Sheffield to get the CHOP!!!

[100LL]

Just herd today that Sheffield City Airport is to get the runway shortened to make way for Factory/Industrial buildings on the western end. Rumour has it that the Runway will be shortened down to 640 Mts.

Looks like it’s going to be Sheffield City Heliport!!

[rotorcraig]

Looks like it’s going to be Sheffield City Heliport!!
Absolutely according to BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/3331947.stm) article

RC

[Negative 'G']

Oh well what a surprise, we didn't see this coming did we ?:rolleyes: Sadly I fear the end is nigh for yet another airfield:(

Neg G

[Daifly]

A real shame, from both a private and business view.

It was such a good facility with really friendly, and encouraging, staff that it's a unjustifiably bad reflection on them.

I'd love to know how the council are intending to justify the initial spend v. the amount of use they've had out of it before "modifying" the runway...

[Dop]

Full details on this here (http://www.sheffieldcityairport.com/news.htm).

Suggest people email [email protected]
with the heading "future plans no"
to complain. I just did.

Bloody typical half-arsed Sheffield way of doing things. Make an airport with a runway too short to be commercially successful, then kill it off when it threatens to be a useful GA airfield.

[GrantT]

First it closes as a commercial airport and now this, what a shame :(

BTW, how did you the Queen's BAe 146 get into Sheffield?

[AC-DC]

Dop
I don't think that a 640m runway with buildings at the other end will be attractive even to GA. I have just sent a letter.

[Dop]

When I looked at their news page before and posted the link, here (thanks to the Google cache) is what it said:-

Friday 18th December 2003 - Future of Sheffield Airport

National announcements have been made following the Governments proposed plans for air transport over the next 30 years. To this, detailed plans have been unveiled for the future use of the land within the Sheffield City Airport boundaries. This includes shortening the runway near to Tinsley Park Cemetery and building industrial, commercial and residential properities up to the present TNS building on the business park. The buildings height will be measured under the decent slope and would drastically shorten the runway to 640m. Most operators established at the airport will still be able to continue flying with this length of runway but have expressed concerns about safety.

If you wish to comment on the plans, please use the title "future plans yes" or "future plans no" on your email and email to [email protected]

If you go to this page (http://www.sheffieldcityairport.com/news.htm) now, it makes no mention of shortening the runway!
It mentions becoming a heliport, and 'Blue Skies Business Park', but any mention of the runway being changed, or safety issues raised by operators, has gone.

Ok. I don't live in Sheffield and you may think this has nowt to do with me. But I have a lot of family in Barnsley and Sheffield, and it would have been dead handy to fly up and visit after I get my PPL. So I'm rather miffed about this as I was looking forward to flying there some time in the new year.

Any PPRuNers in the area know more about all this?

[MichaelJP59]

Dop, I live in Sheffield, and as far as I know, they intend to keep the airport suitable for GA, though with a runway length of 640m. It will take a couple of years to reduce the current length to that as development progresses.

Unless you intend to fly a jet, I wouldn't have thought 640m would be a problem?

One possible worry for the long term would be that they intend the new development to be part-residential - no doubt those new residents will raise noise objections as soon as they move in.

- Michael

[trevs99uk]

I note a lot of Grass on the overruns.
Could this not also be used as a starter extention etc etc.
As per the channel islands.