Touch and Go!

[jakerr]

A very simple question!

If you fly to another airfield which charges a fee to land and park up. Do you still have to pay if all you are doing is a "touch and go" i.e. if you just want to practice doing an approach?

Given that you have not actually stopped, parked and got out?

Appologies if this is a stupid question !!!!

Thanks

[robin]

Jakerr

I think that most airfields charge for a landing or a touch and go. It is irrelevant whether or not you get out of the aircraft. You are taking up circuit space and probably their radio service.

At my local field, and many others, you can ask to do touch and goes and you can then pay on your return to your home field.

Of course you could do an approach and go-around without touching down. However, it is not considered good form to do what you seem to be suggesting and not to pay.

[Cuillin]

Some places in the UK will even charge you for a go-around as a percentage of the landing fee.

If possible, try and combine a holiday in the US with some flying. Aircraft are almost half the price to rent, better quality and you can call up justabout anywhere and do as many touch and gos as you wish without a charge.

You won't believe the difference in Genaral Aviation until you have tried it.

[jakerr]

Robin,

Thanks for the advice, I thought this might be the case but wasn't sure!

Cheers

JK

[Glasgow_Flyer]

Are you doing your PPL training and wanting to keep circuit costs down?
If so, (I believe) there are airfields that won’t charge you for circuits if you are wanting to get some t & g’s under your belt - I say “I believe” cause I have never actually done it - but I think of the, perhaps thousands, I’d have saved if I had flown to one of these a/f’s!

[Martin @ EGLK]

When I've done this in the past, I phone them up 1st & make an arrangement.

Most of the time I can do quite a few T&Gs stoping half way through for a cuppa & to pay. It's rare that I get charged for more than 2 landings.

However, I do usually do this at smaller airfields.

[360BakTrak]

A touch and go is a landing and therefore chargeable, if it was a case of free as your not stopping, etc, airfields would have visiting aircraft bashing the circuit all day long and not make any money! :} Airports are businesses!:)

[englishal]

You could always "join" an airfield. For example, Old Sarum costs £115 or so per year for membership, but then all landings, circuits, T&Gs are "free" in whatever you fly-in in. Basically you buy in bulk up front.
Places like Bembridge do deals, I think it is about £20 per hour, so you can do as many T&Gs, circuits etc....as you can do in an hour and pay only £20.

[robin]

Jakerr

There are some airfields that only charge the one landing fee no matter how many circuits you do on the day.

[TheGorrilla]

I personally find it amusing to haggle the landing fee with unsuspecting ops staff. :E

[Dave Gittins]

Echo the sentiment about going to the US. Have just got back from Colorado and did a few circuits at Meadowlake as part of my Flight Review. Could have carried on all day (3 clicks for the automated weather) and all night (6 clicks for the runway lghts) for free and the guy I was with was horrified when I asked how much a landing fee for a visiting aircraft was.

"If we charged 'em they wouldn't come .." was pretty much the sentiment.

I was amused when as part of my ground review I as asked if "We Brits" still refered to them as "Circuits and Bumps".