Lewknor Airfield?

[Oscar Kilo]

Folks,

Can anyone enlighten me to the status of Lewknor airfield (which is just on the North Eastern edge of the Benson MATZ if you didn't know). I ask as it appears on the charts as significant as say Chalgrove or Hinton in the Hedges yet I can't find any references to it in Pooleys.

Is it a potential target for the log book now that the evenings are drawing out I wonder? ...mind you it would probably only take 10 minutes from White Waltham.

Anyone know/been there, know what the runway(s) are like, etc?

Cheers,

- Andy.

[Keef]

Bit schizophrenic, is Lewknor! It's also been known as Lambert Arms and as Aston Rowant.

The half-mill shows it as open and parachuting (or did, last time I checked).

BUT CAP481 shows it as closed. The best historical information I've been able to glean reckons it was closed before 1985. Maybe it reopened for parachuting?

If you drop in and find it's open, please let me know and I'll update the A4A Airfields List accordingly.

[Irv]

Benson have never reported it as active when asked on the few occasions it has been en-route for me, but I didn't get the impression that it is NEVER active, more of a very occasional base for a parachute plane. The only time I thought I saw it, it looked like a very unused normal grass field (ie: no obvious 'wear')

[Oscar Kilo]

Hmmmm, thanks for that chaps - I wonder who "owns" it - ie, how you go about getting permission to land there. Would be another for the ol' logbok.

The other one I fancy is Chalgrove which looks fab from the air but I see in Pooley's belongs to Martin Baker and is for use on company business only (shame).

- Andy.

[Floppy Link]

Operated by the London Parachute School at

Lewknor DZ website (http://www.bpa.org.uk/dropzone/dzlondonparachuteschool.htm)

or relevant info from the (skydive oriented) site:

Lewknor DZ 129.90
phone 01494 459500

Russell
ex-Benson based in the good old days

[FlyingForFun]

If you can find a phone number, give them a call - there's nothing to loose.

In some idle moments recently, I've been calling some obscure fields, microlight fields, gliding clubs etc, mainly out of interest. (Not been to any of them yet, but might well do over the summer.)

Just about every call has been met with a friendly reply, varying from "Yes, of course you're welcome, we can provide you with a hangar, a bed for the night, free champagne+caviar and someone to clean your boots", through to "You'd be welcome, but you should probably drive in first and take a look, the field might be too rough for you", or, in the worst case, "we'd love to let you fly here, but our planning permission only allows one powered aircraft to operate here at any one time, and that's the gliding club's tow-plane."

Have to admit I haven't called either Chalgrove or Lewknor yet (possibly because of a bad mis-identification experience when I was a student...)

FFF
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(PS No one has actually offered me free champagne and caviar yet.)

[FNG]

Or you could try Thame (Aylesbury), just next to Chinnor. The owners welcome powered visitors at weekends, although it is fair to say that the CAMRA-beardy style gliding people who actually use the place were a bit sniffy when I called in one day, even though I kept well clear of the cable etc.

Zero facilities: just a long grass strip.

[eyeinthesky]

FNG: If you try to land just next to Chinnor you will get a surprise, as Aylesbury Thame airfield is actually just north of the village of Haddenham, some 4.5 miles to the NNE of Chinnor!

Lewknor is used in the summer for paradropping with a C206 which drops into Wycombe occasionally for fuel.

[FNG]

You are quite right, I can't think why I said Chinnor as my parents live in Thame so I know the area quite well. The field is easy to spot, just next to light industrial buildings and close to the railway.

[Oscar Kilo]

Thanks again, I will contact the nutters at Lewknor (skydiving - no thanks!) and see what's possible.

Some of the more obscure fields are actually great for GA - I frequently land at Tibbenham in Norfolk which is operated by the Norfolk gliding club and has massive ex WW2 runways with excellent surfaces, you can even get fuel there if you have to. No landing fees and a good spot to visit - albeit you need your head on a swivel and have to work out airfield information for yourself on arrival (no-one seems to ever man the radio).

- A.

[FNG]

The ever infotmative controltowers site has this to say about Thame, with a good aerial shot showing its present appearance.

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/T-V/Thame.htm

There is no entry for Lewknor under any of its names.