NEWQUAY
So the fat lady finally steps up to the mike at Air Southwest and doubtless the fainthearted will say NQY is now doomed.
Well it isn't. What is needed now is a concerted effort by the owners to attract new carriers to fill the gaps and to show some creative thinking. I can think of at least three doors I would knock on straight away and they are not Flybeasyryan2......
Oh sorry I forgot it is owned by the Council isn't it........
Well it isn't. What is needed now is a concerted effort by the owners to attract new carriers to fill the gaps and to show some creative thinking. I can think of at least three doors I would knock on straight away and they are not Flybeasyryan2......
Oh sorry I forgot it is owned by the Council isn't it........
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Groundhog ...
NQY, indeed Cornwall, is a turbo prop, modest jet, destination, NQY has a mega airfield, real estate, indeed a runway that DHC7's would land across.
I recall when my uncle & aunt moved in to an 'old folks' care accommodation in Redruth, it was claimed this complex had the only lift/elevator in Cornwall ..... what I'm trying to say that whilst Cornwall is beautiful during the summers ... unless some bright spark starts building mega complex Sheraton's and/or Holiday Inn's etc. there it is to remain 'sleepy', whilst beautiful, quaint Cornwall although with the best ice cream and pasties in the world.
Now can you imagine Airbus's and Boeing's lining up at the holding points of various, and numerous, airports all heading to/from NQY for passengers guest house or caravan holidays ... because current statistics seem to speak, to the contrary, for themselves?
NQY, indeed Cornwall, is a turbo prop, modest jet, destination, NQY has a mega airfield, real estate, indeed a runway that DHC7's would land across.
I recall when my uncle & aunt moved in to an 'old folks' care accommodation in Redruth, it was claimed this complex had the only lift/elevator in Cornwall ..... what I'm trying to say that whilst Cornwall is beautiful during the summers ... unless some bright spark starts building mega complex Sheraton's and/or Holiday Inn's etc. there it is to remain 'sleepy', whilst beautiful, quaint Cornwall although with the best ice cream and pasties in the world.
Now can you imagine Airbus's and Boeing's lining up at the holding points of various, and numerous, airports all heading to/from NQY for passengers guest house or caravan holidays ... because current statistics seem to speak, to the contrary, for themselves?
Phileas - As seems to be frequently the case we are singing from the same hymn sheet, I live here and totally agree the market you describe does not exist and never has over the 40 years I have known the airport commercially. What I have in mind is not in that league.
Bad news for NQY and all those at Air Southwest.
What do you have in mind Groundhog - Skybus twotters going national?
Seriously, it could be that some trunk routes from NQY might work on a 20-30 seater a/c? (though even this might be hard to sustain through the winter).
Either that or people are going to be left largely to go via LGW using the Flybe service (although I understand even this drops to 1 daily rotation on some days during the winter).
So, is it their franchise partner Loganair moving south, or Aurigny, BlueIslands, Manx2 or indeed Skybus.....can't think of anyone else who operates a suitable size a/c in the UK at the moment (I discount Eastern as they are really a higher-priced business airline).
What do you have in mind Groundhog - Skybus twotters going national?
Seriously, it could be that some trunk routes from NQY might work on a 20-30 seater a/c? (though even this might be hard to sustain through the winter).
Either that or people are going to be left largely to go via LGW using the Flybe service (although I understand even this drops to 1 daily rotation on some days during the winter).
So, is it their franchise partner Loganair moving south, or Aurigny, BlueIslands, Manx2 or indeed Skybus.....can't think of anyone else who operates a suitable size a/c in the UK at the moment (I discount Eastern as they are really a higher-priced business airline).
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Wycombe,
A Twotter wouldn't work on anything except a short hop and/or a short field .... they are uncomfortable, damn noisy and with a cruising speed of a mere 150kts they takes ages to get anywhere.
A Twotter wouldn't work on anything except a short hop and/or a short field .... they are uncomfortable, damn noisy and with a cruising speed of a mere 150kts they takes ages to get anywhere.
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Mad idea?
Ok this may sound a mad idea... but I think it could work.
Newquay has a grat site and runway, why not use it to its full potential and let Newquay become a transatlantic hub?
Fly to Newquay from across the atlantic and then a fleet of commuter aeroplanes at Newquay could service several destinations all over the UK (and Europe?).
Hathrow and Gatwick are full, and just how many people who fly into heathrow are visting London or even the UK anyway?
Just some "Blue Sky" thinking.
Now taking cover ready for the replies...
Newquay has a grat site and runway, why not use it to its full potential and let Newquay become a transatlantic hub?
Fly to Newquay from across the atlantic and then a fleet of commuter aeroplanes at Newquay could service several destinations all over the UK (and Europe?).
Hathrow and Gatwick are full, and just how many people who fly into heathrow are visting London or even the UK anyway?
Just some "Blue Sky" thinking.
Now taking cover ready for the replies...
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NQY's runway isn't long enough for heavy and long haul traffic and the great circle N. Atlantic track routes over Iceland thus such aircraft would be routing past such airports as GLA, PIK, BFS, SNN, DUB etc. just to get to/from NQY!
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NQY's runway isn't long enough for heavy and long haul traffic and the great circle N. Atlantic track routes over Iceland thus such aircraft would be routing past such airports as GLA, PIK, BFS, SNN, DUB etc. just to get to/from NQY!
!
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NQY runway is good enough for a 777-200 at MTOW... Routing I accept is an issue, but not a barrier.
I regularly see Florida bound flights pass overhead down here (near St Austell) and have even seen services from Newark to Heathrow overhead - so its possible!
I regularly see Florida bound flights pass overhead down here (near St Austell) and have even seen services from Newark to Heathrow overhead - so its possible!
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cazza_fly,
B757's and B767's on eastern seaboard N. American routes are not heavy nor long haul .... how about to Mexico, to LAX, SFO, SEA etc. etc. etc. in B747's or whatever!
Put it this way, a number of years ago I needed to plan a MTOW DC8-62 from UK/Ireland to BGR, and SNN & PIK have longer runways than NQY, no matter what I tried it couldn't make it out of SNN and, if I recall correctly for planning purposes we used 'flaps 15', it still couldn't make it out of PIK so I went for 'flaps 30' whereas it could make it out of PIK but only by the skin of it's teeth and the crew remarked upon this upon their return to base.
If 9,000ft is plenty long enough then how come these significant city airports have 10,000ft, 12,000ft, 13,000ft or whatever length runways?
But it's a silly idea anyway, the likes of London, Paris, Amsterdam airports take long haul traffics from East, West and South and it needs all these traffics to fill the smaller aircraft on domestic/European connections ..... and people don't arrive at these major hub airport to all travel onwards by air, the vast majority jump in the car and on to a motorway or they jump on to a train at a mainline, often airport, train station ..... Just where is the motorway and/or mainline train station in relation to NQY?
B757's and B767's on eastern seaboard N. American routes are not heavy nor long haul .... how about to Mexico, to LAX, SFO, SEA etc. etc. etc. in B747's or whatever!
Put it this way, a number of years ago I needed to plan a MTOW DC8-62 from UK/Ireland to BGR, and SNN & PIK have longer runways than NQY, no matter what I tried it couldn't make it out of SNN and, if I recall correctly for planning purposes we used 'flaps 15', it still couldn't make it out of PIK so I went for 'flaps 30' whereas it could make it out of PIK but only by the skin of it's teeth and the crew remarked upon this upon their return to base.
If 9,000ft is plenty long enough then how come these significant city airports have 10,000ft, 12,000ft, 13,000ft or whatever length runways?
But it's a silly idea anyway, the likes of London, Paris, Amsterdam airports take long haul traffics from East, West and South and it needs all these traffics to fill the smaller aircraft on domestic/European connections ..... and people don't arrive at these major hub airport to all travel onwards by air, the vast majority jump in the car and on to a motorway or they jump on to a train at a mainline, often airport, train station ..... Just where is the motorway and/or mainline train station in relation to NQY?
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B757's and B767's on eastern seaboard N. American routes are not heavy nor long haul .... how about to Mexico, to LAX, SFO, SEA etc. etc. etc. in B747's or whatever!
If 9,000ft is plenty long enough then how come these significant city airports have 10,000ft, 12,000ft, 13,000ft or whatever length runways?
Anyway no point arguing, as as you say it's a silly idea anyway. In all fairness NQY must be one of the hardest airport's to drive around in terms of road types with the narrow country lanes etc.
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I know its a silly idea; thats why I called the post "Mad Idea".
But please just remember that some of the finest inventions of the industrial age started out as "Silly ideas".
Got two of you debating it anyway, so was worth a post!
But please just remember that some of the finest inventions of the industrial age started out as "Silly ideas".
Got two of you debating it anyway, so was worth a post!
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Cazza,
So what are you suggesting .... that all the N. Atlantic traffic only route to the N. American eastern seaboard and all operators sell off all their B747's, B777-300's, A380's etc. and re-equip with B757's, B767's & B777-200's because there's a quaint regional airfield in the middle of nowhere somewhere that is in dire need of some passengers even if these passengers don't actually want to be there?
So what are you suggesting .... that all the N. Atlantic traffic only route to the N. American eastern seaboard and all operators sell off all their B747's, B777-300's, A380's etc. and re-equip with B757's, B767's & B777-200's because there's a quaint regional airfield in the middle of nowhere somewhere that is in dire need of some passengers even if these passengers don't actually want to be there?
I recall back is the 70's a major tour operator asked us to look at the same idea. a network of commuter aircraft linking to his main charter from London and he was quite serious about it. It was never going to work in reality and wouldn't in this case but a silly idea is a little harsh. Of course if it included St Mary's it would then be a Scilly idea....
What suggestions do I have - let me do a little more research first then I will willingly share them but it would certainly involve smaller machinery.
What suggestions do I have - let me do a little more research first then I will willingly share them but it would certainly involve smaller machinery.
