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Old 30th Jan 2016, 09:18
  #30 (permalink)  
Pittsextra
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 1,120
Received 9 Likes on 8 Posts
Still there - call them up 01954 719602 I believe.

Reading through some of these old posts you can see why things end as they do, for example.

I always like flying into Bourn as it is a friendly, working airfield rather than a glossy commercial concern. Everyone there seems to love flying and I don't mind if it's scruffy. Yes, I could pay £25 to land at Cambridge and enjoy a coffee machine and spotless planning room but I actually like making a cuppa at Bourn and being excused the landing fee because they welcome visits from "interesting aircraft" and waive the usual £10 fee
What is wrong with us? First of all it can not be a surprise that someone will actually own all these airfields that we like to visit. Therefore unless we expect them to provide this facility for free we should be happy to pay our landing fee, happy to pay for a coffee, bacon sandwich and uplift fuel. In fact if we want to ensure continued operation of the maximum number of airfields then the airfield owners/operators should make their coffee and bacon sandwiches at least as expensive as those you buy on the high st. And they should never waive a landing fee.

Our thinking is skewed all wrong when as GA pilots we have happily paid what 40-50hrs in a £150-180 PA28/C150-70 to get a PPL, we then rent them by the hour at a similar rate and then become all mean minded and have a moan up that we had to pay £10 landing fee and £3 for a coffee, before having a bigger moan up when these places can't make money and get sold for housing. Are we utterly mad?

Bourn is a mess, and actually whilst people might be very friendly and with the best of intentions it needs a spruce up both in terms of the physical airfield and the clubhouse. However sadly its chicken and egg. People don't come if there is nothing to come for, those that do come don't want to pay... and down it goes.

Unfortunately in 2016 the art and science of flying is not as attractive to the masses as it once was in the "golden era". The reasons for which I don't personally understand because we all are likely to agree that its possibly one of the best things we have all ever done.
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