East Midlands Flying School
 

Hi,

It saddens me to be reporting that The East midlands Flying School is closing down at the end of November 2007, this I believe is due to the expansion of certain areas of EGNX, effectively building over the flying schools building and apron.

I am a current EMFS Student (About 20ish hours in) and what disappoints me the most is the inability of East Midlands Airport to re-locate the flying school to another area of the airfield effectively ending what is a quality school at what I used to think was a pretty decent airfield, I'm sure there's plenty of politics behind the decision and no doubt Ryan Air, BMI, Easy Jet etc and DHL provide the airport with more ££££'s that EMFS could ever do.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone at EMFS for a great time, learning was always fun, thanks to the instructors who took me up and said those exciting and sometimes scary words "You have control" and to the owners for providing a safe and enjoyable flying school with a family atmosphere.

You will be missed.

Spru!

That's what happens when airfields become too big for their boots over here. Don't know where you live, but Leicester has a great atmosphere and the real Nottingham airport isn't that bad. If it's not too far I'd head to Leicester if I was you.

How very sad and depressing. I wonder what the background is? Has the owner been given inducements to close/move by the airport? There's no mention of closure on the school's website.

NEMA has a similar number of ATMs to Belfast and Newcastle where training continues. It has a great deal less than Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen where training continues (although none of those are commercial outfits). There should be no reason why an airport with those traffic levels should not be able to support a flying school. At least EMFS has a whole host of alternative locations - Nottingham, Derby, Leicester to name the obvious ones.

I predict Leeds Bradford will be the next to ditch GA. The new MD there is the guy who did his best to eject GA from Bristol then Newcastle.

NS

Inducements
 

Quote "I wonder what the background is? Has the owner been given inducements to close/move by the airport? There's no mention of closure on the school's website"

Not that I was aware of, in the details I have been made aware of, the flying school asked for a new lease at an alternate location on the airfield and were refused by EGNX.

I'm from Nottingham and although I agree we have a few alternatives, it's still a sad fact of life!

Spru!

There are two sides to every story - so before we start attacking the airport:

1) The owner has had a stroke, the school has been run by his wife since. If the will to continue the business was there, why not re-locate to another airfield?

2) Flying training is not ceasing at EMA - Donair is still there.

3) Contrary to popular opinion expressed here the site at EMA is extremely small for the business it contains. There is precious little room to expand where needed. One look at the airport diagram in the AIP (if you have a knowledge of what is already on the site) shows to all but the most blinkered attitude that options for re-location are minimal, if they exist at all.

4) Unlike areas like Newcastle, Belfast etc the area is well served by 3, licenced, GA airfields.

My understanding that that there is plenty of room for a flying school, but car parks make more money :)

(note the smiley)

could not put a car park on the EMFS site-and Chilli is right there is more to this than an anti GA airport, which by and large we are not

@North South
I'd doubt anything will appear on the website to be honest - its updated by the engineer and the majority of it is well out of date.

All members/students were informed by letter, we're doing our best to get people through the course asap and for people with a long way to go, we'll be making it as easy as poss to move schools/clubs.

And where would you relocate to ChilliMonster? Most of the GA fields about are probably owned by the same people owning the schools... I am sure they would just LOVE the competition, as would the schools there..

Also simply upping sticks and bogging off at a moments notice is not really a practability....well unless your name is R***A*R.... their track record on this isn't exactly startling compared to a company that has been established on the same site for over 20 years, One hopes it does not come home and bite the airport on the butt having seemingly laid all their eggs in one proverbial basket.

If that was the case, then why did the school have over 300 members? surely they would have gone elsewhere if the supply was adequate.

Sorry to hear the news about EMSF.

Some of us remember the early days - I seem to recall the EMSF located there almost as soon as EMA opened for business and I spent many a happy hour there when my father was an instructor there.

Many a budding professional pilot started at EMSF and they also trained countless PPLs too.

The halcyon days of Orion Airways and then proceeding to the flying school for a chat and a cup of tea (not to mention the bar!) will never be forgotten - how lucky we were to have those days!

Thanks to Bill and Jill and all the staff that have kept it going for so long.

That's a shame, I had just started looking at schools to do a PPL around the Nottingham area, EMFS was top of the list.
Presumably Donair might benefit from EMFS's unfortunate dismise if they sell the aircraft and other equipment to them?
Has anyone had any experience of Donair? Would be interested to know what they are like.

Donair have been on the go for as long as I have, (and thats a long time!) and I've not heard anything adverse about them.
I believe that says as much as you need to know:ok:

almost professional - from a pilot point of view you are indeed a very welcome airport. I have not actually landed there for some time but on my frequent travels from my home base I often ask and receive a very good service.
Thanks

I have recently changes flying schools to donair and find it great. Very good instructers, reasonablie fees and good atmosphere...better than my previous experiences.

I trained for my PPL at EMFS, I was at uni in Loughborough at the time and it was the closest place.

It's a real shame the place is closing down. The training I recieved was of the highest quality, even with hindsight.

Another good school lost and GA getting squeezed from another airfield. I wonder how long Donair will last.

Sorry to here that EMSF is to close. I have many good memories of the place. I did my Flying Instructors Course there with Fireflybob's father which was a totally enjoyable experience.

I only home they have a closing down party!

How about any ex-students of EMSF posting any funny stories as a sort of trip down memory lane. Here's one I can recall.

This must have happened late 1960s. In those days the ATC was, to say the least, somewhat lacking.

Frank Spencer (not the comedian but a very good ex RAF instructor) is in the circuit with a student in Cessna 150. We are all in the flying school listening in to Approach and the Red Arrows call for transit north to south through the overhead at circa 2,000 ft. ATC asks if they would like to go thru the overhead at low level (2-300 ft)? They reply in the affirmative so we are all outside to watch the impromptu display and they come across with smoke on etc - only trouble is Approach didnt notify the Tower so Frank gets the shock of his life when he's on short final pattering an approach when Arrow formation zoom across his bows with all the smoke.

The look on Franks face and the expletives he used when he was talking to ATC on the phone to complain had to be seen to be belived whilst the rest of us were suffering from unrestrained laughter! His student thought the lesson was the best ever!

Frank sent me on my first solo in 1968 at EMA on RW 28 (now 27) in a Chipmunk. He was certainly one of the best instructors ever and will be remembered by many and went on to set up the Spencer School of Flying at Tollerton later on.

Ok here is another. A large "balbo" of aircraft including all the aircraft from the flying school had gone across to see the air display at Hucknall in the late 1960s (this was in the days of REAL air displays with Lightnings doing full reheat climb outs etc!). They all returned in "loose" formation line astern. The ATCO in the tower authorised them to do a run and break (about 12 a/c) and land in stream. As they are beginning the "run" a Viscount calls the tower inbound from Belfast requesting a visual. Tower says cleared for a visual - report on final you are number thirteen!! All goes ok the last a/c of the Balbo is on final but the Viscount is a bit close behind. As the Cessna touches down ATC request the pilot to vacate IMMEDIATELY onto the grass (meaning the grass Runway 01/19 which crossed the main Runway 10/28 in those days). Unfortunately said pilot (who shall remain nameless RIP) clears the runway IMMEDIATELY onto the (muddy) grass and then gets stuck with tailplane overhanging the runway! Viscount is then instructed to Go Around (we called it Overshoot in the "olden days").

The Air Traffic Controller was well known to us and the ensuing conversation he had with the pilot of Cessna afterwards was one I will never forget!

Having been a member at EMFS for some 12 years or more, I always enjoyed my flying there. Sadly, whatever the rights and wrongs (as per the letter, and issues perhaps alluded to be Chilli / Almost_Prof), the likelihood is that GA will lose a number of pilots as a result of this. There are quite a number of hire-members at EMFS who particularly use the PA28s, and whilst Donair and/or Leicester and/or Tollerton and/or others may be alternatives for some, certainly my impression is that the former lacks sufficient aircraft to soak up a significant increase in members wanting to fly regularly.

Ah well, it was a good twelve years - the announcement's come just in time to stop me spending money on what could be a rather wasted medical! Farewell Bill and Gill and everyone else involved - and thankyou.

Andy