[KNT754G]

Blackpool, the bus stop is 60 seconds walk from the terminal two minutes from the clubs (buses every five mins), energetic pilots can walk into town (2 miles) train station is five minutes walk from airport with an hourly service.

Three runways, IAP on 10/28, radar (when we have enough staff!!)
Instrument training usually welcome (subject the above staffing remark)

Weekdays if arriving from south call Warton Radar 129.525 instead of blackpool approach. (if no answer after 3 calls call BPL APP)

PPR BY PHONE BEFORE YOU SET OFF due to limited GA parking. If the published PPR phone number isnt answered phone ATC and complain.

Better still arrange with one of the several local clubs/schools to park on their apron (avoiding aiport parking charge) and then phone ATC to book in mentioning where you will be parked.

[JonathanB]

Better still arrange with one of the several local clubs/schools to park on their apron (avoiding aiport parking charge) and then phone ATC to book in mentioning where you will be parked.

I can thoroughly recommend Westair for this!

[PhilC]

Also a perfect set-up for your Night Qualification :wink:

[sparks-flying]

Flight Academy Blackpool now have their Cafe/Snack Bar open, serving cooked breakfasts etc making it as welcoming, if not more, than other local smaller airfields.

Just state you're visiting Flight Academy and taxi to Hangar 8. The landing fee can be paid through the flying school.

[adam04]

Flew in earlier today, ATC were very helpful (think it may of been KNT).

Taxied to flight acad where i had arranged parking but they earlier seemed to want me to pay my landing fee direct to the airport. SO on landing i was informed that i needed to go to the front and pay there. Small trek later i was at the information desk where i was told to go to some portacabin (VSU?), where i was told i needed to go to another cabin, but before i could do that i needed to pass my watch and wallet through an xray. Then told that there was noone in that cabin and I needed to go the fueller.

He then had some messing and came to a price of £33 (for a microlight), as I had been charged a passenger supplement. After much messing he just took the landing fee and said he would sort it later. I then left the airside to return to flight academy where i reentered the air side (without the xray). Half an hour later now so time to head home without the cup of tea planned....

Maybe just an off time as it was getting towards sunset...

[KNT754G]

If it was getting towards sunset then it wasn't me, I knocked off at 17:00 UTC yesterday.

It is not easy knowing where to go to pay the landing fee, especially out of normal office hours.

Perchance FAB Only have an arrangement for collecting landing fees for their "own" aircraft (which includes AGL from Barton hence the quote marks)

Information desk in terminal is (AFAIK) not one of the options.
Simpler method would have been to don the cheeseontoast and walk round to either the refuelling office or (if they tell you ground handling is open) a further hundred yards to that emporium. Avoids the security screening.

Not exactly user friendly I admit, but if you think that is hassle you should see the rigmarole I have to go through to claim my overtime payments!

[mpk]

I hired from ANT last month. Decent prices, decent planes and a very friendly set up. I'll be back..

[Merlin83b]

I visited Blackpool last Thursday on an IR training flight. 1 NDB/DME approach, 1 ILS approach (glideslope currently U/S) came to £30 paid through Flight Academy. Clean facility, friendly reception. Great to see an apparently thriving GA business that understands customer service!

[bibendum]

I visited Blackpool yesterday and had a great service from ATC and Flight Academy Blackpool.

Landing fee was £17ish for the Robin, paid without hassle through FAB. They have a lovely lounge bar and were most helpful. I even joined as a social member (they had a reduced membership fee offer on)

Finding them on the apron was easy - aim for the air ambulance parked by the helipad / A1 hold

They don't seem to have been open long and had some new staff that were fine with things they'd done before but were still having to find the boss for anything new to them, so that may have been the problem when Adam04 visited. As I said, no issues yesterday, just some realy helpful people with a nice shiny new facility!

[Dodgy Reckoning]

Visited Blackpool last Thursday evening and parked with Flight Academy. I mainly picked Blackpool because: a) some positive comments here and b) they were open until 2100L and I wanted an evening arrival. Landing + overnight parking £36.80.

As it turned out, I also have cause to thank Blackpool ATC and RFF crew for their patient and professional handling of my non-radio arrival following a technical problem en-route.

DR

[140kias]

Planning a visit to Blackpool this Friday to include an overnight stay. Ive read some horror stories regards security etc. One of my passengers is of the fairer sex and is concerned about getting all her makeup and perfume confiscated.

Fortunately all the feedback on this site seems to be pretty positive.

Anyone with current information and advice on how to make this as smooth an experience as possible.

many thanks
140k

[140kias]

Visted Blackpool as planned on Friday before heading for IoM. Based on the information provided I arranged parking in advance with Flight Academy. They were helpful and efficient and no crazy security restrictions.

[TimB]

I have looked on the Blackpool Airport web site and see that, in their terms and conditions, they require all aircraft to have third party insurance of at least £ 5,000,000. They state that evidance of this insurance must be available while the aircraft is at the airport.
Is this actually the case ?

[UpThere]

I asked them to explain why they required £5 million, but never got a response. They've never checked my insurance, which does have the required cover, but I suppose they are only likely to do that if there's an incident ...

[KNT754G]

As Bepy said GA is now parked on the "loop" (see airport diagrams in AIP or VFR publications)

Plus side is the very lightest of security arrangements.
Down side is it is a goodly walk from the aeroplane if it is raining.

Further good points, PPR was removed some time ago, except for IFR flights but just file your FPL and you should be fine.

COMING SHORTLY:-
Discount landing fees with AVGAS fuel uplift for visitors
Loyalty landing scheme for visitors

Both of those should be permanent, I will ppost when I know for sure they are in place.

Seriously bad news - Runway 07/25 permanently withdrawn from use.
I battled against this for nine months and in so doing managed to delay it, but alas I have been ultimately unsuccessful.

By the beginning of 2011 Blackpool will, hopefully, have radar services available throughout airport opening hours, which will prompt the removal of PPR for IFR flights and will mean we can accomodate Instrument Training over a much longer period.