Originally Posted by
AirUK
Hello mate,
Firstly, welcome to the Beautiful South!
I was in a position similar to yourself recently, just wanting cheap flying and after visiting several flying clubs and getting their rates, then analysing on an excel spreadsheet (yeah I know, sad!) I found Blackbushe Aviation with their Gold club membership by far the best value option, provided you fly a couple of hours a month on average over the year. Add to that the great facilities at EGLK and the fact it’s a friendly light a/c-positive airfield (vs Biggin that are becoming more and more focussed on Biz-jet traffic) and IMO it’s a winner. Drop in when the new cafe is open (in the next week or two) and take a look for yourself.
Happy flying wherever you end up!
Thank you!
And Blackbushe Aviation is actually one of the outfits I've managed to find - will definitely bear what you said in mind.
Originally Posted by
Grelly
Hmm, Yes. The Bushe and Biggin are 50 miles apart. Your location would help us help you.
I'm actually based quite near Heathrow - so Blackbushe is certainly closer. However, I figured there may be utility in the long-term in flying from somewhere that more closely resembles Liverpool in terms of facilities (e.g. the ILS, ATC, 24/7 ops etc) that I've become used to having access to. Biggin Hill seems to be the closest match in that regard - distance travelled to get there wouldn't be a massive issue. However, if I can't find an affordable outfit, I guess it's off the table.
I'm aware there are other alternatives, too, but some of these are grass-only runways and my experience at EGCB has been that it's a hassle for maintaining currency due to the number of otherwise good-weather days where I can't actually fly because of surface conditions.