instructions.
Approach was easy, runway and aerodrome in excellent condidion. We were met by two extremely polite and pleasant Special Branch officers who'd selected usfor examination. All over and done with in about 15 minutes with minimal fuss and no stress, followed by tea/coffee/orange squash provided for us by Ops. Barry obtained TAFs for me before departure and walked across the apron to hand them to over as I was boarding for the return.
There were many UAV people there and one UAV ready for testing. It was pretty obvious that security was an issue, there was a security presence as we walked past UAV (as you'd expect) and I can guess what the reaction might have been if I'd sprung a camera - which I didn't. None of this had any impact on the visit though.
This is a place that's well worth a visit. £15 for a PA28, including the refreshments.
En-route from Waterford to London, I'd filed GAR for Aberporth last week and called yesterday to confirm it was OK. Barry in ATC said he was reasonably sure it would be OK but to call today to confirm, which I did. All OK and I was given a complete briefing. Don't let the RA(T) and Danger Areas put you off, it's not an issue at all if you follow the instructions.
Approach was easy, runway and aerodrome in excellent condidion. We were met by two extremely polite and pleasant Special Branch officers who'd selected usfor examination. All over and done with in about 15 minutes with minimal fuss and no stress, followed by tea/coffee/orange squash provided for us by Ops. Barry obtained TAFs for me before departure and walked across the apron to hand them to over as I was boarding for the return.
There were many UAV people there and one UAV ready for testing. It was pretty obvious that security was an issue, there was a security presence as we walked past UAV (as you'd expect) and I can guess what the reaction might have been if I'd sprung a camera - which I didn't. None of this had any impact on the visit though.
This is a place that's well worth a visit. £15 for a PA28, including the refreshments.