Then you should have checked your facts before making such a post. I suspect information given to you from the same man who abused me. Starting to see a pattern......

You are busy trying to convince us how you are all warm and cuddly yet as soon as someone says something that you don't like you accuse them of smearing you and the start your own smear campaign!!!

And you will find it is your boss who is perpetuating a petty vendetta campaign I have tried to offer an olive branch several times over the last five years.......;)

I will however accept your apology especially as it is so rare from one of BB's men.

Congratulations Sywell, been a long time coming.
 

Last winter the place pretty much closed due to water logging, so this will allow year round ops for fixed wing.

Also occasional business travel for local industry which has to be good for the area.

This is good news.

Is there any detail around regarding how long, wide, orientation and when it is expected to be completed ?

BB

Great news, well done to everyone involved.

Local rag reporting the inevitable "objectors are not happy with the plans and are planning to again appeal".

RC

While it appears to be a good thing, this hard runway, how will MBB recover his costs? He has spent £1m so far, and the cost of build is reported to be £1.7m. So thats an expenditure of almost £3m. The extra flying from private owners will raise no extra, the flying school is certainly not making a great deal (unlike a few years ago), and with the £500 fiasco I cannot believe that will change. Maybe the landing fees will go up to visitors.
As for private jets, why would they use Sywell, no night lights or ILS etc.
So is the real plan a sell out to TNT or someone similar, and sod private aviation.

I hope not...it would be awful to discover that after all this GA had (not for the first time) shot itself in the foot.

I wouldn't be so sure. I lost count of the number of times last winter when I heard "airfield closed to fixed wing" on otherwise excellent flying days. All due to water logging.

So on those days - with the exception of based rotary - the airfield turned over £0. Yet it still had AFIS and Fire Cover to provide, so ran at a huge loss on those days I guess.

After the "all weather runway" (as pitched) is opened they will be able to be open for business, so it will raise extra money... question is how many days does it have to be open to make 3 million quid out of GA??

Does it add value to the airfield, if MBB wanted to sell? Perhaps it means that aviation related firms are more likely to want to rent the various industrial units already spread around the airfield?

Hopefully MBB will explain in some forum, or perhaps Mr. Bell might know, how it is planned to pay for the new r/way?

I don't think anybody needs to explain anything.

Like farming nowadays, diversification is important. An airfield in the UK, not receiving any subsidy, cannot make ends meet from landing fees alone (unless it's a Gatwick type operation which probably collects an average fee of £500-£1000).

Any airfield, if it is to remain clean, well maintained, and employs the required numbers of yellow jacketed "security" :yuk: "personnel", has to go for commercial property development around the perimeter. And why not? All pilots should want a healthy clean airfield. The obstacle to this is the local planning authority, but it has got to be done. If it isn't done, you end up with a decrepit un-maintained place (like most of UK's GA airfields actually) which is OK for Sunday afternoon taildragger enthusiasts but is no good for anything serious.

I've never been to Sywell but the principle will hold everywhere.

Also I don't think it actually costs £1.7M to build a 1000m hard runway. It doesn't have to be thick enough for a 737.

That is the figure straight from MBB's mouth on local TV.

That is the cost according to MBB, dont forget there is taxiways to build, local roads to alter, so its sounds conservative to me.

The problem the locals and airfield users have is MBB, they feel he cannot be trusted, and this is the first step to a bigger plan. Previous posters have described what he is like. He likes to surround himself with yes men, and is probably why Jeff (as nice a bloke as he is) has registered on here and the Flyer forum to try and counter the underlying feelings at Sywell.

I wouldn't be suprised if some of the smaller Citations appeared at Sywell after the new runway is built. I'm currently flying out of Virginia Airport in Durban which has a 950m runway and several Citations based there.

He has problems with his own board. He used to run the company like his own personal kingdom , since the previous chairman died and his sons have taken over who dislike 'he who must not be named' intensely he is having a much harder time thankfully.

Problem with 'he who must not be named; is he is a bully and looks down on mere mortals, virtually everyone who works for him lives in fear of him.

He is small minded and petty. Maybe one day he will be ousted and Sywell will be the warm welcoming place that Jeff is trying so hard to convince us off once again. At the moment it just has a cancer at it's core.

:mad: I can see I'd do best by urinating into wind ! :ugh:
TNT night flights, with Luton and East Midlands nearby (yeah right !)
Me, purely joining to be the Sywell Mole (yeah right !)
True, I Have just joined The Flyer Forum as I have only just found out about it, but I have been on PPrune a lot longer. Now I remember why I don't visit this site much, talk about Grumpy Old Men :\

It's the General Aviation Strong Personality Cult.

They clash like titans.

Best to avoid it.

I must apologise to you Jeff as I understand it you are actually a very personable chap.

Unfortunately your boss does you no favours and raises the blood pressure of a great many people. I have been around the area for a very long time and mix with the people that he aspires to socialise with and the stories are rife.

We could go off at a tangent discussing the punching he has had at hunt meetings, the acts of vandalism against his property that he inspires people to etc etc etc.

I find the man rude and arrogant and a bully. But that is just my personal opinion. I am sure you find him a warm and cuddly bunny who is just misunderstood........ :O

Maybe when he starts to behave like a human being and let bygones be bygones he might get better press. Until that time I will be a thorn in his side...... :ok:

So how is Sywell going to recover its £2.7m investment? MBB said all he needed was half a dozen private jets to locate to Sywell and the investment would be justified. So with Cranfield and Coventry nearby with ILS why would any private jets move to Sywell. But if he intending to install the necessary kit so they move to Sywell, then it makes it good for TNT, UPS or whoever.

Instead of p**sing into wind, turn downwind and enlighten us.

Hi

Has anyone got a link to the full details of what has been approved? I'm thinking of plans, limitations that have been agreed to in terms of movements, etc?

Thanks
Kev

Should a fireman who has assaulted someone really be employed at this airfield. and if you were assaulted why have you not taken legal action?

I should mention that the 1996 Defamation Act says that you do not have to refer to anyone by name to be guilty of defamation. If it is obvious to just one other person who the person is defamation is proven if the statement is proved to be defamatory.

Because I am not American and life does not revolve around the courts.

Because I was on a bad weather diversion with a student who was disturbed enough by having to divert and even more disturbed by the incident and taking legal action involves getting the police involved which would have meant grounding the aircraft as it was close to day end.

I have 6 witnesses to the event two of whom he phoned afterwards realising the childish way he had behaved.

I am also a firm believer in what goes around comes around.

So should he be employed? I would guess that the sub normal mental capacity that is displayed by assaulting a visitor in front of a wide variety of witnesses probably means the only job he is good for is pumping fuel so as a mercy case why not?

Sorry do not agree

Assault is a criminal offence and you have a responsiblity as a citizen of this country to notify the Police. The fact that you did not compounds the offence, if eveyone took that attiude we would live in a pretty **** country.

In my experience people who have to resort to violence are usually bullies who repeat offend. The criminal justice systym in this country is designed to prevent such bullies having a free rein with no redress.

If the offence you alledge has been commited on the airfield then you would expect a responsible mangement to dismiss the character concerned, I certainly would.

Yes you would. But who has ever said the airfield has reasonable management. The MD bans people for life for expressing an opinion about the operation. Do you really think his staff care about public relations with management like that?

Anyway I am done on this subject now. Thanks for the lecture on civic responsibilities. I have enough on my plate with getting involved in a crusade and as I said, what goes around comes around.....