Originally Posted by 2Donkeys
Housing development is probably one of the least likely options, given that the area has a glut of housing and a decreasing population. Gravel extraction would be a more probable alternative.
You may well be right but the point is, stones or homes, they'd both generate income for the council which an airport never will.
Originally Posted by 2Donkeys
Southerly IFR approaches are highly unlikely at Oban thanks to the terrain to the North, but cloud-break manoeuvres don't seem impractical to me
Can you tell me anywhere in the UK where such a procedure has been approved by the CAA? The high ground to the north precludes any approach pointing at the airfield due to the effects on the missed approach - unless you accept a ridiculously high MDA - so a cloudbreak procedure would have to be to somewhere in the middle of the firth, followed by a VFR transit. That would presumably require vis minima high enough to see the airfield from the missed approach point, which would be several km away. Then of course it would require a circling approach. The UK's main Jetstream operator doesn't allow circling approaches.
Originally Posted by 2Donkeys
I see no reason why a Jetstream operation into Oban would be impractical. Citations regularly used the place in its unlicensed state
All the Citations I've seen there were carrying one passenger, operating in wide open VMC, and in conditions where there was a significant headwind component on runway 19. The obstacle limitation surfaces for both 01 and 19 are breached on short final. This will mean displaced thresholds at both ends. A Jetstream would require >1100 metres. Highly unlikely that is achievable at Oban and the CAA have already told consultants that.
As SAS says, it's sad that a perfectly achievable and sustainable air service has been rejected by the council because it wants to be up with the big boys. Shetland Council manages to run daily scheduled services to four unlicensed strips, on a CAA exemption, at a fraction of the cost proposed for the Oban operation.
NS