Plan B!
Still nobody answering any of the lines - rather to the annoyance of the very helpful MoD operator.
In the meantime, Liverpool Airport is 30 minutes down the coastal railway from where I want to be anyway, and Ravenair couldn't have been more helpful when I phoned to book in. Not cheap to be fair, but not BAA prices either, so liveable with.
Thanks everybody, especially airpolice, for your help.
G