Blackpool has had a bit of a panning here. However a few weeks back I had to divert there because Liverpool was fogged in good style. Under the Strasser scheme there was no charge for the landing and I paid £7.00 plus VAT for overnight parking. That is GA friendly wherever you go. The only downside was the next day, having driven a friend to Blackpool to collect the aircraft, I had to pay £4.00 to park in the car park for 35 minutes which sort of spoiled it a bit. Overall though 10 out of 10.

NIK-NAK
 

Just like Mad Jock I don't have any agenda when it comes to whatever airport you seem to be defending, how ever I object to paying good money for a service and then getting the run around by some brainless twats all in the name of so called "security".

If an airport has seen the light and found a way to let GA operate without the stupidity that we see at the major airports I welcome this, I was plesantly surprized at Plymouth a few weeks back, the Plymouth airport management are using a great deal of common sense when it comes to GA.

I get to see a lot of airport security across the world and the UK seems to have a disproportionately high number stupid, rude, obstructive, vindictive and power crazed security opperatives. It is simply not like that in the rest of the world and I don't see why we should put up with this treatment in the UK.

Not too difficult to park "off airport" and take a short walk at Blackpool.........!!!

Planemike

... except when they close the cross-runway for a housing and industrial estate.

bit of a tangent here ... but I'm currently enjoying 2 weeks of flying in the US and doing some additional training.

Not the first time I've flown in the US, but the first time I've "really flown" in the US (if you know what I mean)

My God they're spoilt! ..... 5,200 airfields, no approach fees, no landing fees, some absolutely amazing cafe's, GPS / ILS / LOC / VOR ... shoot 10 approaches to 3 airfields all within 20 miles or so of each other and change your mind about the particular approach and/or missed segment randomly in between and they just deal with it, and with a smile (if you can smile over the radio!)

Not to mention weather briefings, slotting you in between a 737, Learjet and even an awacs on finals ... oh and really simplified IFR/VFR online flight planning and filing ... online charts for the whole of the US (both VFR and IFR) ... oh and fuel at $1.30 a litre (so about 80p!)

I honestly don't want to come home! :)

So basically add 5,000 or so airfields to the whitelist ... but sadly they all pretty much begin with a K :(

Yes, it's a tiring subject but there's no denying flying in the US is a dream compared to Europe in most ways. Just for the fun of it I counted to 493 airfields on the Los Angeles and San Francisco Sectional charts alone..

Hopefully we can continue fighting a fight to make it better, or if nothing else, stopping it from getting worse in Europe. Also, not all countries are as expensive and restrictive as the UK and others. Flying in Sweden for instance is pretty laid back (obviously because almost no one lives there) - few landing fees, very open airspace and good ATC.

On the other hand, I find the UK far more helicopter friendly, despite Rule 5, than the US...

Far more heli friendly places to go/land and ironically less restrictions on private property. (just my experience)

Interesting thread re Redhill, around a year ago i did a low go around with an instructor and atc promptly lectured the instructor over the radio on not doing a t and g cos the airfield was suffering from some waterlogging and t and g's were prohibited.I and the instructor knew the wheels had not touched the ground we even said it was a low go around but the atc controller was not having it, stating he saw the wheels touch the ground.This was not the only example of a them and us attitude by the atc.Hopefully the guy in question has now left.

I'm not an employee but i am based at Norwich and would not agree with anything you said

I'm not sure why you're so against the CAS, its a relatively small area and theres nothing that excludes you from flying through it. I've been up to the Radar room and seen them vectoring commercial traffic round some local traffic flying straight through the approach not talking to anyone, have even seen someone flying orbits on the approach! So i thoroughly support them in their application for Class D and look forward to seeing it.

Blackpool, is this true?
 

Today I was told of a "happening" at Blackpool that simply I find incredable but if true shows an interesting attitude on the part of the management.

The person in question had some months before booked and paid for tickets for his wife & himself, when he checked in he was told that he would have to buy two tickets to get into the departure gate area ............. cost £10 each.

These tickets were to said fund futher airport development, He was not told about this charge when he booked the tickets and was told that he could not get on the flight without buying these airport development fund tickets.

Can this be true that once tickets have been paid for an airport can just think up another way to get money from you?

I would very much like to know if this story is true.

Though this should be in the Airports Airlines etc thread
Blackpool have been charging this fee since late 2007/early 2008 to all passengers on scheduled flights (it does include free parking though).

Someone said, relating to Blackpool:

And asked:

Answer Yes:

Norwich charge a £5.00 Airport Development Fee per person: The ticket machine is just by the airside entrance.

No fee = No airside= no flight...............

And the parking's not free.............

Cusco

Newquay likewise similarly charge.

It's the latest scam don't you know...:rolleyes:

This is a bit rich! you don't buy a train ticket and then have to pay to use the station platform.

Ryanair pulled out of Blackpool when the development charge was introduced. I suspect that the airport were paying Ryanair to land there, and that was unsustainable. The £10 charge includes free parking, which means there's nowhere for us GA types to park during peak holiday periods. :*

at time's i've felt, "this miserable :mad: needs a good shoeing". he's taken a piece out of me too. i'm sure he'll become a lot more tolerable the longer i have lessons there.

the other bloke, the older boy, he's brilliant. just all round nice bloke and pretty jolly over the radio.

The sad sad truth is most of those in charge of airports such as Norwich or Blackpool have not got a clue about GA or customer relations. Norwich was a nice little place to fly to years ago for no other reason than a cup of coffee.
Now the place is a nightmare for non resident aircraft and it appears they don't want small aircraft landing on their little used runway. The airport development fee and third world expensive car park underline a mentality that suggests making things difficult for the user is the name of the game.(The bollards around the terminal entrance make the place look grim)

And it appears even at airports such as Swansea where they have no traffic
the make it difficult route is the future. There are a few glimmers of hope on the horizon such as the possible reopening of the White House on Cardiff southside.
But the days when I could park the aircraft outside the terminal at places such
Bristol and saunter in for a cup of tea are just memories on yellowing pages in one of my old log books. Happy days long gone.

I don't want to put Newquay EGHQ on the list (yet) but I phoned up a few days ago to ask about flying in and overnight parking. They quoted approx. £112 for two PA28s to include landing, handling and one night's parking. Does anyone know whether handling is necessary there? We will need to upload Avgas fuel. Thanks for any info!

Can't speak about Newquay as I haven't been there but you might get a better view from Michael O'Leary. He pulled out of there. However you will do better, price wise, at Perranporth.

Yes, flew into Perranporth in 2008. They couldn't have been more helpful. Thanks :)