[malcolmfrost]

Sooner or later the cloudbase will be around 2500 and there won't be parachuting, but plenty of £10/time GA aircraft willing to visit........

[defcribed]

Sooner or later the cloudbase will be around 2500 and there won't be parachuting, but plenty of £10/time GA aircraft willing to visit........

Right, so even if you get 20 aircraft that day (which you won't with a 2500 foot cloudbase) then that's revenue of £200.

After paying someone to be there and the other various costs associated with running a licensed airfield it just isn't worth getting out of bed for.

I presume that with contracted commercial operation only and not being open to the public they will go unlicensed.

[malcolmfrost]

All I'm saying is that eventually they will realise that a source of additional income , even if it's relatively small, is available. A lot of the "running an airfield" costs are fixed.
As long as it is still an airfield it may become available to the great unwashed (us) again.

[JodelDavo]

1. Own a GA airfield (private ownership). Income from landing fees & any rent from businesses based there. Err, that's about it. Maybe some tax incentives? Pay CAA thousands each year to 'licence' it, pay staff to run it, pay to maintain it. Have expensive issues with local planning authority when you want to do anything vaguely sensible to improve things..Or.....

2. Sell the nice, flat land to a housing developer. Get £multimillions.... Spend 6 months in the South Pacific and lay on the beach.. Set up your own private strip in the garden of your massive house in the country.

I know what I'd do

The Farmer is 100% correct. Unless GOV.uk is committed to keeping GA flying alive in the UK (it isn't), by making it more difficult to do No. 2 above and easier to do No.1 above, then most owners will migrate to private strips or give up flying if airfields fall by the wayside. As an instructor, I see very few young pilots coming along who just want to fly GA aeroplanes for fun ; they are all waiting to be bus drivers. Sorry, airline pilots.

Despite what they want you to believe, there is absolutely no interest in GA flying from the UK Government as it isn't a vote winner, despite the Red Tape Challenge (remember that?) and the APPG talking forum. Maybe something to quiz your local Parliamentary liar about when they knock on your door canvassing?

Being a regular visitor I do feel the jump aircraft ( C208) are actually quieter than a lot of traditional GA types - so the noise issues for local wont be any issue

The locals will soon get fed up with it, especially as they are now 'unrestricted'.

Sounds a bit negative maybe..... But nothing has really changed in the 36 years I've been flying. Apart from less aerodromes and its more difficult to do anything, apart from navigation, with the advent of GPS. Even the CAA were fairly amenable in those early days.

[Ben K]

All I'm saying is that eventually they will realise that a source of additional income , even if it's relatively small, is available. A lot of the "running an airfield" costs are fixed.
As long as it is still an airfield it may become available to the great unwashed (us) again.

Do you need a fully licensed field to have a paradrop operation and a DZ?

[malcolmfrost]

Keevil and Redlands don't have an ATZ.

[Dave W]

Redlands sadly closed at the end of September, I believe.

Parachuting at Keevil is only occasional and much that does occur are non-live loads from low level I think.

[defcribed]

Do you need a fully licensed field to have a paradrop operation and a DZ?

Absolutely not. Neither of my two nearest, Hinton-in-the-Hedges and Weston-on-the-Green are licensed.

With their current plans as stated, there is absolutely no reason for Old Sarum to remain licensed.

[TCornish]

Please note - those that run the airfield, do not own the land. The Freehold is owned by a separate party.

[Dave W]

Somewhat off topic, I know, but:
@defcribed, one of those isn't licensed but does have the benefit of a block of 966,000,000 cubic feet* of semi-permanent EGD129 for 70% of the time.

Not many other DZs manage that.

*2.1nm radius to FL120

[cockney steve]

Whilst there is a housing-shortage and an expanding population, there will be a premium on buildable-land.
Even if some Government grasped the nettle and eased planning- restrictions dramatically (I give you Centre-Point,London )as a prime example, we do not have the necessary infrastructure or skilled labour-force to construct vast quantities of desirable housing, thus leading to a surplus and lower prices. Unfortunately, people don't want to live where land is currently abundant and therefore cheap (I give you Burnley)

[CloudHound]

Thanks for offering Burnley. Sadly it’s not one of the Lancashire towns we want.

[CloudHound]

Planning applications for new homes in and around our East Sussex village number 100.

Sadly none appears to be of a size affordable by a portion of the Children of the Village.

Being London commutable they will look Uber cheap and be bought by people as dormitory housing.

[chevvron]

Do you need a fully licensed field to have a paradrop operation and a DZ?

Absolutely not. Neither of my two nearest, Hinton-in-the-Hedges and Weston-on-the-Green are licensed.

With their current plans as stated, there is absolutely no reason for Old Sarum to remain licensed.

Weston on the Green is not a civil airfield and is regulated by MOD.

[PlaneStupid]

The owners attempt to obtain a judicial review to overturn the refusal has failed. So, they are now reopening the airfield - having closed it a only month ago because it was apparently unviable and uneconomic.

Excellent to hear that Od Sarum will become active again, puzzled that it will only be for commercial business; not recreational and GA.