London flight clubs

[rodquiman]

Hello people,

I am a Spanish pilot with a JAA CPL and am moving to London in a couple of months.
I am looking for a club to join and fly a bit there. I did a search and found about Wycombe air centre, West London Aero Club and British Airways Flying Club. I would like to know what do you think and know about them and if there are more Clubs that I don´t know and are also interesting.
I have a problem also, I am traveling without car, so I need something wich can be easily reached by public transport from London.

Thanks for your help.

[FlyingForFun]

Rodquiman,

London is a big place, especially when using public transport. Where in London are you going to be? All three you've found are to the west of London, I don't know if that's deliberate on your part or not.

As well as the two airfields you've found (WAC and BA are both at the same airfield), you can also hire aircraft from Denham, Elstree, Stapleford, Biggin Hill, Fairoaks..... and probably a few more. Many of these will have more than one club/school on the field, so you're not short of choice. The best advice would be to check out a few once you get here, and go for the one you're happiest with.

The only one I have any first-hand experience of is WLAC. They also own and run White Waltham airfield. The airfield is very much a club-flying type of place, with loads of old/interesting aircraft around, and a wide variety of different types of flying. They have a great bunch of instructors, and you can get good food at the bar (and good beer, too, once you've finished flying). The only two negatives are that the grass runways are pretty bumpy, and the club is a long way off being the cheapest around (in fact, they're just about to put the prices up again).

FFF
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[FNG]

I like Waltham a lot, although it is very expensive. I never rent the club's aeroplanes, but they have a reasonable choice available. The recently refurbished club house must be one of the best in the South, if not in the UK. I love the large traditional layout of the field, bumpy or not, and am especially fond of the many hares that live there, not minding the noisy aeroplanes one bit.

Wycombe is a very pleasant and seemingly well run airfield , but there seems to me to be little in the way of sociable atmosphere there. Aussie Andy may disagree (although aren't you now at Benson, Andy, you lucky blighter?)

Stapleford , where Essex man goes flying, is quite a cheery place, although for me it is always impossible to find by air, despite being right next to huge motorway junctions. Andrewsfield is delightful, but useless by public transport.

Another place that has a good club house, good atmosphere (at least at weekends, very quiet in the week) and interesting flying machines, is North Weald, although the rental options there are somewhat more limited.

Public transport to airfields is a probem. Elstree is easiest to get to, but is not, in my opinion, a very congenial place.

Do you know where in London you will be living?

[LowNSlow]

Southampton is one of the airfields most easily reached by train as the station is just across the road from the airport and there is a fast train from London every hour. The train ticket does add a bit to an expensive flying hour though.....

[owenlars]

Fairoaks is close to Woking which is about 25 minutes by train from Waterloo Station but only has Fairoaks Flying Club and London Transport Flying Club.

You can get to within about three miles of Biggin on the Croydon Tramlink. Biggin has about 7 or 8 clubs, Surrey and Kent are good as are Allouette.

It will be difficult without personal transport

[Hufty]

You can get a train from Marylebone station in NW London to Denham, and it is a short walk to the airfield from the station. Cabair are there along with one or two other operators. Nice little airfireld.

Hufty

[paulo]

I've flown from a few of the ones above, but in the spirit of keeping the list growing...

...Southend is reasonably convenient if you end up living near Liverpool Street. It's not a perfect journey - there's a mile or two walk at the other end, and not a very pretty one at that. The airport itself isn't very scenic either.

What you do get though is full tower & seperate approach control, there's an ILS in one direction, and you mix with bigger aircraft. I'd guess that for some CPLs there might be more value in that than the lovely English grass field (my personal inclination).

It's ugly, but it's an airport, if not a full passenger one.

[rodquiman]

Thanks for this responses guys.

By now I haven´t decided where to live but is expected in the West part of the city. I will travel to London in April in order to arrange accommodation to move in May.
The option you give are pretty interesting and useful and I will try to arrange also a visit to them when I get there next month.
I would like an aerodrome which is easy to get to, but also a place with social live.

Thanks for this replies.

[FlyingForFun]

If you're in west London and want a place with a social life, then I'd recommend White Waltham. Around 30-40 minutes on the train from Paddington station, and then either a £5 cab ride, or an hour or so walk. Very friendly club, with regular organised social events and plenty of informal socialising too.

FFF
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[Kellvin]

Public transport to airfields is a probem. Elstree is easiest to get to, but is not, in my opinion, a very congenial place

Whats wrong with Elstree? Public transport sort of exists. It has a tube and then quite a walk.

One of the clubs will pick you up I understand. Maybe all do?

Depending on the club you choose, some of them are very nice.

[Wycombe]

As my handle suggests, I fly from Wycombe, with WAC.

A very professional, if slightly expensive Club, with efficient staff, their own Engineering, and some really nice nearly-new aircraft on the fleet (172R & SP, 182S just some examples). They are also a Cessna Agent if you fancy buying a new one of your own!

Would have to agree with FFF that there's a really nice set-up at WLAC aswell - it has what Wycombe lacks in terms of more social ambience (ie, a nice bar!)

You may want to consider Blackbushe aswell. It's a bit further out from London, but is probably the best of the lot in terms of airfield facilities (1300m hard runway, NDB/DME on the field, very close to Farnborough for radar service). There are a couple of Clubs there aswell, including a new one, Blackbushe Aviation (they have a bar too!, which I'm sure is still a social hub for the many owner pilots based at the field).

Hope it helps.

[Penguina]

Indeed Kellvin, two of the three Elstree clubs are friendly, right? :D

And yes, one of them has been known to drive to the station and get me many times. It's also a pleasant 45 minute walk through woods and fields from Elstree and Borehamwood station.

Still easier with a car though.
:(

[Brooklands]

I'll second what Wycombe has just said (we both fly at WAC). I sould also mention that the airfield isn't too difficult to get to by public transport. There's a pretty good train service from London Marlybone to High Wycombe, and a half hourly bus service goes past the entrance to the field Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sundays. You caluld also get a taxi from the station, but I don't know what it would cost.

Brooklands

If you fancy coming up to look the place over drop me a PM, and I'll see if I can arrange to meet you and show you around.

[rodquiman]

Thanks everybody. Very useful info.

Brooklands, I will send you a PM before going there, I hope it be by mid April, so you show me the club and have a couple of beers.
:ok:

[Kellvin]

Yep, penguina, two of the three clubs are friendly.;)

But, we like to promote the first two only.

Never tried the walk, always on the motorbike.