News On Sheffield

[100LL]

Just herd today that Sheffield City Airport has gained single engine approval and will be open as from Monday PPR by telephone only not Sheffield Radio. All traffic must join overhead M1 M18 VRP and proceed 2000ft overhead sheffield Airport. All Circuits to the south. Departing traffic on reaching 500 Ft all traffic must turn South and Climb to 1500 ft No flying over sheffield City center and no Solo student flying, and no paned repetive circuits

[knobbygb]

Good news - been a long time coming. It'll be nice to get it in the log book before it closes.

Where did you get the arrival/departure info 100LL? I notice the AIP hasn't yet been updated. Any idea what the landing fee is?

If I can book an aircraft do any of the local Ppruners fancy flying in there Monday from Sherburn to 'christen' the place?

[100LL]

I know someone on the inside.

[dbromle]

How come someone in prison gets to find out first?

[100LL]

because he's the Keeper of the Soap

[camaro]

Just shows how much the CFI at Netherthorpe knows.......

A couple of months back he told me that he had "inside information" and that it was definitley a no go for SE Ops at Sheff. :rolleyes:

Anyway, good news at last.:)

[Circuit Basher]

and no paned repetive circuits

Does this mean you're not allowed to watch them through a window?? ;)

Good news - maybe not for the residents of Sheffield, though, if more PPRuNers are likely to descend en masse upon the fair city!!

[poetpilot]

So, howzabout a fly-in then?

[topcat450]

Can only be a good thing after just being told theres a 4 week waiting list for a/c on a weekend at the school closest to me. - now I'm beginning to think which is the lesser of two evils...a 1 and a half hour drive to fly an a/c at relatively short notice (+£200 membership), or 25 mins drive but with a 4 week waiting list.:( :( :yuk:

[niknak]

Make the most of it!
I don't know who owns the airport now, (Peel used to, but I think that they may have sold it back to Sheffield City council), but they aren't going to spend a fortune on the place.

For those who aren't aware, allegedly, the airport is built on "man made hill", ie, it was originally an open cast coal mine, and the waste material from the extraction process was dumped there, and the resourceful mining company (Budge), decided to bulid an airport there (with the help of a huge European grant).

Anyway, as hills do, it doesn't stay still for long, I was there just before the airports commercial operations ceased, and the atc tower had a huge crack in one of the windows, allegedly as a result of subsidence.

No doubt the rest of the place is boogying on down at the same rate.:p

[QNH 1013]

Topcat450,

"there's a 4-week waiting list for an aircraft at a weekend"

Sounds like a very good reason to join a group. I joined a group based on a two-seat Jodel about five years ago and I can think of very few times when someone else's booking has "clashed" with my desire to fly. Also, flying at six pounds per hour dry means that my flying hours are limited by the time available, rather than by wallet constraints.

Our group only has one aircraft, but I have met members of more ambitious groups with two or even three aircraft available, which presumably gives better availability than owning your own aircraft.

By the way, landing fees were £15 + vat per tonne last time I flew into Sheffield. I assume they are much less now that the instrument approaches, ATC and ATIS have all gone. I assume some of the fire engines have also gone. Last time I flew in, there were more fire engines than aircraft.

[foghorn]

Just spoken to the airport. It's official. They expect SE Ops to start on Monday.

I'll be paying them a visit next Friday then, weather and PPR permitting.

Landing fees haven't yet been officially confirmed, but they are likely to be £5 per ton, parking fees £5 per 24 hours. Very reasonable too.

cheers!
foggy.

[READY MESSAGE]

Very interesting......

I saw some drawings earlier this week which turned Sheffield airport into an extension of the Meadowhall Shopping centre. The runway is to become a cobbled boulevard with bars/restaurants along the side.

You have to ask if Sheffield remains commercially viable with LBA, HUY and the news that Finningley is to get a new lease of life.

If it is to keep going then I welcome the news that they are accepting SEPs and look forward to a visit myself. I just hope that it is not short lived. Too many airfields just disappear........

[SuperOwl]

Great news. I live 2 miles from EGSY (almost under the approach to runway 28) and like the idea that there are going to be aeroplanes using Sheffield City again.

If any of you flying from Netherthorpe are planning to drop in on Sheffield City would you be so kind to as take me along for the ride? I'll pay my way of course or at the very least the landing fee at Sheffield.:ok:

[QNH 1013]

SuperOwl, Check your private messages.

[foghorn]

I'm not sure what the owner's long term plans for EGSY are, but at least lifting the SEP ban should give them a good shot at being commercially viable in the short term, even with the limitation on training circuits. As MEP/helos only they were dead in the water as a GA field.

After all they're only RFF category 1 now, with just an A/G radio, plus they have lost the ILS and DME and only turn on the NDB on request - their fixed costs can't be that great, unless they are still repaying construction costs or pay large rates to the council.

On top of that they are in a bit of a G/A desert, with ~1.5 million people within 15nm radius of the city centre, with Netherthorpe the only G/A field within this area (OK Gamston, Sandtoft and Hucknall are not that far outside this radius, but it takes almost 1 hour to drive to them).

If it stays open to SEP I'll be a regular visitor, as will another member of the group, plus other people that I know.

cheers!
foggy.

[topcat450]

Thanks for the reply QNH...I did put a post out looking for groups but with little positive response, but well we'll see what happens with Sheffield. I went up on Sunday just to see what/who was there and saw a Schweizer helo leaving, I have to admit I never really understood why they could allow s/e helos but not fixed wing. But well, at least it's open for the time being.

[SuperOwl]

QNH1013, please check your message box.

[100LL]

First single in today PA32 Saratoga.

[jayemm]

I just rang Sheffield to see if they are operating this Easter Monday. They are, so I'm going to fly in to pick up my brother en-route to Carlisle.

You might like to know a few details about the PPR.

They need you to phone them in advance to provide booking details (including no. on board, arrival time, departure time, destination etc) and because they'll fax you details for Sheffield which you have to sign and fax back before you get the PPR. So, allow enough time for the fax exchange.

Landing fees are £5 per tonne. My MTOW is 1055kg so just puts me in the £10 category, damn!

I spoke with Dawn, who was very clear (reference previous threads on Sheffield) and very helpful.

[foghorn]

I concur with jayemm, however be a bit gentle with them as they're not yet fully up to speed with the procedure - early days yet no doubt. I was just told initially that I could only request PPR on the day of the flight, which makes early arrivals at EGSY impossible. It was quickly sorted out though - you can request in advance.

The sign/fax-back procedure is a once-off procedure, subsequent PR requests won't require it as long as they have your signed form on file. Apparently the sign / fax back procedure is a CAA requirement, not the airport or the council being petty.

[24Right]

I'll cetainly be dropping in as it's only 15 mins from home - but of course I have to go to Gamston/Netherthorpe to get the aircraft, so until there's something to hire at Sheffield the distance is rather academic. Unless someone is interested in forming a group - now there's a thought...

Incidentally, I didn't realise that the NDB was off unless requested - it was fine a few weeks ago when I tracked into it. Also, unless things have changed in the last couple of months the DME was working fine (even though the ILS isn't available). Where did this information come from - was it a reliable source?

24R

[foghorn]

Well I visited this weekend. Not many other aircraft were there this weekend due wx (so anyone ppruning from EGSY knows exactly who I am now :))

They are friendly, helpful and with the run of the whole of the now surplus-to-requirements scheduled terminal, including a cafe with the obligatory bacon butties, it's one of the better-equipped GA fields you'll visit, from a hospitality perspective. They didn't want to publish their new SE status because they have lots of staff away due to the easter hols. They will in due course. Even so they have had lots of interest already. There were several people enquiring about moving aircraft from Gamston to be based at EGSY, however they don't have much parking, so if you are thinking about this, move fast. There seems to be a PA38 based there already doing lessons and trial flights, plus there's an Arrow in the hangar.

The flying restrictions aren't half as onerous as they seem when read - they basically want to keep traffic as much as possible over the 40 degree or so sector of countryside east of the field. However most of the circuit and the 10 approach / 28 climb out is over built up areas, so stay within gliding range if possible, plus there is a large noise-sensitive village (Treeton I think) on the 28 approach/10 climbout at 3nm.

The fueller didn't have any oil, which I found rather strange.

All in all well worth a visit.

24R - the NDB is notammed to be on request only, however it was on over the weekend.

[24Right]

Foghorn,

with the wx at the weekend I'm surprised you could see Sheffield, let alone EGSY!

That will teach me to read the Notams before posting next time.

24R:O

[topcat450]

Anyone know how to get the new airfield chart for Sheffield...as the one on the AIS website still says single-engined ops are banned?

How often to AIS update their site..I'd have expected it to be more upto date than it seems to be?