Airfields near Ullswater

[tmmorris]

Any suggestions for an airfield near Patterdale (southern tip of Ullswater)? fly.dsc.net suggests

Bowness (Windermere) Airfield (disused, unlicensed or unknown status) 9
Hutton-in-the-Forest Airfield (disused, unlicensed or unknown status) 13
Hornby Hall Airfield (disused, unlicensed or unknown status) 13
Grayrigg, Kendal Airfield (disused, unlicensed or unknown status) 13
Glassonby Airfield (unlicensed, farm strip or private) 16

Anyone know about the status of these? I'd be in a PA28-180, probably, and personally wouldn't be enormously happy in less than 600m grass...

Otherwise it's Carlisle and a lengthy trek by car!

Thanks,

Tim

[McFunkletrumpet]

You could try Cark, near Flookburgh, Grange over Sands. Might be OK. Contact them via North West Parachute Club? or Centre.
Google it. They operate a PAC750 off tarmac there.

[helicopter-redeye]

There are none, but plenty of heli sites (incl at Patterdale, South End of Ullswater). :cool:

EGNC (Carlise) will be the closest by road. I had the misfortune to do it in reverse in a casevac and its fast ...

[Maude Charlee]

Save yourself the money and aggro and go vist Kirkbride instead. No fuel, but guaranteed a friendlier welcome.

Glassonby is just a short grass strip, and I doubt you'd get a PA-28 in there, and Grayrigg is for gliders, and I think is winch launches only, so also probably limiting for you.

[helicopter-redeye]

Glassonby's very remote and there is a high risk of Puma's in the area ...

[stuartforrest]

I can concur with the last writer. Kirkbride is wonderful. Very long tarmac strip. Avoid being fooled into landing on the similar looking disused strip about 2 miles away.

Kirkbride is wonderful. My kids love it there and we take the Bonanza a whole 60 miles from Blackpool regularly so they can get a Pot Noodle and buy chocolates from the honesty box.

Carlisle is a rip off. £20 odd to land my 182 there a couple of years ago so never been back. Why do these airfields never learn!

Cark is too short and rough for you. I felt nervous with the 182 on there so I wouldnt bother with yours. Nice little airfield though if somebody keen could ever get the farmer to sell it to them.

[Small Rodent Driver]

I dont think Cark would present too many problems for a PA28 180. I have been in there in a variety of a/c and the parachute club have had no difficulty in hauling a fully laden elderly Islander in and out of there.

With regard to the disused AD at Bowness mentioned in the first post. I think this may have been the former Shorts factory at White Cross Bay where the Sunderland flying boat was built. Prepare to get your feet wet as the runway is Lake Windermere. Long since disused I think.

Whatever happened to the intact-ish Sunderland somebody spotted recently lying at the bottom of the lake?.

[tmmorris]

I must say I looked at the Multimap aerial photo for Bowness and couldn't see where an airfield might have been, so sounds right!

Only problem with Kirkbride is it's even further than Carlisle; and I can get into Carlisle IFR, which has possibilities. I could go for Kirkbride with Carlisle as an alternate, I suppose.

Thanks, anyway, for all suggestions.

Tim

[Barshifter]

tmmorris

Glassonby has 500m grass strip and has had Group A stuff in there in the past.No gliding from there or winch launching but is mainly microlights,as for Pumas well if you fly up on a week day you are as likely to see any number of military aircraft but not usually a problem.Kirkbride is a good 50mins from Ullswater by road and is easier to fly to than Drive.Helicopter Redeye is correct in saying that Carlisle is probably your best bet.Ive been landing there for last four years and its not as bad as some people make out.

You payes your money and you takes your chance.

Barshifter

[Maude Charlee]

Meant Grayrigg for the gliding, not Glassonby. Duh! :O Cheers Barshifter.

[Bob Stinger]

Kirkbride fantastic no hassle real good feel and as Stuart says pot noodles etc.
Cark be prepared and it wont suprise you 400 m long , always do a low level runway inspection , it moves the cows , gipsys, tractors, caravans (delete as required) have fun .
Stu , hows the Bonanza?

[stuartforrest]

Ah the Bonanza. Its back in the air as of last Friday. Went for a quick trip around the bay on Friday and then to Nottingham and back on Sunday. It is great to be back flying.

[clearfinalsno1]

Yes, well to the north of Cumbria are the easy hard runways of Kirkbride and Carlisle EGNC. There are car hire firms in the city so you'd probably persuade them to drop of a car at Carlisle Airport.

Cark
I've been in and out of Cark in the past in a TB9 and PA28-160 with 4 on board. Its quoted as 400m because that's all that the parachute club had resurfaced when I went several years ago. I actually used the rough stuff (broken former surface with tufts of grass sticking through) at the northern end of the south-westerly runway for my initial take-off run and long floating flare on landing. This in effect makes the r/w at least about 800m as the OS map shows (Cark Airfield (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=337500&y=474500&z=3&sv=cark&st=3&tl=Cark+Airfield,+Cumbria+&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf) ). Use it at your own risk of course and ring the parachute club before for any updates. You would still be someway from the south end of Ullswater here though.

Glassonby
I just discovered this recently myself. Its 7.5 miles by road north-east of Penrith and PPR on 01768 898387. I walked the firm grass runway 18/36 at about 600 paces or about 500m absolute maximum, but the airfield operator quotes 450m for this. There is a shorter 350m 05/23 also. The airfield is in the middle of nowhere again, but a Penrith taxi to Ullswater would be cheaper than one all the way from Carlisle. It is close to the ancient stone circles of Long Meg, Little Meg and Glassonby if you're interested in this type of history. The field is on a slightly curved 183m (600ft) high hilltop but the ground drops away to give good approaches.

Seen from the south-west (http://www.nwgyro.co.uk/newsletters/images/IMG_3650a_nw.jpg) - r/w 36/18 running right to left.

It's definately tight for a PA28 but probably doable if you're very good at short-fields. Apparently they've had Jodels in and out. Also see the red aircraft in the photo. Again, any use of this strip is at your own risk.

Usual disclaimer: The information given above is not to be used for flight planning.

Good luck.

[G-ROAR]

I took some friends to Carlisle last week and was gobsmacked when landing fee was £57.00. This is for a light twin (cessna 401).
I will NOT be going there again and it's no wonder the place was empty.
BLOODY RIP OFF MERCHANTS .

[helicopter-redeye]

I went to Carlise on Saturday and the place was full (2 circuit patterns + aircraft holding further out over the city waiting to get in the q).

Nice price too