Can I use my field to fly from?

[Baboon Boy]

Probably better off asking my local planning authority but anyway,

Have got a rather nice field on my estate, which I reckon could be suitable for flying a small sep plane from. It is about 500m long, flat with no big trees or plyons near it. Could be used to fly from easily I reckon if I cut the grass a bit. Are there any regulations, CAA or planning which prevent me from doing this? If so, how can I get permission?
Has anyone else out there converted a field into a mini private airstrip?

Cheers, baboon.

[pistongone]

Baboon Boy,
if you want a hand cutting the grass, maybe we could trade some work for landings? You will hear from all the boys about the 28 day rule, no change of use etc etc. In a nutshell this means, you can land on it with the owners permision, in so doing you are not using the field for its main intended use, like growing stuff. So you can do this for 28 days a year without any planning grovelling etc. Point is, if you are sensible and dont annoy anyone, then who's counting. On the other hand, if you are approaching over Mr and Mrs Nimby's house half a mile on final at 150', then expect to brush up on your Diplomacy technique! Good luck and let me know about the Grass cutting Job:ok:

[FlyingForFun]

Probably better off asking my local planning authority but anywayActually, I'd say you're probably better off speaking to the PFA (who know all about this stuff) than your local authority (who probably very rarely deal with private airfields).

Pistongone's reply is correct according to my understanding, though - if you are the land owner, you can legally use your land for up to 28 days per year for a purpose other than that which you have planning permission, e.g. as an airfield, without needing to do anything whatsoever.

FFF
----------------

[Hen Ddraig]

You would be even better off speaking to AOPA they specalise in this sort of thing and have some very good introductory notes.
Hen Ddraig
Time to spare, go by air.

[muffin]

You will find some very useful notes on the GAAC web site at
http://www.gaac.co.uk/

[shortstripper]

I have a strip on the farm I manage ... would love my own estate though! Lucky fella! :D

SS

PS ... If it's a Scottish estate, then it probably has some large areas of water as well? .... Floatplane too?

[Arclite01]

Contact Peter Kember - he specialises in this sort of thing.

Arc

[scooter boy]

Baboon Boy

Just cut the grass, roll it flat and get flying.

You may want to let your insurance company know you are operating into an unlicensed airfield and also if you are basing your A/C there.

Local authorities will only get nosey if somebody complains.
Invoking the regulators inevitably means regulation of some sort will take place which will cost you money you could spend on flying.

Keep the neighbours (if you have any close enough to get upset) as sweet as possible with offers of flights etc...

A hangar, windsock, weather station, bowser, PCL should all follow in good time.

Anyhow for some reason I'm thinking you look like the lead singer of supergrass with a nickname like Baboon boy, am I right?

SB:cool:

[Sir George Cayley]

Not sure if it's still the case but I think certain agricultural sheds are not subject to planning permission. (or maybe reduced procedures)

Therefore NEVER apply for a hangar - it's for your 30' wide plough;)

Sir George Cayley

[ScotsmanCalledPaddy]

Does it make a difference if the proposed strip is under a MATZ?

[S-Works]

i hope not, ours is.....

[high-hopes]

[quote=Baboon Boy;2935735]
Have got a rather nice field on my estate, which I reckon could be suitable for flying a small sep plane from. It is about 500m long, flat with no big trees or plyons near it. Could be used to fly from easily I reckon if I cut the grass a bit. Are there any regulations, CAA or planning which prevent me from doing this? If so, how can I get permission?
Has anyone else out there converted a field into a mini private airstrip?

[quote]

baboon
you have a strip.
have you got a plane too ?

Would you like to make friends with me ? LOL :cool:

[wrecker]

It could be worth contacting Flying Farmers Association. (try Googling) as there is a lot of information out there from people who have done it all before. Good Luck

www.ffa.org.uk

[stiknruda]

Canvass opinion from your neighbours first.

Watch the 28 day rule - it is fine to rip the arse out of it IF no one complains BUT as soon as you have complaints you'll have someone counting days use.

Take off and £uck off - don't do circuits, don't use the overhead for your daily aerobatic sortie.

Be VERY careful who you invite in - a series of botched go-arounds is just like circuits.

Be prepared to pull other people's aeroplanes out of the hedge/ditch at the end - some folk just can not deal with less than 1000m of tarmac.

Notwithstanding the above, having my aeroplane 60' from my backdoor is one of the biggest freedoms I know.

Stik

[RatherBeFlying]

Neighbors' principal concerns are Noise and safety -- ie. approach and takeoff paths well away from houses and livestock.

Some a/c are considerably quieter and more neighbor tolerated than others.

Rather than a direct canvass, you may want to consider having them over and building good relationships before bring up the question of a/c flying overhead. It may even help to have them up for a jolly where you're a/c is currently based and hinting how much more fun it would be having the a/c closer to hand;)

[wombat13]

Have got a rather nice field on my estate, which I reckon could be suitable for flying a small sep plane from.

Am I alone in thinking this guy is up his own arse writing something like this? There seems to be a big tongue and an even larger cheek missing here.

The Wombat

[shortstripper]

You could be right Wombat ... Any decent estate would have lots of nice fields to fly SEP's from. Might need PAPI's and an NDB / DME for his long distance low level returns from the south coast of England too! :eek:

Of course he could be genuine ... but I'm beginning to doubt it :p

SS

[chrisN]

SS/Wombat, I'm puzzled as to why you suspect a wind-up - there are enough farm or estate owners not yet having airstrips that one might well write into here to ask about possibilities. Also, I have looked at many farms for sale where there was little or no chance of etsablishing a long enough and flat enough strip - even in Essex, which people think is flat but isn't.

Baboon, as often happens on web sites like this with planning issues, what has been written is a mixture of truth, half truth and common fallacies. You really need to speak to an expert, with whom you can discuss your actual circumstances. You can make a start by joining if not already a member one of AOPA, PFA or BMAA depending on your aircraft type, and/or by using the free download referred to above from GAAC, and/or paying GAAC for the much more detailed planning advice document.

To others - a clue - the 28 days issue does not necessarily apply when it's your own aircraft using your own land attached to your own house.

Like all the rest, what I have written is free advice, and may be worth little if anything more than you have paid for it.

Chris N.

[shortstripper]

Chris,

My suspicions don't come so much from this post, but rather from others that baboon boy has written (see the "own up" thread).

Baboon boy, sorry old chap, some of us get rather cynical from time to time on here :} So if you are indeed genuine, please take what I say with a pinch of salt. See http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247451&highlight=28+day+rule for more stuff on the 28 day rule in a recent thread.

SS

[Baboon Boy]

Blimey, didn't think Id end up the subject of a "wind up" investigation for this post. Alright, I dont have an "estate" as such, im talking about my Dads farm. Like the idea of calling it "my estate" though, made me feel regal.

Cut the grass at the weekend and rolled out about a 15m wide strip in preparation, gonna give it a go next time I go out in my plane, probably at the weekend. Thinikng of putting a windsock up however, might be a bit safer if I can get a half decent idea of the wind speed and direction before commiting.

Ill let you know how it goes, if Im still alive!

[wombat13]

Chris, you are right. It is small minded and envious of me to question monkey boy in this way.

We all should own estates in Scotland at 28, shouldn't we?

The Wombat

[Sam Rutherford]

Last post you were going to give it a shot 'this weekend' any news?!

Sam.

[will5023]

Hi B. Boy, one thing a few people have forgot to mention is, 1, is your aircraft suitable for airstrip operation ?, 2 ,a windsock is a good idea unless you want to end up in the far hedge,3, arrive with half tanks and inspect the strip on the day, preferable dry with no holes which the rabbits may have dug overnight !
As far as speaking to local planning authority is leave it, unless there is a problem they will not come and find you. Do speak to your neighbours, if you have any and say it is just for your use not the next Highland International ! If all goes well you will enjoy many happy times operating from a grass strip.
Oh and my experience on this is I started a strip on our family farm 20 years ago !

Will.

[Sam Rutherford]

...for paintballing could make great wind markers - and the little ones are just GBP1.50 each (30 seconds of smoke). You can find them easily on the internet.

They are pyrotechnics, so not sure about issues for carrying them in a/c!

Just a thought!

Sam.