I've always wondered why not turn PIK into a large maintenance facility. I would imagine there is a lot of free time on it's runway/facilities, and that with Brexit on the cards, it would make sense to have some large-scale maintenance on this side of the channel.

Extreme case would be to rip up 03/21, and add a long line of hangars alongside it, leaving the taxiway to transport to 12/30. Just my own crazy idea, but long term a potential option (maybe not as extreme, but you get the jist)

The airfield used to close for days in winter to all but the heaviest traffic when they closed it last time. The winter gales in the prevailing wind blow across the main runway.

Did you know 747's and An124's have used the 'short?'

I mean in the days of transatlantic flying. No westbound heavy going transatlantic can get off the short IIRC. Northwest once got a 747 off 21 but they only went as far as SNN back then. You would not want to land a heavy 747 on 21 as it would end up in the retail park!
So Cargolux could do PIK-LUX but likely not land from the US in the first place due landing distance available, not to mention no ILS.
Does PIK still have SRA?

Yes SRAs shown in AIP

No you wouldn't, no they wouldn't, and no it wouldn't (it's 1/2 a mile from the paved surface up a slight incline through waterlogged fields).

If there is one thing we do well in Scotland, it is making runways boxed in. I think we do it on purpose.
I don't know if the ground at the retail park would have been suitable for an extension or not but the Red Line I have drawn here is over 10000ft, so there's hope for old Prestwick yet. I just don't think we will ever take a flight to Aussie.

That’s quite seriously uphill going north east sadly.

Didn't Qantas do a one off flight from Prestwick to Australia via Singapore about 20 years ago?

Went via LHR back in 1994. Was the usual LHR daystopper.

Thanks. Can you remember why it came to Prestwick?

The tragedy is that if they had not parked that big shop dead in line with the runway you could have had 10,000ft to the existing threshold. Like I said they wanted to destroy the airport so that they could sell it all off.
I'm not sure if the roadway existed or if that was part of the shops deal? That's how they normally get them built nowadays.

Even picking up the pieces, you could have run out strips from both existing thresholds that would land a B 748-F from either direction.
Taking off to the SW you could have 11,800ft to play with. To the NE, like you say, things are a bit constrained, whether they would ever take off that way in any case.

Despite those who do all in their power to destroy it, as an airport Prestwick has everything EDI and GLA needs but cannot have. Once the future is settled, I'm sure it will find new uses.

PIK has everything GLA and EDI need? I think you'll find it's the other way around. And that thing is passengers.

Sadly no, it was sold from the PIK end, not sure what the reason was. Sat all day in bay 3. There were posters advertising the one off nature around the area. Anyone recall the reason?

03/21 was built in the 1950s and is actually into wind! There would have been a reason why 13/31 remained the main, this predates the whole GLA vs. PIK thing as GLA was at Renfrew and Abbotsinch was still RNAS Sanderling. Anyone know why 03/21 wasn’t built out for the B707s?

It’s nailing down “new uses” that make money which is really tricky.

Re the Qantas 747. This was a publicity stunt in the early days of Mathew Hudson amd Hugh Lang to put the newly rejuvenated PIK back on the map as regards PAX flights The earlier stunt of potentially taking live cattle flights didnt quite hit the mark!

No it's not :rolleyes: If the wind doesn't favour 30 it's favouring what was 08/26, primarily 26, unfortunately the 06 threshold has the Chevron Hangar on it and at the 26 end the Coastguard 'H', In terms of use in my experience the Runway used most is 30, followed by 12, then 21, and rarely 03. Please stop making things up :ugh:

Sorry but unless the met has changed massively in recent years, the main runway sufferered from major crosswinds, closing the airfield in winter in the years 03/21 was closed. The clue is that GLA was built as 24/06, EDI 25/07 and PIK 31/13. Runway in use doesn’t tell you prevailing wind, I am not making things up, been around long enough to have some context. 26/08 was closer to prevailing wind true and was the ideal, but 03/21 is still way closer then 31/13 is.
Remember the same thing happened at EDI, main was 31/13 and so many flights were diverted in winter until 25/07 was built in 1977 (ish).

And yes I know it’s 30/12, 23/05 and 24/06 now but you get the idea!
Is the Prestwick micro-climate so different that the wind swings through 80 degrees in 20 miles? Can we agree that at PIK, 21/03 is WAY closer to the prevailing wind than the main?

Also, how many cargo flights are lost in winter going direct LUX or CDG because PIK is out of crosswind limits? Used to frustarate FedEx and Atlas Air no end, part of the reason Panalpina moved to STN.

you guys need to get out more. Its Christmas...

Skipness

You are correct here, especially the last bit. The damage to Prestwick was caused by the owners seeing aviation, as so many still do with blinkers to everything else, as bucket and spade flights and using their airport as a feeder to the London, and now the European, Hubs.
Nobody with any future vision at Prestwick would have allowed the building of the shops in the centre of the runway line. To them 03/21 was sufficient to deal with any gale force cross winds and it probably was for what they saw as their mission.
Today, aircraft have changed dramatically with massive ranges and load/cargo/fuel capacities. Most companies look for long gentle take off runs to get these loads into the air without going to maximum thrusts on their engines. An extended 03/21 would give Prestwick this desirable capability, they could always move the shops if they had to.

Getting back to the prevailing winds there is some information and a compass rose on this Met Office site that shows that the cross runway was pretty much spot-on. The wind information is down at the bottom of the page. There is a compass rose for Tiree as well that you have to avoid.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate...al-climates/ws

Least PIK is still useful as a diversion destination

US Air Force plane lands at Prestwick Airport after emergency - BBC News

Having been home for Christmas and passing by the airport quite a few times, I've noticed a fair amount of activity at the old Currie European warehouse. The "to let" signs are down as well.

Has a new tennant been found for it?

My back home for Christmas thoughts were that I was shocked at how little industry and commerce is left in Ayrshire. Everything that used to be a factory is either derelict or a shop!

Perhaps the way the Scottish Parliament could support PIK would be by encouraging some industry that might give it a reason to exist?

.... dont you think theyve tried that?

This is the Scottish government we're talking about, so no they probably haven't.

Well they may have tried, but if so it was in a way that left no traces of itself.

Don't worry EDI and Edinburgh are booming.

Most of the powers that might be used to encourage manufacturing industry and other businesses are reserved to Westminster.

It should have been shut decades ago along with Durham TV just wasting good money after bad IMHO

Good to see PIK providing safe haven for a good number of diversions in December from GLA, EDI and BHD as well as Mildenhall. Now let’s just see what this apparent imminent sale is all about.

There is no imminent sale.

Have we been misled?
Depends on your definition of imminent

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/prestwick-airport-set-to-be-sold-four-years-after-1-rescue-1-4611194

Misled by who? The article was written following a tip off to the Scotsman by an un-named "aviation source" (plane-spotter, tug driver, pilot, pavement engineer or someone with real knowledge?) who said that "something" ( a vague term) "is expected to start within weeks" but did not indicate when a conclusion would be reached.

Newspaper articles are often attributed to un-named "sources" which often prove to be nothing more than wild guesses by people with no real knowledge.

The statement from the Scottish Government spokesman makes it clear that there is no timescale and the nature of discussions includes third party investment or sale.

Unattributed speculation of the type published in this article is not helpful and could even undermine sensitive, confidential, commercial discussions.

I wonder if a possible sale was item 7 on the agenda of the 1st November board meeting: http://www.glasgowprestwick.com/wp-c...ember-2017.pdf

It's showing as 'under offer' on their website: Warehouse space - Glasgow Prestwick International Airport Glasgow Prestwick International Airport

Outsiders........
 

Guess all the outsiders on here won’t know - for!

What's all this shouting?
 

As a former resident, I can attest to this. "It's a local airport for local people, we'll have no trouble here...."

What would any private buyer have to do at PIK to make money that the last two owners failed to do?

Excellent reference to 'The League of Gentlemen' Skip

Interesting development tomorrow. The Seattle flight is due in late afternoon, the wind wiĺl be very strong with gales later in the evening, all at 90 degrees off the main runway.
Would they have been able to use 21 if it had been extended to provide a suitable landing distance instead of building shops?

Hmmm, money now in the shape of land sold for shops, versus occasional money in the future from cargo flights being able to land rather than divert. Given the airport's current financial position I suspect I know how that would be answered.
In any case was there ever a proposal to extend 03/21?

I think it's about twenty years since the shops were allowed to be built on the runway line. I'm not sure who owned the land at the time, but the airport owners, if they had any vision to the future should have blocked the plans. There were plenty of other sites for shops.
Prestwick might well have been a thriving cargo hub, or more, today if it had not been sold to people with no interest, or investment planning, for developing it's potential. That's been the story of Britain for almost half a century.
Let's hope that the current owners have some plans.