Montrose aerodrome ???

[Chippik]

Does anyone know if Montrose is active/still useable?

[youngskywalker]

As far as I know it is not in great shape. too many rabbit holes etc...


It's been some time since they had any fly ins there.

[sailor]

Beware the Montrose Ghost!

( :eek:

[Croqueteer]

Don't let Sailor worry you-the ghost only flies at 900ft!

[DB6]

No it's not active. It may be useable but not ad hoc as people walk their dogs on it etc - I think it's effectively a park these days. There may be one or two days a year when it's set aside for flying e.g Museum open days but you'd have to check with them.

[Chippik]

thanks for all the info guys (ill watch my tail at 900ft when im in the area!) it seems it may not be the place to go if its used by the public since there would be a risk of FOD.

[Croqueteer]

20yrs ago I remember the south end of Montrose had problems with the underlying PSP (Perforated steel planking) breaking up with a serious risk to tyres.
PS DB6, I come fae Farfar tae!

[DB6]

I moved out to Douglastown last year but nobody knows where that is (well you might) so I left it as Ferfur.

[Croqueteer]

DC6, I did my first ton on a bike on the straight descending into Douglastown! An aerial sqare four.

[Chippik]

Skywalker youre right, I had found out from the museum just that very thing about rabbit holes, apparently and aircraft landed there last year and a helicopter made an "emergency" landing there as well but it seems that it will most likley be dropped from the charts etc when they come up for renewal. Its a shame that its going as there seems to be very few airfields in that part of the world even Fordoun isnt useable (according to a post in 2001).
Is there anywhere in that area that can be used?

[DB6]

Depends what you mean by use. There's a gliding site at Drumshade, near Glamis, but I'm not sure on their attitude to powered aircraft (they winch-launch). Also you may just get some joy at Edzell - seem to recall a sizeable aircraft landed there last year (bizjet?) - although I've no idea who to ask.

[Chippik]

I would like to fly there every now and again not on a regular basis, partly because Im looking to get to Lunan bay eventually (personal reasons) hence why I was looking at Montrose but Edzell is a good alternative although appearing disused on the map, and getting to Lunan, well traveline scotland will soon tell me about that!

[muffin]

Re Edzell. Google found this. An excellent piece of concrete last time I looked at it.

Estate: RAF Station Edzell
Grid Reference NO632689
Acreage 498
County Kincardine
OS 1:50k Sheet 45 Stonehaven

Owner Allan W Carengie, Brian A Carnegie & David M Carnegie

Owner Address c/o Allan W Carnegie
Northfield
Trinity Road
BRECHIN

[youngskywalker]

Edzell is a lovely airfield with good condition runways, but I thought both had obstructions on them that would be suitable only in an emergency?

Longside airfield near Peterhead is getting more popular with light aircraft, they even landed a C404 there a few months back!

I guess you could always go with bucket of sand and fill the rabbit holes at Montrose...and take shotgun with you!

Fordoun is completely un-useable now as far as I can see.

[gasax]

A few years ago I used to lease Montrose airfield from its owners Joseph Johnston & Sons, at that time run by a very helpful chap called Noel Smart.

To keep on top of the rabbit and tracking (and grass cutting) problems meant most of my weekends were spent there! Since my lease lapsed on the museum people have had anything to do with the strip and as far as I know there have been no aircraft movements for a number of years.

Unless you have tyres the size of a Turbo Porter's don't even think about landing there, the worst of the rabbit holes tend to be the one where the grass is either growing back around them or only newly disturbed and they are thus invisible. Unfortunately they will easily swallow a 6.00 tyre, I used to fly down there with my digging and track maintenance tools in the plane and had a couple of near misses. The best way to minimise rabbit activity was to mow a much wider strip of grass, so making ht earea more exposed. The strip has not been mown for at least 5 years to my knowledge so the ground condition is likely to be pretty poor.

If you really want to fly into this area I would suggest trying the local farmers close to your destination, if you are introduced by however you're visiting the issues are usually easily addressed. However make sure you really do understand how (and are in routine practice) to fly into strips and/or fields. If not go to Dundee and get a bus/train.