£20 to land at Blackpool!
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Join Date: May 2000
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£20 to land at Blackpool!
Am I being ripped off? 
Blackpool's web site proudly advertises that they are the only airfield in the north to reduce landing fees by 50% for wx diversions. No mention of the majority who don't charge at all. The Blackpool landing fee for under-a-tonne light aircraft is now £14 and what they don't tell you is that if you don't get airborne again within 2 hours, there's another fiver for 'parking'.
Any users of Blackpool care to support them? (Incidentally, there's no mention of parking fees on the web site, in Pooleys/AFE and they appear not to charge you at the time - I got an invoice for the parking fee in the post a fortnight later.!
Blackpool's web site proudly advertises that they are the only airfield in the north to reduce landing fees by 50% for wx diversions. No mention of the majority who don't charge at all. The Blackpool landing fee for under-a-tonne light aircraft is now £14 and what they don't tell you is that if you don't get airborne again within 2 hours, there's another fiver for 'parking'.
Any users of Blackpool care to support them? (Incidentally, there's no mention of parking fees on the web site, in Pooleys/AFE and they appear not to charge you at the time - I got an invoice for the parking fee in the post a fortnight later.!
Join Date: Apr 2001
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I wouldn't pay the £6. If they don't advertise the charge and you were not made aware of it at the time, then I can't see how you're liable (although I'm no lawyer).
Bristol sent me an invoice for a landing I never made. On my first solo landaway, I arrived, got put in an orbit for 6 orbits, given a clearance to continue to finals, got on base fairly sharply, then told to carry on past as a commercial was up my backside. Then had to orbit again and was told I was number 5!. Not actually needing to land (having proved I could get there), I asked if it would help if I just left. ATC thanked me profusely as they were obviously overworked.
Two days later I got a bill. One call sorted it out and in the bin it went. 
Bristol sent me an invoice for a landing I never made. On my first solo landaway, I arrived, got put in an orbit for 6 orbits, given a clearance to continue to finals, got on base fairly sharply, then told to carry on past as a commercial was up my backside. Then had to orbit again and was told I was number 5!. Not actually needing to land (having proved I could get there), I asked if it would help if I just left. ATC thanked me profusely as they were obviously overworked.
Two days later I got a bill.
One call sorted it out and in the bin it went.
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Rip off. It cost me a small fortune in overnight parking charges when I was weathered in there a while back. And believe me, spending a couple of nights in Blackpool ain’t fun 
I remember a similar scam re parking charges occuring at Luton some time ago. After many complaints they put up a notice on the Light Aircraft stand warning that parking charges would be levied after two hours and, also provided access to an alternative parking area where a flat fee,(reasonable), was charged. Although I'd be the last person to say Luton was GA friendly I think this could be the way to go for Blackpool because it's quite obvious they're not going to get repeat visitors if they go on like this. I've always found Blackpool Airport a GA friendly airport to fly into but it doesn't take long to get a bad reputation if they carry on with concealed charges like this. Anyone from Blackpool Airport management out there? Listen to your customers.
Spiney
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It's a municipal airport, owned by the council. Whilst the staff are very nice in most cases, the charges seem to be a result of stupid council policy and complete lack of understanding of GA. Nothing like encouraging the tourists, eh?
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Having not yet got past the £100 burger I rarely spend more than an hour or two at an airfield. Do many other airfields charge after so many hours, or is it more common to charge only for overnight?
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Yes, many International Airports do charge for parking after (typically) two hours.
Can I be the odd one out?...
Oddly enough I don't object to parking charges providing they are reasonable and not extortionate. I do, however, object to landing fees if I am only landing to buy fuel at the airfield. In other words, I feel it is reasonable to pay an airfield if I want to use that airfield to park my aircraft and go visiting nearby, but I object to having to pay the airfield a landing fee just to give them business by buying fuel. At most airfields this year, Avgas has been sold at a (very)_good profit.
Can I be the odd one out?...
Oddly enough I don't object to parking charges providing they are reasonable and not extortionate. I do, however, object to landing fees if I am only landing to buy fuel at the airfield. In other words, I feel it is reasonable to pay an airfield if I want to use that airfield to park my aircraft and go visiting nearby, but I object to having to pay the airfield a landing fee just to give them business by buying fuel. At most airfields this year, Avgas has been sold at a (very)_good profit.
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I was always under the impression that MOST airfields (certainly those with a control tower [i.e. normally a bit larger than those without]) would charge parking for anything in excess of two hours.
Heathrow - and some of its brother airfields - charge for anything above FIFTEEN MINUTES...and remember that is between wheels down and wheels up again.
Heathrow - and some of its brother airfields - charge for anything above FIFTEEN MINUTES...and remember that is between wheels down and wheels up again.
Just another number
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A few months ago my son and I hired a C172 from Dallas Tx, and flew it to Florida and back. During the eleven day trip we landed at about thirty airfields, including a couple of large international airports. At some (Panama City, Alexandria and Natchitoches) we were lent a car, free of charge. The following is a summary of the airport charges for the entire trip;
Landing Fees............$0
Parking Fees............$0
Airclues
[ 08 September 2001: Message edited by: Captain Airclues ]
Landing Fees............$0
Parking Fees............$0
Airclues
[ 08 September 2001: Message edited by: Captain Airclues ]
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The attitude of some airfields always suprises me, given the opportunity of having 20 light aircraft at £10 a time or 0 aircraft at £20 per landing, some will opt for the latter, regardless of the facilities they supply.
Fortunately there are still plenty of options for the private pilot who is not constrained by a specific reason for landing at a particular airfield, Norwich, Southend and Teesside, (to name but a few), all positively welcome light aircraft at reasonable prices, even though they all have a considerable amount of commercial traffic to contend with.
QNH1013, I don't know where your information about profit margins on avgas comes from, but the majority of airfield make little or no income out of it. What money they do make is soon swallowed up by the running costs of storage and bowsers etc.
Fortunately there are still plenty of options for the private pilot who is not constrained by a specific reason for landing at a particular airfield, Norwich, Southend and Teesside, (to name but a few), all positively welcome light aircraft at reasonable prices, even though they all have a considerable amount of commercial traffic to contend with.
QNH1013, I don't know where your information about profit margins on avgas comes from, but the majority of airfield make little or no income out of it. What money they do make is soon swallowed up by the running costs of storage and bowsers etc.
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QNH,
I think Tiger was trying to say 'each' landing, rather than quoting an aircraft registration, or an acronym.
And yes TM, it does mean multiple landing fees for t&g's, significantly adding to training costs, although places like Leeds considerably reduce the normal fee for the 2 local flying clubs based there. I even got charged for a go-around there not long ago!
I think Tiger was trying to say 'each' landing, rather than quoting an aircraft registration, or an acronym.
And yes TM, it does mean multiple landing fees for t&g's, significantly adding to training costs, although places like Leeds considerably reduce the normal fee for the 2 local flying clubs based there. I even got charged for a go-around there not long ago!
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Seem to have felt this myself!
EDI charges £60 to put you wheels down (including the mandatory handling), but the alternative is Cumbernauld (unless you're a microlight). The taxi from Cumbernauld to Edi is about £25 each way, plus the extra 20 minutes, so it's a case of swings an roundabouts.
I've been based at Bristol, where it was a flat £8 per landing *or* approach (regardless of whether it was a go around or a landing, VFR or vectors to the ILS), Basel, where it was roughly £9.50 for a landing having landed away, or £7 for a local flight, but they reserved the right to turn you away for an ILS if you weren't landing. Both of them charged *more* for nnot being based there - a real incentive to find out what the place is like!
French system normally seems to allow 24 hours parking included with the landing fee, but British (esp BAA) policy generally allows much less - been 'done' at Soton for 2 hrs 15 mins (but then they have been *very* friendy about ILS charges )
Best deal of the moment has got to be Jersey, £3 per half tonne, inc. 7 days parking - just wish it could be home!
IFR
EDI charges £60 to put you wheels down (including the mandatory handling), but the alternative is Cumbernauld (unless you're a microlight). The taxi from Cumbernauld to Edi is about £25 each way, plus the extra 20 minutes, so it's a case of swings an roundabouts.
I've been based at Bristol, where it was a flat £8 per landing *or* approach (regardless of whether it was a go around or a landing, VFR or vectors to the ILS), Basel, where it was roughly £9.50 for a landing having landed away, or £7 for a local flight, but they reserved the right to turn you away for an ILS if you weren't landing. Both of them charged *more* for nnot being based there - a real incentive to find out what the place is like!
French system normally seems to allow 24 hours parking included with the landing fee, but British (esp BAA) policy generally allows much less - been 'done' at Soton for 2 hrs 15 mins (but then they have been *very* friendy about ILS charges
)Best deal of the moment has got to be Jersey, £3 per half tonne, inc. 7 days parking - just wish it could be home!
IFR
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Jolly Tall - thanks !
Spoonbill, direct info from the owners of three airfields in differing parts of the UK mainland. Of course it isn't necessarily very good customer relations or good business practice to suggest anything other than you are barely covering costs. I accept that a sample of three isn't comprehensive and if you have accurate information from "the majority" of airfields I bow to your research effort, and greater knowledge.
By the way, the costs of the installations (particularly bowsers vs fixed) does vary greatly, and not for the reasons you would probably think of.
I like your comments re number of visitors.
By the way (please correct me if I'm wrong on this) don't the 2nd and 3rd division airfields include all the GA movements they have handled when trying to increase or retain their class D airspace. I seem to remember hearing that over half the movements quoted in one instance were GA. Seems odd therefore that they try to keep GA away. Perhaps its because of some of the appalling RT I hear from some GA pilots. I often want to cringe.
Spoonbill, direct info from the owners of three airfields in differing parts of the UK mainland. Of course it isn't necessarily very good customer relations or good business practice to suggest anything other than you are barely covering costs. I accept that a sample of three isn't comprehensive and if you have accurate information from "the majority" of airfields I bow to your research effort, and greater knowledge.
By the way, the costs of the installations (particularly bowsers vs fixed) does vary greatly, and not for the reasons you would probably think of.
I like your comments re number of visitors.
By the way (please correct me if I'm wrong on this) don't the 2nd and 3rd division airfields include all the GA movements they have handled when trying to increase or retain their class D airspace. I seem to remember hearing that over half the movements quoted in one instance were GA. Seems odd therefore that they try to keep GA away. Perhaps its because of some of the appalling RT I hear from some GA pilots. I often want to cringe.
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Jolly Tall is right, I was trying to say each.
Landing fees for each touch and go??? Thats terrible. Why do people choose to learn to fly at places with landing fees when they could just go for somewhere without them? Do most airfields have landing fees or not? What a corrupt system!
Landing fees for each touch and go??? Thats terrible. Why do people choose to learn to fly at places with landing fees when they could just go for somewhere without them? Do most airfields have landing fees or not? What a corrupt system!
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Tiger,
Its pro and cons again - £2 per landing (as it was at Leeds for the LBA-based flying clubs before they doubled it), adds only a few percent to the overall cost of training. I don't know how many T&G's I did before getting my licence (better not to think) but I would estimate the contribution of landing fees accounted for about 2-3% of my training costs.
However, one of the benefits of training in such an environment (Class D airfield) is IMO R/T and ATC disipline. As QNH 1013 mentioned, perhaps not everyone has had the benefit of this type of training. On balance, I think it is worth the slight extra cost. Of course it would be great to have the American system of no landing fees and still have the benefits of ATC, but then welcome to the real world.
Its pro and cons again - £2 per landing (as it was at Leeds for the LBA-based flying clubs before they doubled it), adds only a few percent to the overall cost of training. I don't know how many T&G's I did before getting my licence (better not to think) but I would estimate the contribution of landing fees accounted for about 2-3% of my training costs.
However, one of the benefits of training in such an environment (Class D airfield) is IMO R/T and ATC disipline. As QNH 1013 mentioned, perhaps not everyone has had the benefit of this type of training. On balance, I think it is worth the slight extra cost. Of course it would be great to have the American system of no landing fees and still have the benefits of ATC, but then welcome to the real world.
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I flew last year with a (particularly gorgeous) lady student who was training at Orlando Flight Training, in Kissimmee, Florida.
She had gone there specifically because they had a couple of Grumman Tigers....which is what she had been training on previously at Biggin Hill.
When I asked "Why the trans-atlantic move?", the answer was because she was being charged £200 per hour to do dual touch and go's at Biggin Hill.
Aircraft hire, instructor hire and multiple landing fees. £200 - approx $300 (at the time)...not bad for a Tiger, eh?
She had gone there specifically because they had a couple of Grumman Tigers....which is what she had been training on previously at Biggin Hill.
When I asked "Why the trans-atlantic move?", the answer was because she was being charged £200 per hour to do dual touch and go's at Biggin Hill.
Aircraft hire, instructor hire and multiple landing fees. £200 - approx $300 (at the time)...not bad for a Tiger, eh?
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Tiger Moth,
There most definitely _are_ landing fees at Cambridge - they had a tenner off me just a few weeks ago. But it may be that as a PPL student with a Cambridge-based FTO you don't get them levied. Rules vary - at some airfields everything that lands collects a charge, some airfields do not charge aircraft based at the field, some do not charge for aircraft hired at the field, etc (especially where the owner of the hired aircraft is also the operator of the airfield).
There most definitely _are_ landing fees at Cambridge - they had a tenner off me just a few weeks ago. But it may be that as a PPL student with a Cambridge-based FTO you don't get them levied. Rules vary - at some airfields everything that lands collects a charge, some airfields do not charge aircraft based at the field, some do not charge for aircraft hired at the field, etc (especially where the owner of the hired aircraft is also the operator of the airfield).
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I didnt know that. Ill ask about it next time but as long as I dont have to pay I dont mind too much. Does every airfield with ATC have landing fees and those without dont or what?