PRESTWICK
Touch & Go's
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Prestwick, Scotland
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Which on the positive note just illustrates it doesn't need to be landside. With Thomas Cook, Easyjet, Ryanair, Flybe, the RAF and a private G650 all training in the past week, multiple RAF, RN, Army, BIH and French Army helicopter visits, Hawks, 3 Falcons based, RAF Hercs operating, USN C40s and C130 visits, USAF C17, KC10 and C130 visits, the freighters, the transits and the light aircraft, pretty busy, and all generating revenue. Oh, and the Ryanair increased schedule. Why would that not make money with the right cost base ? Quite possibly the most diverse mixture of aviation in the UK. And absolutely needing radar and controlled airspace.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London (Babylon-on-Thames)
Age: 42
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honest_man what's drivel about losing 200K a week? Are you disputing the figure? Or are you upset people don't support taxpayers forking out that sort of cash to support an unreformed and failed business model?
I support PIK but you and Wind Sock are not adding anything here. They could have B744s circuit bashing all day every day and still not balance the books the way things are now. Infratil messed things up massively and threw away a legacy that Stagecoach had already undermined. Wind sock you say you've "heard it before", but you're listening to people's real concerns. You can't just say "take it up with the government" as if they were not one and the same thing!!!!!
PIK3141 nailed it for you all if you'd bothered to stop long enough to understand. The current level of activity can and indeed has made money in the past if costs can be brought back down, however it is extraordainarily tricky to shrink a business to profitability. Most managament are taught to grow their way out of trouble.
I support PIK but you and Wind Sock are not adding anything here. They could have B744s circuit bashing all day every day and still not balance the books the way things are now. Infratil messed things up massively and threw away a legacy that Stagecoach had already undermined. Wind sock you say you've "heard it before", but you're listening to people's real concerns. You can't just say "take it up with the government" as if they were not one and the same thing!!!!!
PIK3141 nailed it for you all if you'd bothered to stop long enough to understand. The current level of activity can and indeed has made money in the past if costs can be brought back down, however it is extraordainarily tricky to shrink a business to profitability. Most managament are taught to grow their way out of trouble.
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Newcastle NI
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Honest Man, honestly !!!
If there is an an agenda it certainly not anti PIK and not by Skippy.
A number of your fellow Scot's have an agenda, which is to stick your head in the sand over the continuing negative profitability of your local airport, there is no anti PIK agenda, just a realism that you and wind sock/SLF seem to have let go of! you are clutching at straws of every aircraft movement.
The situation at PIK is very different to CWL, in the latter case it is the only functioning commercial airport is South Wales and it is vital to have air links for inward investment, meanwhile no such argument is valid for the tax payer to underwrite losses at PIK on an open ended time scale.
Scotland's central belt has 3 airports covering a range of services across Europe, the middle East and the USA, one of those airports PIK has just one scheduled passenger airline Ryanair, who of course also fly from EDI and look likely to do the same from GLA at some stage in the future.
Yes PIK do handle aircraft doing circuit work, but airlines choose to do it at PIK for the same reason that the Army do mock battle in remote area's, because there's no other ****** there !! its also a long runway, often fair weather, but it will last a few weeks and not happen at all if the cloud base is low, this type of income is neither reliable or regular, welcome though it must be.
What PIK needs is regular scheduled services or charter, bums on seats that pay car parking, drink in the airport bar and restaurants (if they still exist ?) the reality is that unless you live in that part of Ayrshire why would you want to travel to PIK with all the other choices available, Ryanair are there because its cheap no other reason.
The political dimension is not just about poking fun over independence ( i agree with other's that most English are not interested, but are getting fed up with the demands for special treatment ) the politic's is that this a loss making publicly owned company, you can moan all you like about the previous owners, but just like the Teesside thread there is little that you can do without flights to turn around a business, the big difference with Teesside is that it appears that Peel have a plan, but it seems to involve parking houses on the runway not aircraft.
So before you start "calling" people such as Skippy, just pause a moment and ask what you would do to turn PIk around if you were in charge and it was your money, which by the way some of it is, but mine also, but unless you have a good answer I would get off your soap box and onto your bike to find work, PIK will close sooner or later, that is sad and unfortunate, but if it didn't exist no one would say Hey, let's blow a **** load of public cash to build an airport that no one want's to fly from...........................
A number of your fellow Scot's have an agenda, which is to stick your head in the sand over the continuing negative profitability of your local airport, there is no anti PIK agenda, just a realism that you and wind sock/SLF seem to have let go of! you are clutching at straws of every aircraft movement.
The situation at PIK is very different to CWL, in the latter case it is the only functioning commercial airport is South Wales and it is vital to have air links for inward investment, meanwhile no such argument is valid for the tax payer to underwrite losses at PIK on an open ended time scale.
Scotland's central belt has 3 airports covering a range of services across Europe, the middle East and the USA, one of those airports PIK has just one scheduled passenger airline Ryanair, who of course also fly from EDI and look likely to do the same from GLA at some stage in the future.
Yes PIK do handle aircraft doing circuit work, but airlines choose to do it at PIK for the same reason that the Army do mock battle in remote area's, because there's no other ****** there !! its also a long runway, often fair weather, but it will last a few weeks and not happen at all if the cloud base is low, this type of income is neither reliable or regular, welcome though it must be.
What PIK needs is regular scheduled services or charter, bums on seats that pay car parking, drink in the airport bar and restaurants (if they still exist ?) the reality is that unless you live in that part of Ayrshire why would you want to travel to PIK with all the other choices available, Ryanair are there because its cheap no other reason.
The political dimension is not just about poking fun over independence ( i agree with other's that most English are not interested, but are getting fed up with the demands for special treatment ) the politic's is that this a loss making publicly owned company, you can moan all you like about the previous owners, but just like the Teesside thread there is little that you can do without flights to turn around a business, the big difference with Teesside is that it appears that Peel have a plan, but it seems to involve parking houses on the runway not aircraft.
So before you start "calling" people such as Skippy, just pause a moment and ask what you would do to turn PIk around if you were in charge and it was your money, which by the way some of it is, but mine also, but unless you have a good answer I would get off your soap box and onto your bike to find work, PIK will close sooner or later, that is sad and unfortunate, but if it didn't exist no one would say Hey, let's blow a **** load of public cash to build an airport that no one want's to fly from...........................
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Scotland
Age: 64
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FLB - you post some stuff which I actually agree with but to class me alongside Honest Man / Windsock is grossly unfair as I always have taken a realistic approach to PIK. These very pro PIK posters do tend to have a very blinkered approach to the airport which is on the one hand is to be respected for the passion that they show but they do need to look at the reality. I have worked at PIK during the BAA days and have followed the airports fortunes for 45 years and I do believe the airfield has a future in some form or other but it will survive and continue to offer local employment possibly without mainstream PAX. What I do object to is the fact that your tone does come across as extremely negative and whilst I recognise that you badge it as realism the undercurrent of your posts are derogatory and political. We do live in a democracy so you are entitled to your opinions but try please to make them more adult, less assumptive and more factual. And another thing your thinly veiled political statements whilst you claim they are factual appear to be covering a huge chip on your shoulder about what is going on in Scotland. Get over it.
So that's my rant over - I remain very much a realist regards PIK based on my experience of the airport and local politics. SOE makes the most sensible comments on here and does not appear to let emotion and personal politics get in the way. Perhaps we can all take a lesson from him.
Do I get an apology?
So that's my rant over - I remain very much a realist regards PIK based on my experience of the airport and local politics. SOE makes the most sensible comments on here and does not appear to let emotion and personal politics get in the way. Perhaps we can all take a lesson from him.
Do I get an apology?
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: London
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Lots of visiting aircraft is good news, of course, and the lack of landside spend isn't that big a deal - Ryanair passengers aren't exactly famed for their landside spending either.
If the visitors buy fuel then that's even better news, of course, because there's a healthy profit to be made there.
But please let's not diddle ourselves into believing that will be enough, because it'll take imagination and some proper application of good management skills to turn PIK around. The simple fact is that metal in the air doesn't pay for the airport - it needs to be metal on the ground, paying to be there...
If the visitors buy fuel then that's even better news, of course, because there's a healthy profit to be made there.
But please let's not diddle ourselves into believing that will be enough, because it'll take imagination and some proper application of good management skills to turn PIK around. The simple fact is that metal in the air doesn't pay for the airport - it needs to be metal on the ground, paying to be there...
Last edited by Airborne_Junglie; 4th Apr 2014 at 10:40. Reason: Typos.
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Ayrshire
Age: 43
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Facey and Skippy... Totally shocked that you two are backing each other up.. Such a Surprise.. But then again its the same old stuff being written about Prestwick closing and the government wasting tax payers money... We have heard it before... Its like groundhog day..Mr and Mrs Negative
Join Date: Mar 2008
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ScottsSLF
I apologise I was out of order in including you with (to use Westminster language) Dunce & Muppet. I have no axe to grind with PIK but i do believe its become a political football
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Ayrshire
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Heres the politics again. Westminster....... Rather watch paint dry... If your not copying whT skippy baby says then your copying muppets and dunces from london. This is a prestwick airport forum. Not a i love westminster....
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Gatwick
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I would have thought that spending £10 million a year to keep peoples jobs was better than spending the same in unemployment benefits or i'm i missing something here, are there any other local jobs?
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Some factual news linked to PIK. Landmark Launches European FBO Expansion | Aviation International News
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London (Babylon-on-Thames)
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12-30 Wind Sock Did I mention I am from Ayshire?
I was there in '91 when TS215 closed passenger operations for what we thought was forever? That I have walked across a closed and disused runway 21? PIK and I go way back, I am not a muppet. Or that it will always really be 13/31 to me? I now live and work in London so I have some more perspective now than when I was pro PIK tribally, however I don't appreciate someone having a go at me, play the ball not the man. If you can't even get to the ball, leave the field.
Please stop the playground nonsense, you're adding nothing.
LNIDA asks a sensible question, there are jobs to be had let's not pretend Ayrshire is dome sort of wasteland, it's not. The actual number employed at PIK is relatively small. The main issue is not keeping PIK alive to save jobs, it is in doing so it badly distorts the free market in the west of PIK gets a free ride and GLA has to be run as a business. I never thought I'd say this, but that's not fair on GLA.
Btw 12-30 Wind Sock if you're the man, tell us all what a Skipness 1E actually was?
I was there in '91 when TS215 closed passenger operations for what we thought was forever? That I have walked across a closed and disused runway 21? PIK and I go way back, I am not a muppet. Or that it will always really be 13/31 to me? I now live and work in London so I have some more perspective now than when I was pro PIK tribally, however I don't appreciate someone having a go at me, play the ball not the man. If you can't even get to the ball, leave the field.
Please stop the playground nonsense, you're adding nothing.
LNIDA asks a sensible question, there are jobs to be had let's not pretend Ayrshire is dome sort of wasteland, it's not. The actual number employed at PIK is relatively small. The main issue is not keeping PIK alive to save jobs, it is in doing so it badly distorts the free market in the west of PIK gets a free ride and GLA has to be run as a business. I never thought I'd say this, but that's not fair on GLA.
Btw 12-30 Wind Sock if you're the man, tell us all what a Skipness 1E actually was?