Amenities
 

Howdy folks!

I would love to find out what will make an airport more attractive to you?
Any input will be most appreciated and will be a tremendous help making an important decision.

A lack of them!

How about a lack of bureaucrats and petifogging officialdom.
A lack of facilities that I don't need or use but have to pay for anyway.
No compulsory handling.

A bit tongue in cheek but we all know the problem.


I like the way they do it in the USA. A nice runway, tie downs, no tower unless the traffic level demands it, automated weather broadcasts and pilot controlled lighting. Self-serve fuel 24 hours a day with your credit card. Staffing costs low.

We do in this country seem to have a lemming like desire for procedures rules and officialdom. While I accept the need for rules, we seem to spend more time debating whether or not something is legal than we do debating whether it is sensible or good airmanship.

Add in a decent caff, clean toilets and a location that enables you to go somewhere rather than just have the hundred dollar hamburger before flying back.

Mike

If you have no Tower I am assuming a lack of any form of radio contact with the ground.

What happens if you have an emergency ?

Pilot controlled lights ?

Ah good morning Flower!

If I have a dire emergency then being able to talk to my favourite approach controller will not help me, though if I am going to hit the ground I will let the area controller know where to send the ambulance.

What sort of emergency did you have in mind? If I can't make an airfield with the required facilities then apart from setting the emergency services on their way there is little you can do for me.

If however the emergency is less dire you can help me with vectors, let-downs, landing priority etc. In which case I will be wanting to divert to your nice big airport.

Pilot controlled lighting is a facility for turning the runway lighting on by keying your transmit button in a set sequence and is quite common at unmanned fields in the US.

Mike

Helpful, friendly FBO with snacks and clean restrooms :D

1 Anywhere that can provide an all day cooked breakfast.....

2 Somewhere to sit and watch the comings and goings on a warm summers day..

3 Preferably a less than £20 landing fee

4 Something to do or somewhere to go once you get there

5 Avgas served with a smile

Thats about all really.....not a lot.

:ok:

- Pilot controlled lighting

- Acceptance of out-of-hours arrivals.

- Some reasonable food available for most of the day.

- Clean loos, that actually have loo-roll in them.

- Hangerage for residents, sheltered parking for cheapskates and visitors.

- No more rules than are absolutely necessary for safety and good-neighbourliness.

- A well drained runway.

- Pilot controlled lighting.

G

ILS
Pilot controlled lighting
24hr opening
ILS
Loo, self service fuel
ILS
:O

Keep them coming and thank you.

Next meeting is set for two weeks from now and I always wanted to have a piece of an airport. This will be my chance but I don't wish to loose my shirt on it either,so I have to turn to the private flyers and their wishes to give them exactly what they want/need to make this airport a place they loved to hang out.

My local airport (KAXH) conforms to the following, and employs directly about 4 people. There are 3 flight schools and about 3 maintenance setups on the field.

- published nav approaches so people can get home in bad weather, encouraging them to base aircraft there.
- at least one flightschool.
- maintenance.
- crew car to allow transient pilots local transport.
- weather, flight planning terminal
- free coffee
- cheapish fuel, at least locally competitive.
- hangar space for locally based aircraft.

A toilet (Cant afford to put one in).
:uhoh:

I suppose I am being pedantic about the emergency situation , however thats the way I think. Having seen aircraft whose front wheel separated from its fuselage on landing, aircraft coming off runways and those almost land upside down I know that many difficulties are not those which occur aloft but those which happen on touch down , hence why I, little Miss Scaredy Cat,would prefer to land at an airfield with some form of authority able to contact the emergency services.
If the lighting situation is the one I have discussed with commercial American Pilots you ,when you key the switch for the lights actually key lights for a large number of airfields so a number of options could show up at night for you, am I correct ?

Cheap & efficient transport to/from the nearest village/town/city.....whether that be a courtesy car, local bus service or simply a lift. Means you can fly to a town rathar than just an airfield.

Flower, get things in perspective. If that is what really concerns you do you only fly to/from licenced airfields and if so why learn to fly at all? there are times when we need help from others but a more self reliant attitude MIGHT just make you a better pilot. Enjoy the freedoms afforded by small uncontrolled airfields. try bush flying in Africa or Aus and then appreciate the unlicenced aifields in the UK.
Incidentally some airfileds still conform to many of the ideals from contributors above. 2 that come to mind are Fenland and Sherburn

Working Hard
I don't fly , I control, I'm only asking the questions not making any criticism. Its always interesting to see how others view things.
To me working at an Airport with all the facilities it can be hard to imagine going somewhere with limited or no facilities.
I ask because i am trying to understand.

Oh dear, didn't realise you needed a form of authority to dial 999.:(

Lighten up Flower, we're not talking Commercial Air Transport here.

Didn't you fly to Brimpton with me in a 55 year old aeroplane when the only person in authority was the tea lady reading her book in the sunshine and the place was otherwise deserted?

Mike

Yes Mike I did and it was a lovely flight and cup of coffee to.
That still doesn't detract from fact I like the emergency services on hand. Comes from seeing so many nasties and almost nasties I suppose.
It is interesting to see that people aren't as concerned as me , I suppose I am part of the nanny state, and I wasn't talking commercial traffic I was talking GA regarding the incidents.

Pilot activated (controlled, if that's your terminology) lighting.

Some form of UNLOCKED building to meet passengers/taxis/friends that has clean toilets & at least a water fountain. Some comfortable seats & a table that can be used for (re)flight planning/eating one's lunch.

No locked gates/fences/security that uselessly prevent me from accessing MY aeroplane!

Tie down points. Not necessarily supplying chains/ropes, just somewhere to attach them to.

24hr fuel. Not a bowser & refuelling bloke. A fixed pump & self access fuel card/credit card facility is MUCH preferred.

Public phone that takes money not just those bloody phone cards. Local taxi numbers AND the region's briefing office/ATC contact on prominent display.

Prominent local information point: Accommodation, transport, places to eat (for all budgets), places of interest.

Very, very PROMINENT signage about where all the above is located.

If aerodrome fees are necessary then reasonable, no excess 'services' supplied that we don't want or need. Various ways to pay. With receipt.


As for a 'hangout': A cafe that's cheap, a watering hole, a flying school/aero club that has a broad range of things to do (competitions, fly-aways, trainging for 'fun' things eg aerobatics, formation etc etc), a maintenance facility, hopefully the drinking spot has an observation area (indoor & outdoor) that lets people watch the traffic while they merrily drink. Maybe even a BBQ that people or the club can use.


Things not desired/necessary (some silly CAA rule might require it, but not me...)

Don't care what the runway surface is. It can be tar, concrete, dirt, grass, gravel, ice or whatever. As long as the condition is adequate then whatever is cheapest for you to maintain.

Security bullsh...

None of this FISO or A/G carry-on. What an irrelevancy to most operations - apart from the UK's bloody bureaucratic rules.

Idiotic local rules eg hi-vis vests. There is NO evidence that these reduce accidents on small airfields.

Fire services. The number of times that an on-airfield service has altered an outcome for GA ops is miniscule. The bulk of the western world operates private & commercial ops into no-services airfields with at least equivalent safety.

Great going,keep it coming.

More info,this is a small privately owned airport adjacent to an existing National Guards airport. NG is in a process of moving to a newer,better facility and the place was offered to the small airport owner. He can't afford it on his own and since we keep our planes there,he approached us as a possible investors and also as participants of the overall operations.

There's an existing ATC,flight school and mechanical facility but not much else on the small airport. NG property have several hangars,some are in great conditions housing c-130's. We could try to take up some of the bizjet overload from a nearby major international airport but also aim to offer a whole lot for the private flyers.

If we'll build it,they'll come...hopefully...that's why your input is very important.