Newcastle Aero Club

[sabreliner]

As a very newly registered member to the Prune Forum I have been working through the many posts relating to the NAC situation with great interest. Having been a flying member of the club from 1977 to around '86 I felt I had to make a general comment.

Whatever the circumstances, financial mismanagement or otherwise that may or may not have put the club out of business, make no mistake......airport management or more specifically J.Parkin wanted the NAC out of Ncle Airport.

To give some perspective on the mentality of the management I would like to highlight a perhaps little known episode that occurred on the maintenance area of the airport a few months ago which involved Mr Parkin.

733 (Newcastle Airport) Squadron Air Training Corps has had a Headquarters at Ncle Airport for around 45 YEARS. 100's of aviation mined youth have passed through its doors over that time, many going onto military and civil flying careers and those that didn't at the very least began careers all the better for having been members of a great youth organisation. Now, as a community based asset (please note BahrainLad re the ending your last post) you would imagine an international airport would be proud to have an ATC squadron within its vast acreage, Heathrow and Manchester management are!

733 sqn has served the airport and the surrounding community honourably, nevertheless cadets and staff were given their marching orders by Mr Parkin. They just didn't fit into the master plan!

By removing 733 squadron from their small plot after such a long history with the airport Mr Parkin has shown contemptible meanness, therefore knowing the nature of the beast I would not expect Mr Parkin to show the slightest consideration or sympathy towards the oldest aero club in the UK in its hour of need. Indeed I would anticipate every possible obsticle thrown up to prevent any recovery package for the club succeeding.

Nevertheless I sincerely hope the club survives in some shape or form.

Great web site.