Aviation Strategy - Have your say.

[r_w_walker]

The Government's Call for Evidence on its Aviation Strategy has been
published and can be accessed here

http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Q1QID/

I was sent a link to this survey by the Flying Farmers association and have submitted my response.

I emphasized the threat from housing near or on airfields and suggested no further houses should be built anywhere near existing airfields.

I also suggested that planning decisions for air fields large and small be taken away from planning authorities, as the majority do not know anything about General Aviation, and given to a specialist team.

I apologize if this has been highlighted somewhere else, but the first I heard about it was in an email from the FFA.

If you want your airfield to survive I suggest you submit a response and do not leave it to the big boys in commercial aviation.

PM if you want a copy of my response.

[James Chan]

I attach the PDF link below.

Paragraphs 1.27, 6.17 and 6.18 is of interest to GA, although other parts may be relevant as well.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultat ... r-evidence

In addition to the survival of existing airfields I would also comment on continued access to existing ones.

I personally find the lighter end of GA being discouraged access in a disproportionate manner when the 'bigger boys' start showing up - most notably with inflated mandatory handling charges. While I agree at larger airports that priority should probably be given to aircraft who need the full length of the runway, plenty of slots still remain available at places like Stansted, yet the combined fees are still hovering around £550 off-peak.

Now why would I want to access somewhere like Stansted? Sometimes it may be the only airfield open in the evening, at other times I may want to drop off and pick up passengers to/from commercial flights. At other times they are better connected to hotels for conferences or the train line. The USA and other parts of Europe seem to integrate different classes of aircraft better.

It's so good that JFK Intl in the USA still charges around $25 off peak yet. You can even fly in there with only a PPL and mode-C. And I'm fairly sure the taxpayer isn't subsidising $500 for each landing.

If smaller airfields continue to be sold off for other purposes and we continue to lose access to larger airfields, then GA will basically never flourish.