Oban/Glenforsa News
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Glenforsa Mull
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Oban Etc
It seems to be all or nothing at Oban, perhpas because the folks running the show dont understand that your average GA visitor doesnt need a licenced airfield with all the bells and whistles.
Whats more, it would appear that they have no interest in understanding GA, and treat their customers as an inconvenient interruption to their daily routine of pretending to be running Gatwick.
OGF
A little less conversation,
a little more aviation...
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Bracknell, UK
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Events on Sunday afternoon provided a deep insight into what's wrong at Oban.
The merest whiff of an opportunity to close down based on the fanciful notion that volcanic ash could have the slightest impact on anything operating out of there was grasped with both hands, relishing the opportunity to exercise bureaucratic power.
£35 a head out-of-hours extortion duly collected, and from then on the place proceeded to run far more smoothly without the presence of the operating authorities - tea and jammy dodgers were consumed in vast quantities, and we managed to get 6 fixed-wing plus 1 rotary airborne in 10% of the time it would have taken had the tower been in action.
Whilst we're on the subject of the tower, who was the Jim Henson creation in there on Saturday afternoon? - when asked to clarify the location of H1 from 2 miles out, the reply was "In front of you". Brilliant. Outstandingly useless.
35 quid and you'll take the afternoon off? - tell you what, here's £70 - take the whole day off. Please.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central London
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Islander MORs
I see in the latest GA Occurrences that Oban has reported the Argyll Air Services Islander on no less than 4 occasions in one week for landing short of the displaced theshold
....Bet that's done wonders for the working relationship at the airfield!!!!
....Bet that's done wonders for the working relationship at the airfield!!!!
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: North of Baginton
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With Heb Air having taken over the contract, would it be correct to say that all of the staff at Connel are surplus to requirements?
Fertile ground for conflict as would appear to be the case.
GS
Fertile ground for conflict as would appear to be the case.
GS
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Islanders could have provided the service from day one with no upgrade of the runways.
A lot of public/euro money has been spent here for what?
Making it difficult for GA will mean less movements
A lot of public/euro money has been spent here for what?
Making it difficult for GA will mean less movements
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northland
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How did the Glenforsa Fly-in go? Our group aircraft was having an engine overhaul, and nothing was available to hire for long enough. The third Mull I've missed since 1987
Join Date: May 2001
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Political bun fight.
The airport managment pissed off one of the airfield users off that had a long term lease on land airside. The user erected a fence which compromises the protected area around the runway. So they had to displace the threshold to allow the protected area.
The airport managment pissed off one of the airfield users off that had a long term lease on land airside. The user erected a fence which compromises the protected area around the runway. So they had to displace the threshold to allow the protected area.
A little less conversation,
a little more aviation...
Join Date: Jun 2003
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Join Date: May 2001
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http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadba...2009-12-17.pdf
Doesn't even have it on that its been displaced which is abit naughty
but there is a notam but I suspect its going to be one of these notams which is perm feature.
Q) EGPX/QMDCH/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5628N00524W005
B) FROM: 10/05/24 13:21C) TO: 10/06/30 16:30
E) RWY 01 THR DISPLACED 422M REVISED DECLARED DISTANCES AS FOLLOWS:
TORA TODA ASDA LDA
RWY 01 702M 702M 837M 782M
RWY 19 842M 902M 842M 642M
So they have lost over a third of the runway. Thus none of the biz jets which they reckoned were going to use it can get in now.
You might say well who would want to take anything biggish in there?
Well there are some rather well to do companys which are involved with the distillerys wanted to get in there. Also as well quite a few yacht owners used to get the livin crew to sail it up and then they got picked up in Oban.
Doesn't even have it on that its been displaced which is abit naughty
but there is a notam but I suspect its going to be one of these notams which is perm feature.
Q) EGPX/QMDCH/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5628N00524W005
B) FROM: 10/05/24 13:21C) TO: 10/06/30 16:30
E) RWY 01 THR DISPLACED 422M REVISED DECLARED DISTANCES AS FOLLOWS:
TORA TODA ASDA LDA
RWY 01 702M 702M 837M 782M
RWY 19 842M 902M 842M 642M
So they have lost over a third of the runway. Thus none of the biz jets which they reckoned were going to use it can get in now.
You might say well who would want to take anything biggish in there?
Well there are some rather well to do companys which are involved with the distillerys wanted to get in there. Also as well quite a few yacht owners used to get the livin crew to sail it up and then they got picked up in Oban.
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: UK
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I can't understand why there aren't maladministration actions at Argyll and Bute Council, on the face of it the Council appears to have failed in its duty to take good advice and spend public money wisely.
The management appear to be accountable to no-one which also can't be right.
Finally the markings are wrong if it's a displaced threshold, the markings indicate a closed runway, you really couldn't make this saga up!
The management appear to be accountable to no-one which also can't be right.
Finally the markings are wrong if it's a displaced threshold, the markings indicate a closed runway, you really couldn't make this saga up!
Join Date: May 2001
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Well maybe now is the time to start writing to the various political entities to try and get it sorted.
I could understand why they wouldn't touch it with a barge pole last year. But now the election is out of the way its maybe time for the GA community to highlight to the powers that be the money that has/still is being pissed up the wall.
That place must be costing a fortune to run for very very few movements. A few letters explaining that the whole place could be run without a license and associated paperwork could save the tax payer at least half a million a year.
Along with dropping of out of hours bits of paper they might actually get movements back up to old levels. Private Biz jets could start coming in again because I presume the fence would be removed after the annoyance factor had gone. The islander could continue its service, the service would proberly be improved because they could run extra sectors when demand was there instead of being tied to airfield operating hours. Make it a condition of use nothing bigger than 19 seats which will keep the DFT happy and its a win win situation. The only fall out will be the ego's of certain people.
I could understand why they wouldn't touch it with a barge pole last year. But now the election is out of the way its maybe time for the GA community to highlight to the powers that be the money that has/still is being pissed up the wall.
That place must be costing a fortune to run for very very few movements. A few letters explaining that the whole place could be run without a license and associated paperwork could save the tax payer at least half a million a year.
Along with dropping of out of hours bits of paper they might actually get movements back up to old levels. Private Biz jets could start coming in again because I presume the fence would be removed after the annoyance factor had gone. The islander could continue its service, the service would proberly be improved because they could run extra sectors when demand was there instead of being tied to airfield operating hours. Make it a condition of use nothing bigger than 19 seats which will keep the DFT happy and its a win win situation. The only fall out will be the ego's of certain people.