Sheffield City Airport

[stiknruda]

Had to meet the man from the bank today. He chose Sheffield as a venue.

Phoned the number in Pooleys. PPR'd by fax 24 hrs in advance as requested.

Arrived this morning with an hour to spare - 12 minute cab ride into the City centre.

Lovely airfield staff - everyone was so helpful. They do have a thing about hi-vis jackets but once I'd explained that I was an aerobatic aircraft pilot with nowhere to safely stow one was escorted onto the tarmac by a veritable babe!

An hour by air would have been over 3 by car.. I can recommend it as it cost a fiver to land and fuel was not too unreasonable.

Stik

[Icarus Wings]

sit on it?

nice airfield though

[Pole Hill]

stiknruda,
I visited Sheffield a few weeks ago, I found that they were helpful and very friendly.

..escorted onto the tarmac by a veritable babe!

Ah yes, I remember her. I think that she works behind the ops desk in the terminal, I paid my landing fee to her. Very nice lady :)
POL.

[MichaelJP59]

stiknruda, I'm doing my PPL from Sheffield - what type of plane did you fly in to EGSY? I gather from other posts that you fly some pretty interesting stuff!

Cheers,
- Michael

[Spiney Norman]

Guys.
Is it true the little Cafe in the terminal has closed though? This might have a vital impact on my next visit!

Spiney

[QNH 1013]

The cafe was open when I was there about three weeks ago; it just didn't have much food at 0900h local. However I did manage to buy some sort of cake / biscuit and a coffee.

Surely the obvious thing is to telephone them and ask. The reception desk is only yards from the cafe.

[Spiney Norman]

Well, yes, I could ring up but why when I can ask friendly local pilots on this forum? Long may Sheffield continue. I hope the constant rumours about closure or turning the airfield into a heliport go away. It's certainly well worth a visit.

Spiney

[stiknruda]

M-JP

I took my one man pocket rocket to Sheffield, a Pitts S1S.

Cafe was up and open 6 days ago. No Earl Grey tea but a decent selection of freshly made sandwiches, toasties, etc.

My next visit will also be sans Hi-vis vest.... at least it will ensure the attention of reception babe. :)


Stik

[MichaelJP59]

Nice to see a Pitts at Sheffield, as I said in another thread, I hope to learn to fly one of those one day.

The cafe is open, I think 9.00 - 5.00. No bacon rolls, but some nice sandwiches made to order.

Cheers,
- Michael

[24Right]

They certainly want to turn it into a heliport, but my understanding is that they want to keep the Fixed wing GA element too. They also want to get back some of the runway for commercial development, but I hear that this will leave a runway of some 600+ metres. Not vast, but sufficient for most GA types.

Keep supporting Sheffield by flying in - we need support even more since the go ahead for Finningley was announced.

24R

[foghorn]

I haven't had time to visit Sheffield recently, having been a regular up there last year.

I notice that in but one year the landing fee has gone up from £11.75 to £23.50 inc for your average 4 seater spamcan. That's 100% inflation. Parking is also an eye-watering £17.62 per night.

That is pretty much what we pay at the likes of Biggin Hill, LBA etc which are fully IFR with all the associated Navaids and Radar, rather than just a VFR field with an A/G radio and an NDB.

Now that they have their new won single-engine status, it seems that they are now trying to price people off the airport. Maybe a plot to reduce the traffic figures to a level where they can justify closure?

Come on Sheffield, those sort of fees are enough to make me use Gamston again - as they're half price now it's worth the extra drive.

[--o-o-0-o-o--]

I always get a good A/G....F.I.S....off Sheff'.....but never landed there........i fly from EGNF (Sheffield Aeroclub)l........... i try to fly everywhere......but never landed at Sheff' City....maybe i should.....lots of good reports.

[ShyTorque]

--o-o-0-o-o--


So you fly from EGNF (NevverForp)? Which four engined bomber do you fly? I sometimes watch the heavies returning from their raids.. count 'em all out (especially sunday mornings) and hopefully count 'em all in... ;)

[niknak]

Sheffield City airport is owned by Peel Holdings, the same folk who have developed Finningly/Robin Hood/Little John Airport.

They have no intention of disposing of it in the near future, it would not be politically expedient to do so, nor would it be to reduce the runway length.
The only thing that may close it, is if the slag heap upon which it sits, assumes glacial proportions and moves faster than it currently is.
The airport sits in one of the region's many "business/retail parks, and there's plenty of room to develop that without any effect upon the airport.
Any talk of "developing it as a heliport" comes from the south end of a horse, the airport already accomodates helicopters, why should it have to "develop" to do what it's already doing?

Landing fees - agreed that if they are charging what has been quoted, that is excessive, however, how else are they supposed to pay the staff and fund the running of a licensed airport which not only has to pay it's own way, but has no other commercial revenue?

[ShyTorque]

Seems to me that Sheffield needs to attract more GA customers, not scare them away by charging high fees....

[jezbowman]

Pricey, but a stones throw from a major city. That's the privledge you pay for. Shame there are no IAP's any longer (just in case I ever finish that damn IMC!).

[Twin Peaks]

Nice enough place, if you can stand the self opinionated, unprofessional, obnoxious, un-qualified and down right rude comments from the (non-Geordie) aerosol in the " visual control room".
Flight information service............I think not.

[maggioneato]

I only paid £8.16 to land, hardly a vast amount. The guy in the tower was excellent, very friendly as was everyone else. I will be going back for another visit, hopefully next Thurs, if the aircraft is out of maintenence.

[camaro]

stiknruda


As -o-o-O-o-o and Shy Torque have already mentioned, next time you are 'oop north, pay us a visit at Netherthorpe. There's no landing fee for PFA types and your Purple Pitts will feel right at home with our two Extras. It's not that much further into Sheffield either. Only downside is that you may end up over MTOW if you choose to partake of Paul's outstanding grub in the club house. :D

[GT02FLY]

Flew into Sheffield back in May - very nice airfield and very attractive staff ;)

[--o-o-0-o-o--]

Nice enough place, if you can stand the self opinionated, unprofessional, obnoxious, un-qualified and down right rude comments from the (non-Geordie) aerosol in the " visual control room".

Twin Peaks.....tell us more, it sounds as though you've had a bad experience at Sheff'. (correction.....A/g service)

Shytorque........ :) ......a four engined 152

[foghorn]

Don't get me wrong, the folks at EGSY are helpful, it's a great place to land, it's just not worth more than double its slightly less conveniently sited but equally equipped competitors at EGNE.

The nice folk at Gamston (who charge £10 inc to land and ~£8 inc per night to park) said they'd had increased interest since EGSY put up its fees.

Maggieonauto. At £8.16 your aircraft is possibly sub 1 tonne and it was also before the 11th August rate hike? It's £10 per tonne plus VAT now, most 4 place spamcans being just over a ton that makes it a whopping £23.50 to land. EGSY are clearly taking a leaf out of the London Ashford Lydd Spaceport handbook of market economics.