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[Spamcan defender]

As detailed in THIS thread.. Lee is on the verge of closure to GA. To make your voice heard please read below and state your current/intended usage of the airfield.

Indicate in your post the kind of flying you want to do, and hopefully word will get out such that many other UK flyers will append to the thread also. We can get the thread into the view of relevant bodies very easily from there... ... or transfer the expressed views into a more effective vehicle when that becomes apparent (a WIP but not top priority - we are going to pursue a High Court Injunction urgently).

Posters to the thread would not have to be local to Lee, if they would fly in to visit the local area, refuel, whatever, the point is to express the demand that is out there for public access to the Department for Transports MCA Daedalus airfield. You paid for it, the government policy is to encourage use of such facilities, so Say You Want To Access it.

Well I shall start this off by saying that I wish to use this as a base for my private flying and would use it, personally, AT LEAST a couple of hours a month.

KEEP LEE OPEN TO GA!!

Spamcan

[Mike Cross]

I've flown into Lee in the past and would do again if it were open to visitors.
For someone needing a hard runway the nearest choices to Portsmouth are Southampton, which is short of space and will not permit aircraft to be based there, Shoreham, or Farnborough.
Lee's got a lot going for it. It has the hovercraft museum on site and with the right access you could exit the airfield, cross the road and be on the beach.
It's also got excellent potential for aviation related businesses. Those that are already on site have been given 30 days notice that they will no longer be able to use the airfield because the aerodrome manager has failed to properly manage the airfield. In particular he has failed for over a year to sign the letter of agreement with DARA Fleetlands, whose ATZ encroaches on the aerodrome boundary and he has not applied for a dedicated radio frequency for Lee.
It is a farcical situation that the person charged with running the airfield is now using his own failures as a reason to deny the use of the facility to others.
That said, the airfield is owned by The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the responsibility is ultimately theirs.

[Contacttower]

If Lee was open to all GA, not just aircraft based there, I would visit quite a lot.

If in the future I decided to buy an aircraft Lee would be a good place to base it....and if a share in an aircraft came up that I was interested in location at Lee would be ideal.

[Dave Gittins]

I normally fly at Fairoaks but have over the past 9 months started flying occasionally with Carill Aviation at Lee. Indeed I even did my "hour once every 2 years" there, last month.

This suits me admirably becuase I spend a couple of weekends a month in Gosport and it allows me a 5 minute drive to the airfiel;d and to use a different "local area" and just to do what GA pilots do, bimble around sightseeing and enjoying being airborne.

Lee is very convenient to me for that and I want it to continue.

If there were more general aviation at to Lee, it might even be a good place for me to buy a share in something I could use to fly across to France (being 25 minutes closer than Fairoaks.)

Insofar as there being any lack of safety in operating GA, Gliding and "Blue Light" activities all at once, that is nonsense. The Surrey Police Helicopter is based aboutb 50 yards away from our aeroplanes at Fairoaks and we co-exist perfectly peacefully (indeed so do numbers of other heliciopters). I also used to mix with the Chiltern Police Helicopter at Luton .. again no bother at all.
There are planty of other places where GA and gliding also share facilities ... and I have done so at Lee in the past, perfectly safely.

LONG LIVE LEE

[Saab Dastard]

I have friends in both Portsmouth and Southampton - Lee on Solent would be an ideal GA airfield to use to visit them, with the additional possibility of then taking them on to other destinations.

I have never attempted to use it in the past (since obtaining PPL in 2003) because of the perceived extreme difficulty in getting permission to land there.

SD

[FullyFlapped]

I concur with the previous poster : I would love to be able to use Lee for both business and access to Portsmouth-based family and friends. However, I was under the impression it was closed to non-based GA and so have never tried to obtain PPR.

Currently using other fields, I would think my usage profile would be between 1-3 visits per month.

FF

[Fuji Abound]

I have always wanted to use Lee on a regular basis.

None of the other surrounding airports are as convenient for Portsmouth, and Southampton, being the obvious alternative choice, in recent years has limited GA slots on a regular basis as the airport has become busier with commercial traffic.

I have clients in the area and would be a regular user.

I do not understand as a "publically" owned airport why access is not given to the public.

[Propped-up]

I would use Lee if it were available generally. That area is otherwise poorly served for GA.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I first learned to fly at Lee with Southampton UAS. I've been back in once since, on a formal visit to one of the various units there - since it hasn't for some time been welcoming visitors.

If it did welcome visitors, then it's likely I'd use the airfield several times per year. Given the lack of availability of Southampton these days for GA, then I imagine it would be a popular airfield to base aircraft at - I'd certainly seriously consider it if I lived in or near Southampton again.

However, I really don't buy the arguments of malign intent or incompetence. It strikes me that most of the reasons why GA is not routinely allowed to use Daedalus (as was) are misunderstandings about the difficulties of co-existing gliders, fixed wing GA, and the police ASU. I'd strongly recommend that everybody stops throwing mud about and just tries to talk about this with the management at LoS politely and constructively.

G

[GRP]

Oh yes... would happily pay to be based there, preferably with hangar space. Currently based at Goodwood where my aircraft is not happy. My aircraft does not work well on grass. Not only a better place to be based, but also close to both where I work and where I live.

[yawningdog]

As a property developer in Southampton, I can assure you that the city is expanding at a dramatic rate. Residential development along the waterfront is increasing in density at an alarming rate, indicating a real demand from the professional market. Commercial development is accelerating with West Quay 2 (I think that's it name) in the construction phase. The old Vosper Thornycroft shipyard site owned by SEEDA is about to be turned into a modern mixed used marine industry site with high tech modern living. The city is host to major international exhibitions such as the Southampton Boat Show which attracts valuable investment to one of the city's primary industries, marine.

This all points towards a strong local market for business at Lee-on-Solent airfield for the future. It would be prudent for the airfield to remain operational and to establish a longer term strategy as a corporate overflow airfield, considering the capacity limitations at Southampton Airport.

Lee would make an excellent international corporate airfield serving not only Southampton, but also Portsmouth. There can be no possible commercial advantage to closing the airfield other short-term greed by developers, which would be an opportunity lost.

As a private pilot visiting the city, Lee-on-Solent would be my first choice as a convenient destination. It is easy to find geographically and is close to the city.

[FBS]

With family in the area I would use the airfield several times a month. The area is badly served by GA and Lee on Solent is an ideal place with clear approaches and relatively friendly neighbours.

Lee has incredible potential as a buisiness and GA airfield and would be perfecly suited to many small businesses.

[Pitts2112]

It depends. If it becomes an officious place with air traffic control and requires people to wear hi-viz vests, and is solely concerned with making a buck (like Redhill), I'll never set foot there. If, however, it sets up more like Leicester with helpful air-to-ground, a good clubhouse and friendly, grass-roots approach to flying, all whilst maintaining a profitable profile, then I'd use it to visit mates in the area.

Pitts2112

[Nipper2]

I would use it for sure. I live 2 minutes from Lee but have to hangar my aircraft 30 minutes away. It's a no-brainer for me.

If I could base my aircraft at Lee I guess it would generate 100-150 movements per year.

[BroomstickPilot]

Lee on Solent

Hi Guys,

I am an Old Sarum club member. Old Sarum is not far from Lee and would be a good destination to go to for a practice cross-country flight with a 'land out'.

So far, I haven't visited Lee because of the hostile attitude I had heard awaited anybody who called in there.

Given the opportunity, I should most certainly like to be able to fly into Lee.

Broomstick.

[whosyerdaddy]

I would fly there and organise fly outs there too. It's on the seaside!

There's only one of me but loads in my flying club. We're all sick to death of flying to the same places.

[Johnm]

I would visit around once a month were it an unrestricted GA field in order to get easily to Soton and Portsmouth. Southampton is too expensive and restrictive other fields are not more practical than driving.

[muffin]

I need to go to Portsmouth from time to time on business and Lee would certainly be better than driving from the Midlands. Southampton is too crowded and complicated and Goodwood too far away. I actually kept my aircraft at Hamble for two wonderful years just before it closed, but those days are long gone now unfortunately. Don't let Lee go the same way.

[ChampChump]

Absolutely, several times a year, provided it's user-friendly (see Pitts' post above), especially for us littl'uns who don't want or need ATC.

My brother lives nearby, which adds value for me.

[Yankee]

With the ever growing new breed of light GA aircraft ideally needing a hard surface runway to operate from the central South Coast area is in dire need of not only keeping Lee, but may be even opening another airfield in the area, not close one. For a conurbation the size of Portsmouth and Southampton not to have access to a GA field is unbelievable.
Bournemouth is far to the west but we are picking up members to our group there who live in the Gosport area and it would be a great help to be able to position our group plane there from time to time to help them out.
I know of no other airfield that could offer potential fly-in visitors so much naval heritage on its doorstep, which if the airfield remains open should be promoted to the full.
I am a member of the International Grumman owners club and it can sometimes be a challenge to find a suitable venue for our Annual European Convention. What a venue Lee would make, so many attractions to entertain our guests. It’s excellent position on the coast allowing fly in visitors from abroad to route along the south coast avoiding any lowish cloud all the way from Lydd or Dover. It could be a big draw for many other association fly-ins also.