Flying to the Isle of Wight for lunch - still an option?

[rich_g85]

Hi all, I've got my Dad coming down to stay in the next few weeks and he's expressed a desire to fly to the Isle of Wight (from Bournemouth) for lunch. I haven't really kept track of the various developments with Bembridge and Sandown so wondered if someone could outline the current position and whether this is still possible at either airfield? Thanks

[Tall_Guy_in_a_PA28]

Bembridge and Sandown are both open to visitors.

Bembridge is now operated by the gliding club. Details are on the web but the golden rule is DO NOT WALK ACROSS THE RUNWAY! Lunch is at the Propeller next door or a walk into town.

Sandown has a good cafe on site (sandwiches,burgers etc) but service can be a little slow when they are busy. Probably best to phone ahead to enquire about condition of grass. It was excellent a few months ago but can deteriorate during winter.

Edit to add website for Bembridge:
AIRFIELD INFO (http://www.vectisglidingclub.co.uk/html/airfield_info.html)

[rich_g85]

Oh that's great news! Thank you for your reply.

[FlyingGoat]

If you're landing on 30 at Bembridge (tarmac) you might want to consider spacing with other a/c in the circuit, or approach, if you want to backtrack and avoid taxying on the grass.

[rich_g85]

Thanks. I think chances are we'll go to Bembridge, given the proximity of the Propeller Inn! I'll have to make a call on the day, clearly if there's nothing behind me on final I'll backtrack and use the taxiway. Otherwise I'll vacate onto the grass.

[Lew747]

Sandown we flew into just a couple of months ago and found to be very nice. It's only a 20 odd minute walk to the seafront too where we had a nice bit of lunch by the pier :)

[rich_g85]

I finally got the opportunity to take Dad to the Isle of Wight this weekend, so I thought I'd post back and update this thread with our experience. We hadn't originally planned to go to Bembridge, so we hadn't phoned for PPR. I called on the A/G frequency somewhere just past Cowes and my call was answered by a friendly voice with the usual details, runway in use, circuit direction and an estimate of the wind (from the windsock!) Having read all the Pooleys notes on joining the circuit and overflying the runway at 1500' and so on, I thought I'd ask if there was any reason I couldn't just do a simple downwind join. This was "OK'd" and that's what we did. Landed on 30 (which I thought to be in very good condition), backtracked and parked on the north side of the runway. We then walked around the end of the runway to the caravan to pay our landing fee (£12 for a 2-seat Robin) and had a nice chat with the friendly voice from the radio. One note of caution - the grass away from the marked grass taxiway is very long and thick and so a slow taxi speed is advised. We then wandered over to the Propeller Inn, to a very friendly welcome and there was a nice log fire going too. Ordered some food, which arrived very promptly and the portions were quite simply huge! All in all, a really nice place to visit and I would suggest dropping in if you haven't done so already. :-) Rich

[neilgeddes]

Well done. Bembridge is a wonderful and friendly destination; as is Sandown :ok:

[Genghis the Engineer]

How is the Crab and Lobster these days? I've not been for a few years, and could be persuaded to a nice seafood lunch sometime soon.

G

[Morris542]

Good to hear! I'm determined to get over there at somepoint this year - time and money permitting!

[Sallyann1234]

How is the Crab and Lobster these days? I've not been for a few years, and could be persuaded to a nice seafood lunch sometime soon.
It's still worth a visit, but can get very busy at weekends especially in summer.