Inverness

[DavidHoul52]

Anybody got some good ideas of places to fly to from Inverness which are not too difficult for a new PPL?

[topoverhaul]

Try Dornoch or Fearn (new strip)

[flybymike]

Oban and Plockton. A recent write up on this trip in one of this month's flying mags. Can't remember which one though.

[Rod1]

Wick

Rod1

[eharding]

Oban and Plockton. A recent write up on this trip in one of this month's flying mags. Can't remember which one though.


I had an interesting time at Plockton a few months ago - very strange wind-shear effect when making an approach from the North, the wind being moderately sporting, and from the West. The best fish-and-chips in the world at Mister Grumpy's though.

[GusHoneybun]

A nice bimble for an hour you could fly down the great glen to drumnadrochit, head north towards cannich, then follow the valley back towards beauly, fly along the cromaty firth to the gap then call for rejoin. Takes exactly an hour blocktime. Local airfields nearby are Knockbain farm just outside Dingwall and Fearn just outside tain. However, if you want to actually go anywhere...

Heading north you have Dornoch which is a great little grass strip, and it's located right by the town so you can stop off for a spot of lunch. It is a popular place with dog walkers though, so it's probably a good idea to do a low fly-by before landing.
Further up the coast, you have Wick, but why anyone would intentionally go to Wick is beyond me, but hey! If you are a bit more adventurous, you could head over the Pentland Firth and pay a visit to Orkney. Kirkwall is a short taxi ride from the airport and is a cracking wee town. If you have a bit of time, then you can visit some of the islands and if I recall correctly, you can buy a landing card for all of the airports on the Orkneys.
Shetland and Fair Isle are over a bit too much water for a single engine putt putt, but if you like bird watching you might like to risk it.

Heading west, you can visit the hebrides. Stornoway has a huge runway and a bus service into town. The town is not much to talk about and what ever you do, don't go on sunday as the whole world grinds to a halt. Flying down the hebrides is stunning on a good day, and no trip would be complete without the obligatory landing at Barra. There is another beach airfield on Sollas, but there is absolutly nothing around so would give it a miss.
A quick hop back over the minch and you have Plockton and Broadford. Both good places to start for a trip around Skye. Further down the coast you will have Oban which I believe is a thread all on it's own. If you do get down there, try and fly over fingals caves as they are quite a sight.

Eastwards there aren't too many airfields available, a couple of farm strips near to lossiemouth and a glider field. If you persist in going this way, you will eventually end up at Aberdeen. If you land there, I suggest you remortgage your aircraft to cover the landing fees and handling.

South is towards the Cairngorms, nice scenery, especially in winter, but, apart from feshiebridge glider site, nowhere to land.

[gasax]

Reasonable summaries of what is around owever -

Plocton is 590m and as noted can have some interesting wind effects.

Knockbain has one of the largest gradients in the country - so not really recommended for low time PPLs.

Enormous and easy? Wick, Fearn, Dornoch (the shortest of this list at 770m), Perth, Oban. There is always Dundee, Glenrothes and Cumbernauld but these are a bit of distance from Inversneckie.

Most of the strips have 'interesting' aspects, well worth flying into with someone with experience.

[flybymike]

As an aside, although I am familiar with Oban and the western isles, I have never flown into Inverness. Are they generally accommodating to GA? Any useful tips ?

[Say again s l o w l y]

Plockton is lovely, but for your first trips around Scotland I'd recommend somewhere easy like Perth or Oban. Both very nice in their own ways and you'll get a warm welcome at either place.

You can get fuel easily too, which can sometimes be an issue at other places.

Do be extremely careful of the weather and the hills. As you have trained in and around London and the South East, the differences and risks involved in flying up here are marked. I'm assuming you'll be flying with the peeps at Highland and if so you'll be in extremely safe hands.

Wherever you fly to, all of a sudden you'll find flying down south very boring after experiencing what Scotland has to offer. On a good day it's breathtaking. On a bad day however it can be really nasty, but one good day can make it all seem worth it. (Well that's what I keep telling myself!)

[DavidHoul52]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll be taking it all up with me.

[Stelladog]

Glenforsa?

[gasax]

Shush - don't tell him about Glenforsa.

At 730m and quite open it's not a bad strip, just expect the north side (seaward side) to be soft and soggy and both windsocks to be pointing in opposite directions!

Of course it is possibly one of the best destinations in the country....

Glenforsa Airfield - Flight Information (http://www.glenforsaairfield.co.uk/2.html)

[gla-lax]

if you go to wick you might as well fly the extra 15 mins to kirkwall on the orkney's.