Bournemouth landing fees!

[hugh flung_dung]

I took a student to Bournemouth today in a Warrior as a Nav + land-away and for "big airport" experience ... 1 landing fee = £45.38 :eek:

As warning to others, here is the current charge structure:
0-1000 kg £30.25
1001-1500kg £45.38
1501-2000kg £60.51
2001-2500kg £75.63
2501-3000kg £90.76

HFD

[baraka]

Did the same to Liverpool a few weeks ago in PA 28, came in at £60. Mind you, we did get a mandatory lift in a transit van from the a/c across the apron to the Big Yellow C(about 150yards) so i guess we got good value for money.......
Cardiff is still very reasonable for that big airfield experience. Dropped in there last week in PA28 again and came in at about £23, which is comparable to some much smaller GA airfields.
Mind you we did get a bollocking because apparantly we had been spotted by the guys in the control tower walking from our a/c to the flying club holding rather than wearing our hi-viz jacket thingy. The twr must be getting on for 600mtrs away. Good job i remembered to at least carry the thing or we may not have been seen atall......!!!

[Dan Winterland]

Avoid these places. I seem to remeber that Norwich was always good value with a good training discount (is that still the case?). At least one biggish airport recognised the value in training the people who will sustain their future.

[Sleeve Wing]

These civilian operations seem to have such a warped sense of self-importance that the presence of a meer spamcan on the ILS would seem to be a severe embarrassment. Thus there is a mistaken tendency to price them out.
I understand the potential problem of slow aircraft on the approach if the airport happens to be busy. This can usually be alleviated by a quick phone call to find out when they're not.

My own opinion is that ATC complements at Cranfield, Luton, Bournmouth and the like are so reduced by economic factors that we are kept away to give the guys a rest or a sense-of-humour failure reboot. We are a nuisance even if we're teaching students exactly how not to be nuisance.

So,thank you, Royal Air Force (EGUB, EGVO, EGVN, EGDM, EGDL) for being willing to take IMC student training whenever you can. Your friendly,understanding welcome to some of the most exasperating novices is a lesson to some of the short-tempered so-and-so's we occasionally have to put up with on the "other" side. And we're always willing to return the favour with a practice PAR for your studes !
What sort of example is that to a young trainee who is doing his damnedest to get it right?

BTW, the BIGGEST thank you must go to FARNBOROUGH who are also very busy these days and yet can still find time to accommodate an approach with relaxed humour and attention, even if they're shattered. It never goes unnoticed, guys.

Sleeve Wing. (EGLK, EGLM, EGTB, EGBP et al.)

[FlyingForFun]

Best value-for-money in terms of cost vs airport busyness, IMO, is Manchester. It's not cheap at around £50 off-peak for a C172, but considering how busy it is, it's a far better experience than Bournemouth for someone looking for a "big airport" experience for about the same price.
BTW, the BIGGEST thank you must go to FARNBOROUGH who are also very busy these days and yet can still find time to accommodate an approach with relaxed humour and attention, even if they're shatteredDo Farnborough still allow you to turn up un-announced for an ILS, and let you down to minima without charging a penny?

FFF
---------------

[rudestuff]

Why do you stand for it? For the kind of money you're paying for 1 landing, I could rent a plane for an hour and a half and go and do touch and goes at Orlando International (a bit bigger than Gatwick) - for free.

[Keygrip]

rudestuff - thanks for your uneducated, incorrect, and irrelevant post.

What do you suggest they do about it?

You CANNOT fly into OIA for free - but your charges are paid from the Federal taxation system that all United States employees pay into. So the girl in McDonalds on $3 an hour is paying towards your landing fees.

I think your messages would be better sent to AOPA to keep the fight going against user fees - which is where the USA is dangerously heading - then you'll be paying a darned site more than these guys for a landing at OIA.

The USA truly is Gods gift to general aviation AT THE MOMENT - but there are fees and charges for it and you do pay them (it just doesn't hurt as much when spread across however many million people there are paying taxes).

[Leclairage]

Suggest you try the big airfieed landing experience thing in France.
It costs buttons, and one is always treated with the utmost civility both in the air and on the ground.

[rudestuff]

keygrip - thanks for your rude, argumentative and incorrect post also.

I apologise if i have offended your sensibilities with my post - to me the thread seemed to be about the high cost of training & landing fees in the UK.

As this is a Forum (which I believe is a place for debate and different oppinions to be heard) I decided to chime in. Of course, as with practically every other thread on here someone (in this case you) always has to start with the patronising put-downs - resulting in the other person (in this case me) feeling the need to defend themselves, and so the childish tit-for-tat goes on....

Anyway, my point was simply to point out that (as you say) the US is a great environment for getting experience of major airports. At the moment.

What can we do about it? In the UK - not much unless the GA community gets its act together along with airports.
Does it really cost the airport 50 quid to clean up some rubber marks on a runway? I dont think so - high landing fees simply discourage people from flying which is a bad thing. I do hope that people see the light and start to bring fees down - thus encouraging more flying and more revenue.

Its called MCO by the way.

[BillieBob]

Its called MCO by the way.No it isn't, it's 'called' Orlando International Airport. The ICAO 4-letter identifier is KMCO and so it is referred to (by some people) as MCO, which also happens to be its IATA identifier.

Now, just why is this relevant to a discussion on landing fees at UK airports and which part of Keygrip's post was incorrect?

[dme4ils]

Do Farnborough still allow you to turn up un-announced for an ILS, and let you down to minima without charging a penny?

FFF,
The current answer to your question is yes:) , with the rider that we may decline in the event of being busy, short of staff due sickness etc etc.
Some times it may not be obvious to light aircraft on 125.25 why we may have declined your request, but with Heathrow, Gatwick and the TMA airspace surrounding us we easily run out of room to extend anything in the pattern and sometimes we have to break the ILS trainer off. Can't remember who it was in a PA28 I did that to last week but sorry anyway. (At least he got his approach second time round)

[rudestuff]

billiebob,

Thankyou for educating us on those points. By your only addressing my 'incorrect' remark, i assume you agree on the others - thanks for the support.

I'll answer the second part of your question first - pedantics really - keygrip implied that only employees of the united states support the faa - I'm pretty sure the money comes from all taxpayers, not just federal employees. And quite rightly so. Too bad fees cant be paid in the UK too - but as long as Airports are privately owned instead of being public, theres not much you can do.
Plus, Keygrip implied that there were landing fees in the US - there arent, because the FAA pays for airport operations - which means that yes, indirectly we all pay in a sense. However, there is no invisible fee charged to the taxpayer every time someone does a touch and go or flies an ILS. That is simply ridiculous. The FAA has finite funding. There are a zillion non-towered airports dotted around - with no one to count touch and goes.
Anyway, my whole point was that the Cost to the pilot of flying into (K)MCO or MCO or OIA or whatever, is zero. Hence its a pretty good place to go.

As for relevence - if you look at the title of the Thread - it was about one person sharing their views on landing fees at Bournemouth (Not about UK landing fees in general.) Read it again if you like (i dont think its changed.)

Anyway, by its nature, a discussion if fluid and can change direction.
This one started off about Bournemouth, progressed on to Fees in general, then to where to get Big airport experience, then I simply talked about US Fees (or lack thereof to the pilot).

Seems like a logical progression to me. Again, apologies if I have upset you by trying to take part.

[Cricket23]

For big(ish) airport experience, I'd recommend Southend. I've only been a couple of times, but on both occasions they were very helpful.

Last time (Aug '05), I paid £19.39 (seems a strange figure).

C23

[Green Cactus]

As a small addition I would like to mention that certain airports within the US do have a landing fee. Most are ment to keep "little" airplanes away during peak hours, for some it is a all hours city "tax".

GC

[Godgetswings]

No it isn't, it's 'called' Orlando International Airport. The ICAO 4-letter identifier is KMCO and so it is referred to (by some people) as MCO, which also happens to be its IATA identifier.
Now, just why is this relevant to a discussion on landing fees at UK airports and which part of Keygrip's post was incorrect?

Ladies, Ladies, Please!
there may be adults tuning in and you don't want them to think we're all the same now do you!
Now shake hands and play nice!

[Kengineer-130]

speaking from personal experiance, I found the USA to be absolutly superb for the GA Pilot :ok: , no landing fees anywhere, no one could do enough to help you when you landed at their airport, controllers were generally patient and helpful to the students/ low time pilots, and there was a general "good" atmosphere everywhere you flew :) . I flew into Orlando Sanford, and being told "you are number 2 to the 747 on short finals :eek: " is an experiance I will never forget :) - and then doing a short field take-off off the 10,000 foot runway was rarther amusing as well... but I digress...Unfortunatly GA in the UK seems to be all about profit, and I know a lot of operators hands are tied due to sky high fuel tax, operating cost etc etc, but if it carrys on like this then GA in the UK will be non-existant in 10 years :( - In the US I could hire a C-150 for £40 an hour wet, and fly to anywhere I fancied, and din't have to worry about landing fees, handling fees etc etc, In the UK It is almost doubling the cost of an hours flight ( whats an average p28? £130?) by the time you have added on fuel surcharges, landing fees, parking fees etc etc :( Very sad state of affairs :(

[RodgerF]

Quote

I seem to remeber that Norwich was always good value with a good training discount (is that still the case?).

Nope. Not any more. £35 is the going rate for a small aircraft now. Since September 1st.

[DaveO'Leary]

Sorry to 'butt in' guys, curious, does the tower (UK) inform one of the landing fee before landing? If not, what happens when one lands without enough £££
would the a/c be held until said fee is paid.

Dave

[Flik Roll]

Southampton was around £25 for a light SEP. Good for biggish airport experience and also for EFATO awareness on climbout!!

(Mind you, I quote £25, but this was a few years back)

[eyeinthesky]

Southampton has changed much now..

PPR only to non-scheduled aircraft, and handling mandatory. If you multiply your £25 by 4 you might get closer to today's figure!

[zedrik]

I've done alot of GA flying in France and Spain recently. Apart from dodging over and under military corridors (am wondering how to spell that...), the whole experience has been a pleasure. Landing fees at major international airports of around 5 euros, and being treated with as much courtesy and importance as large commercial flights....to the point of a ryanair flight being told to hold short of the runway whilst I was poddling along on a fairly long final at Reus.

I guess it all comes out of taxes over there...no such thing as a free lunch, but it would be so much better if the same attitude to GA was taken here in the UK.

So, a fairly pointless post as far as helping anyone in the UK is concerned, but if you get the chance to fly over the channel, then do - you won't be disappointed.

[RTN11]

If you want the feel of a bigger airport, Exeter is probably your best bet at around £20.

Southampton has all but closed it's doors to GA, pricing them out of the market, and Norwich (mentioned earlier on this thread) is now also £40 to land.

Alternatively, a nice trip to Gurnsey would mean both a cheaper landing, and cheaper fuel.

[LXGB]

Sorry for drifting off topic, but to add some more up to date info about Norwich. Here's a recent quote from ukga.com (http://ukga.com/airfield/norwich)...

Regarding the information about landing fees at Norwich Airport.

Anglia Flight can now collect landing fees for visiting aircraft provided they are contacted prior to arrival by telephone. The cost for a C150 sized aircraft would be around £12.