Personally, I never had a problem with Dodgy Barn Dances in Llanfair!
Woosie's aircraft then was a Beech 200 King Air - that excites me, but then most aircraft do! He now owns a Citation. When it was based at Welshpool it provided income to the airport and work, both for locally based aircrew and two part-time ground crew. In any case, he and the aircraft are both now Jersey based.
I don't think that TB answered the WtW allegations in any way. But then depending on which side of this particular argument you are on, you would or would not agree with that anyway. I still remember the video of Vanessa going through the reporters car whilst he was interviewing Tony! Nothing to hide there then... However, I think that is moving away from the discussion which is centred around whether the airport's development without Pool is the way forward.
Yes, the funding you mentioned did go into the infrastructure, but you need to research your facts (made difficult by the various mergers that have happened since, I grant you) into that. You will find interesting things there. EU Objective 1 was not involved at that time though.
21 jobs was entirely feasible based upon the business plans that were submitted back in 1990/1, but this was related to the business side developing. Which, to labour the point somewhat, it didn't.
Your statement regarding the CAA's clean bill of health is another one I would take issue with, but you will need to speak to the CAA about that, it's not for public disemination via this board. The MP in question was Alex Carlile, not Lembit, and he would be happy to discuss the findings with you I'm sure.
There are a number of businesses which I know of who left WPL for the better economies that other airports offered. Although those who never actually made it there are a bit hypothetical, your list of CT, Severn Valley (I could have sworn the PA32 had gone to Shobbers) and Sidoli pretty much covers the based operators? Correct me please. Your assertion that Shobdon and Sleap are not home to any Business Aircraft is unfounded, Shobdon had a jet based there for many years, Sleap is the home to a number of Piston Twins, but a developed Welshpool is a stage on from these in any case and is comparable to Hawarden and Gloster. The aircraft these places attract include Citations I thru VII, Falcon 50s, Hawkers - Hawarden's catchment (Chester) is comparable to that of Mid-Wales (and Oswestry, Shrewsbury etc - bearing in mind that Shawbury isn't too user friendly), Gloster has Cheltenham and Gloucester, but it also has competition from Bristol(s), Birmingham and Cardiff.
What is clear is that Welshpool has been nothing other than a training base for the past 10 years. It was great that people could get cheap licences, but to say that that is a great development is
PR spin. A great development would have been one that had allowed training to happen alongside the increased business use. The situation that developed did not allow that.
Defend Pool as much as you want, but what they acheived wasn't anything dramatically wonderful. What they had was exactly the same as all companies which move into the area, apart from the fact that their deal carried on until April this year, i.e. low overheads - face it, they were not paying a market rent for a dedicated facility. Part of their agreement was to provide a business airport - Special Cat Fire Cover, how did that work then?
WWW, you know I worked there at the very beginning. I hold some minor bitterness about Pool, mainly from being tarred with a brush which wasn't there or, if it had been, wasn't fair. But overall, I'd like to think that my career has led me into more logical thought than that which I had when I was in school. The area needs investment and the only way that is going to happen is by getting investors to move in. A flying school on its own would not assist that. A business airport would.