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Finningley is in Doncaster and an hour's drive away with all the aggravation of a large facility Sheffield has 4 international airports with links to hub airports within a seventy mile radius (plus DSA) - would you invest money in another airport? |
Aircraft, much the same as commercial road vehicles, stop for fuel where the price is right without diversifying to far off their optimum route. I don't know the price of fuel at a Sheffield City Air/Heliport but I would suggest that it would be more expensive that at some competitor airfields where those aircraft could stop for their refuels. No-one knows the price of fuel because you can't actually go there to buy any right now... As things stand the "heliport", hard standing/hangar/fuel, is solely for the use of the local Police helicopter. Not sure if even the air ambulances use it. I dont think there has ever been any intention that it is opened to general helicopter use, and does not have the infrastructure in place for general commercial use. Precisely. That's why I wrote "turn it into a heliport". What infrastructure do you think a heliport (rather than an airport) actually requires to be in place? Ever been to London Heliport? It's got a place to land (only just big enough for public transport), five parking spots (not all of which can be used at the same time), a waiting room / lounge, a reception and a door to the street. I thought folks were interested in re-opening the place for aviation. Is that not the case? |
ShyT,
The point I was making is that one of the contributing factors to how much an airport buys their fuel in for is by volume, the more one buys then the more negotiating power one has. Now, regardless that airports such as EMA, DSA and LBA will, no doubt, be able to offer any fuel stoppers a better price on fuel there are so many other, fixed and rotary wing, airfields around what would be Sheffield's catchment area already, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Huddersfield to name but a few, why the hell does that part of the country need a heliport for any passing helicopters to stop for fuel at? |
ISTR that fuel was very reasonably priced at Sheffield City.
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- loved this one - bless! Sheffield has 4 international airports with links to hub airports within a seventy mile radius (plus DSA) - would you invest money in another airport? If you had taken the time to understand the rest of my post you might have seen past your bucket and spade brigade angle. Most business and leisure people using EGSY didn't give a flying hoot about CAT, customs or handling. they just landed, parked, walked the 30m through the terminal and into a waiting car. For your convenience: I'm sorry if it's insulting to some people, but I think that they should listen and think harder before writing if they don't want to feel offended when they are responded to vociferously. The locals and supporters on this thread seem generally sick of trying to explain to people who clearly don't want to understand. Anyway. I'm sure that you will agree that it is all but impossible to quantify "lots of business" in £'s, unless you are a local inward investment agency quango wonk , which is why I didn't. But there is sufficient historical, anecdotal and geographic evidence available to consider such as; 1. The campaign is being led by the Federation of Small Business. 2. Rolls Royce and Boeing have engineering / research centres at the end of the runway. 3. The Airport is in an Enterprise Zone. 4. It's located within the city boundary, adjacent to the main manufacturing and commerce zone, and 6/7 minutes drive to the city centre down a fast dual carriageway. 5. HS2 will have a station a mile up the road. 6. Finningley is in Doncaster and an hour's drive away with all the aggravation of a large facility. Netherthorpe is 550m of grass. Sandtoft and Gamston are in other counties. There was plenty of GA activity up until it closed, King Airs, twins, Lears, the odd Gulfstream, helicopters, and lots and lots of SEP's. Add in the training and club activities and it makes for a well used runway. CAT is great, and desirable, but it's not the be all and end all. PPRuNe has no shortage of rather superior salaried pilots who can't see beyond CAT. There's more to aviation than them, especially when it comes to how a runway impacts on a city. I appreciate that the above just gives more ammunition for the disinterested and pointlessly argumentative to pick holes in somebody else's plans, but when you're in the Sheffield business community these things make a bit more sense. Considering that there are at least two parties who want to use their own cash to reopen the facility, there's no real downside to anyone. I just think that they should be supported and given the best possible opportunity, while those who are responsible for any past wrongdoings are brought to book. |
ShyTorque: Apologies, I might be commenting from an out of date position, having found a document via Google ( but dated 2012) that appears to show that the old airport terminal area is in fact in use as a helicopter landing area, and run by Sheffield Business Park.
Is this still the case? I had assumed that the restriction allowing use of the site only by the police helicopter was still in force, but perhaps not now? The perils of assuming you know what current status quo is, when you dont have the means to check. EGCA |
Any News?
Just wondered if anyone has any uptodate news about the current situation at the former Sheffield City, and whether the majority of the fixed wing runway has now been either torn up or incorporated into a new business park or whatever.
Google search didn't throw up anything of interest, and I have not had the chance over the past months to go and have a look myself. Thanks EGCA |
EGCA, The runway appears to be intact.
PF, In response to your earlier post about the availability of other helicopter refuelling places, are you aware that it can take up to half an hour to get in and out of EGCN by helicopter? Also, it costs a couple of hundred quid for mandatory handling, btw. There is no Jet A1 at EGNF or Derby. Handling agent is mandatory at EMA. Sheffield heliport would work, especially if they could do RRRFs. It's conveniently placed, OCAS and in the right place for helicopters needing to top up to maintain an IFR fuel reserve at either end of the country. It is also very conveniently placed to serve a major city, i.e. Sheffield itself. |
PF, In response to your earlier post about the availability of other helicopter refueling places, are you aware that it can take up to half an hour to get in and out of EGCN by helicopter? Also, it costs a couple of hundred quid for mandatory handling, btw. There is no Jet A1 at EGNF or Derby. Handling agent is mandatory at EMA. Sheffield heliport would work, especially if they could do RRRFs. It's conveniently placed, OCAS and in the right place for helicopters needing to top up to maintain an IFR fuel reserve at either end of the country. It is also very conveniently placed to serve a major city, i.e. Sheffield itself. Perhaps the reason it costs a couple of hundred quid at DSA is because business is so p1ss poor they need every penny from any passing sucker ... Of course business at a re-opened Sheffield will be so good they'll be able to pay all the bills just from the margin they make from the fuel, they won't be charging any additional "quids" Perhaps, just perhaps, there is no Jet A1 at EGNF or Derby because there is no market for it, that there are no passing helicopters asking "Have you got any Jet A1 please?" Dream on ... |
Passing through Chesterfield on a rail journey today, noticed the front page of the Sheffield "Star" newspaper. Artist's impression of a proposed new high-tech development on the site of Sheffield City airport. Essentially buildings built down the line of the runway.
The police helicopter facility at the far south-eastern corner of the site appears to remain. This new development goes under the fetching title of "AMRC2", which presumably means something to somebody! Sheffield City airport RIP. Regards EGCA |
The runway no longer exists
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I said the "line of the runway".ie a linear run of buildings down the centre of the site on the same alignment as the ex-runway.
If you input AMRC2 into the search facility on the Star website, you will see the artists impression. EGCA |
AMRC=Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
Something which has been set up over the last couple of years involving The University of Sheffield & Rolls Royce among others. |
EGCA, my post was an observation only and a statement of fact (I flew over it the other day). It wasn't meant as a reply to your post and it wasnt an attempt to cause any argument.
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Sorry, bad choice of words on my part. No offence intended.
Given the length of runway provided at Sheffield City I guess it never was going to achieve viability as a small commercial airport, but, still sad to see it go. Adds to a fair recent list, Plymouth, Manston, Filton. Kemble possibly... where next? EGCA |
Recent list - shut in 2008??
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Point taken. Time flies.
At least the reopening of the former RAF Church Fenton bucks the trend. EGCA |
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