First Sandown, now Bembridge!
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First Sandown, now Bembridge!
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BN might well move to Lee on Solent, if they can sort out a secure long term tenancy; I guess this means owning the place (or a long lease) with planning permission for everything they might want to do.
I have done business with some firms on the IOW and it is evident they have great trouble finding what one might call skilled labour on the island. I gather that over the years almost anybody who could read and write had emigrated to the mainland.
It is also possible that Bembridge will not survive unless they provide some half decent facilities, to support the traditional burger run business which is the bulk of their traffic now. They need a decent cafe/restaurant. But that's easy to arrange. The island is a very attractive place to fly to.
I have done business with some firms on the IOW and it is evident they have great trouble finding what one might call skilled labour on the island. I gather that over the years almost anybody who could read and write had emigrated to the mainland.
It is also possible that Bembridge will not survive unless they provide some half decent facilities, to support the traditional burger run business which is the bulk of their traffic now. They need a decent cafe/restaurant. But that's easy to arrange. The island is a very attractive place to fly to.
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It is also possible that Bembridge will not survive unless they provide some half decent facilities, to support the traditional burger run business which is the bulk of their traffic now. They need a decent cafe/restaurant. But that's easy to arrange. The island is a very attractive place to fly to.
)I shall be incredibly disappointed to see Bembridge close were that to happen (although I think and hope it is unlikely). It is one of those places that justify going back and for me is as close as the UK version of L2K.
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I find it hard to see how Bembridge is so dependent on B-N business. B-N hardly use the runway (as a % of total traffic). And the £250k which B-N claim to be spending on it is hard to see where it goes. It must be on salaries; there is a "security" man there so that's £50k-100k straight away (total costs to the company).
Not so much Bemridge being dependent upon B-N's business I think, but the requirement for a licence.
To the best of my knowledge, there's no AOC holder there apart from B-N's flight test organisation, and that's been relocating to Lee on Solent for some time.
G
To the best of my knowledge, there's no AOC holder there apart from B-N's flight test organisation, and that's been relocating to Lee on Solent for some time.
G
Bembridge "new operator"
If somone could make an arrangement wth BN re the actual facilities it could make a good base for someone even on an unlicensed basis.
Large companies have great difficulty in running "outposts" on an economical basis (mainly due to staff costs) and the provision of "Tower staff" and fire cover / fuellers soon gets expensive as it has to satisfy the "company" system and usual employment ongoing costs.
I do not see that keeping the runway in good order would be an onerous task but it would need an organisation that is making money from its own operations rather than relying on visiting aircraft.
The licence situation is certainly not a help with the "cost issue" but if no substantial public transport ops are happening to pay for it then just operate on a Non licenced field basis.
I would have thought that a combination of Bembridge/Sandown requirements would give a positive business opportunity for someone.
I have to confirm that the service and facilities there have been very good for a GA field and they always seemed to operate with a "customer satisfaction" hat on.
Large companies have great difficulty in running "outposts" on an economical basis (mainly due to staff costs) and the provision of "Tower staff" and fire cover / fuellers soon gets expensive as it has to satisfy the "company" system and usual employment ongoing costs.
I do not see that keeping the runway in good order would be an onerous task but it would need an organisation that is making money from its own operations rather than relying on visiting aircraft.
The licence situation is certainly not a help with the "cost issue" but if no substantial public transport ops are happening to pay for it then just operate on a Non licenced field basis.
I would have thought that a combination of Bembridge/Sandown requirements would give a positive business opportunity for someone.
I have to confirm that the service and facilities there have been very good for a GA field and they always seemed to operate with a "customer satisfaction" hat on.
Spoon PPRuNerist & Mad Inistrator
Actually the cafe is very good now
SD
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A Part 145 organisation doesn't require a licensed airfield. It's only their own engineering facilities that have to be approved, not the field they're based on.
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It would be a real shame to see this airfield close. This is one of my favourite places to fly to, with good food, very reasonable landing fees and a really friendly welcome.
I will be supporting them as long as possible
I will be supporting them as long as possible
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I flew there for the first time in October. It was indeed a lovely place to go to, we received a warm welcome, the cafe was great, the decked terrace was lovely to sit out on in the autumn sunshine and the place was heaving with visitors. We had to wait for quite a while to take off again, it had been such a busy afternoon.
I was definitely planning to return.
I was definitely planning to return.
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I just rang up and spoke to ATC at Bembridge and whilst they acknowledge that the long term plans are up in the air, as far as they know, it's still business as usual until they are told otherwise - i.e. the field is licensed, there will be ATC on the Bembridge frequency and the field is open to all.
Methinks there is a bit of brinkmanship going on.
Methinks there is a bit of brinkmanship going on.
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This just appeared on the NATS notam search, but not on RocketRoute or OrbiFly, which is irritating in itself.
Q) EGTT/QFALC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5041N00107W005
B) FROM: 10/12/31 18:00C) TO: 11/03/31 09:00
E) AD CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC EXCEPT REGISTERED RESIDENT ACFT AND VECTIS
GLIDING CLUB
It does appear on OLIVIA, however.
Q) EGTT/QFALC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5041N00107W005
B) FROM: 10/12/31 18:00C) TO: 11/03/31 09:00
E) AD CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC EXCEPT REGISTERED RESIDENT ACFT AND VECTIS
GLIDING CLUB
It does appear on OLIVIA, however.
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I missed that Notam and was out and about flying, so we decided to drop in for a cuppa. Only to be told by the very polite radio chap that Bembridge is Notamed closed.
A great shame as it was a good destination to pop into for a cuppa or jacket spud when out and about. I hope it re-opens because now there is nothing on the Isle Of Wight which is a good place to zip over to by air. The Cafe was good in my opinion (for airfield Cafe's) and only a tenner to land and no PPR required it was pretty handy.
It was also exceptionally quiet in the air this afternoon. Only saw a few others in the Solent vicinity...
A great shame as it was a good destination to pop into for a cuppa or jacket spud when out and about. I hope it re-opens because now there is nothing on the Isle Of Wight which is a good place to zip over to by air. The Cafe was good in my opinion (for airfield Cafe's) and only a tenner to land and no PPR required it was pretty handy.
It was also exceptionally quiet in the air this afternoon. Only saw a few others in the Solent vicinity...
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It's a real shame.
I think GA is paying the price for being too tight to pay £15-£20 to land, and to enable somebody to run an airfield on a proper commercial basis (by that I mean to not lose so much money that they sell out to developers at the drop of a hat).
That is obviously a simplistic explanation and a more fuller one lies in the difficulty of getting Planning to establish a brand new GA airfield somewhere.
If new airfields could be established, with rateable values appropriate to them being airfields and not trading estates, we could allow most of the existing ones to shut down, hand them over to the property sharks who are always circling anyway, and start again with new facilities, with proper hangarage available, located away from population centres so they don't draw complaints, etc.
I think GA is paying the price for being too tight to pay £15-£20 to land, and to enable somebody to run an airfield on a proper commercial basis (by that I mean to not lose so much money that they sell out to developers at the drop of a hat).
That is obviously a simplistic explanation and a more fuller one lies in the difficulty of getting Planning to establish a brand new GA airfield somewhere.
If new airfields could be established, with rateable values appropriate to them being airfields and not trading estates, we could allow most of the existing ones to shut down, hand them over to the property sharks who are always circling anyway, and start again with new facilities, with proper hangarage available, located away from population centres so they don't draw complaints, etc.
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Agree 100%
We as pilots need to move away from only flying to airfields that offer free landings. We have to accept that our airfields are businesses that need to at least make a profit or they won't be there for us.
I read in the latest AOPA mag about the windfarm at Caernafon where the airfield manager made it clear that without alternative income the airfield wouldn't make it through the winter.
As a New Year's Resolution, let's try to support our favourite GA-friendly airfields, not whinge about reasonable landing fees and ensure that both we and they make it through the next year.
We as pilots need to move away from only flying to airfields that offer free landings. We have to accept that our airfields are businesses that need to at least make a profit or they won't be there for us.
I read in the latest AOPA mag about the windfarm at Caernafon where the airfield manager made it clear that without alternative income the airfield wouldn't make it through the winter.
As a New Year's Resolution, let's try to support our favourite GA-friendly airfields, not whinge about reasonable landing fees and ensure that both we and they make it through the next year.
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Yes, but I am not sure Bembridge is about the landing fees being too low.
The other issue with GA is the law of diminshing returns. Landing fees may well be too low relative to other costs, but with the cost burdens already on GA there may be the danger of more people giving up all together or flying less - at some point the more you charge the less fees you collect in consequence gaining less than nothing.
The other issue with GA is the law of diminshing returns. Landing fees may well be too low relative to other costs, but with the cost burdens already on GA there may be the danger of more people giving up all together or flying less - at some point the more you charge the less fees you collect in consequence gaining less than nothing.