Shell Island Air Base To Reopen ?

[philpig]

just thought i would let you out there that use shell for kiting know that while i was at shell this weekend i found out that the old runway behind shell maybe reopening for domestic flights next year as it has been taken over by CAMPBELL AIRWAYS .they sell planes aswell as running a small domestic flight buissness,the owners have no intention of stopping kite flying as they do not oppose the this sport but or people involved.but know very little about this companys intentions and asked if anyone out there heard anything of there plans to let them know .cheers

[jordangpboy]

Its a really small runway...I thought only light fighter jets could land there? You aint gonna get any A380s landing there! lol

[eeyore]

it only a small (ish) runway but its capable of having aircraft i think up to the small biz jet type aircraft. (the lear jets/jetstreem 41 type i'm thinking of)

Can't see it being more then just a sort of aircraft sales yard tho.

 

can't find anyinfo on them tho on the net

[encona1599968593]

how much to fly from birmingham to shell with all me gear :)

[eeyore]

just looked a little harder, only thing i can find is records from a meeting saying there looking at possably selling up for public use as a small airfeild.

 

If it does go ahead then it would be the end of kite flying as your not alould to fly kites withing a range of around 5 miles (think its that far)

[JohnDave]

Jersey is similar that the kite beach is less than 5 miles from the airport. The rule there is no kiting further than point x on the beach as that is then in the flight path of the aircraft.

 

I'm sure a sensible situation can be agreed once anything on the airfield is decided, announced and under way. Good to be ahead of the game though.

 

John

[eeyore]

Put the question out to a few sources I know...

One guy is going to get back to me about an article on the web about establishing a centre "specifically for the development of UAVs"

 

Kind of puts me in a bit of a weird position if it does happen, UAV stuff is what I want to get in to.... So would I be for it or against it cos I want to kite there....

[Alan Gray]

Unless you were joking eeyore, you could not get into a UAV. If that is what you want to get into, go model flying. UAV is Unmanned Air Vehical. The spyplane sort of thing.

[eeyore]

Lol get in to as in work on them

The company i work for has for some time worked on them. And the department is going to be growing quite rapidly (its part of the same division as us) Its not all spy plane stuff, tho some of more "sexy" ones are. Also they are very very different to RC aircraft. Infact apart from the fact they fly they are totally diffrent (well ours are!)

[Rebble]

Its a really small runway...I thought only light fighter jets could land there? You aint gonna get any A380s landing there! lol

 

Nope but they used to fly Canberras out of there and that's plenty big enough.

 

Here's the statutory regs. governing this stuff

 

"(iv) a kite shall not be flown at a height of more than 30 metres above ground level within the aerodrome traffic zone of a notified aerodrome during the notified operating hours of that aerodrome;

 

(v) a kite shall not be flown at a height of more than 60 metres above ground level; and

 

(vi) a parascending parachute shall not be launched by winch and cable or by ground tow within the aerodrome traffic zone of a notified aerodrome during the notified operating hours of that aerodrome;

 

without the permission in writing of the CAA and in accordance with any conditions subject to which that permission may have been granted."

 

Link for the full stuff if you like http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2000/20001562.htm#86

 

Though you do get very very low air traffic overflying Shell Island, Harlech and Borth y Guest.

 

Mostly light aircraft, helicopters and microlights

[philpig]

the owners did say that the caa do have to apply for permisson to fly over shell but as in all cases money buys councils so how much say they will get is to be seen.

[windy]

"(iv) a kite shall not be flown at a height of more than 30 metres above ground level within the aerodrome traffic zone of a notified aerodrome during the notified operating hours of that aerodrome;

 

 

BUGGER!!!

 

Most line lengths of arcs are 27m, but if you add, the bar set up, the height off the ground of the harness and the actual curve of the arc, i reckon it will be over 30m above ground level. :rolleyes:

 

Hope the CAA don't own a tape measure.

[Sturmovik]

Its a really small runway...I thought only light fighter jets could land there? You aint gonna get any A380s landing there! lol

 

I knew the farmer who grazes his sheep at certain times on the airfield, and the runway was extended to allow the landing of Vulcan bombers and if you where ever lucky to see one land you will know that the above quote is way off the ILS.

[eeyore]

i know all about the mighty Vs

Fantastic aircraft... not a small beast lol. bit noisey too

(we only ran engines on tick-over!)

 

Fabulous piece of engineering and one if not the best aircraft that came out of woodford.

[Sturmovik]

Ah the golden age of British aviation, lucky enough to fly above RAF Binbrook last base for Lightnings, what an amazing life experience.

[eeyore]

Bet that was amazing

Aye aircraft around that time were something else.

[raptor]

you'd be surprised what can land on that air strip if needed and take off. It's not the size of the aircraft its the power of the engines and at what point the pilot lets go of the brakes.

Hercules air craft can operate there but they are designed for STOL.

[eeyore]

aye (well also the strenth of the runway too... i know of an instance of a large aircraft sinking on some tarmac!)

[jordangpboy]

I knew the farmer who grazes his sheep at certain times on the airfield, and the runway was extended to allow the landing of Vulcan bombers and if you where ever lucky to see one land you will know that the above quote is way off the ILS.

 

I was lucky enough to see some of the last flights(well thats what they told us) of the Vulc at RAF Mildenhall a few years back, big plane indeed!

[eeyore]

yup very big, one of our apprentics "perks" was working on the static vulcan at woodford. Its totally (from a geeky point of view) a work of art.

The only aircraft that comes close to it is the avro 507 (a scaled evalulation aircraft "mini vulcan") which now rests in manchester museum in a rather fetching shade of orange.

[raptor]

restoration of a vulcan being done in warwickshire 6month contract £9hr with a view to make airworthy. job was advertised april time

[eeyore]

cool. I want the job!

 

 

Shell island update... the airbase has some building work on it... looks like a new entrance to the site

will find out more....

[Disco_Bison]

The aerodrome traffic zone quoted above is a circle with a radius of 2 miles from the middle point of the longest runway, unless the runway is more than 1850ft and then the circle becomes 2 1/2 miles. Any aerodrome has to notify its hours of operations and outside of that the control zone does not exist

 

I'm not familiar with Shell Island, but if Vulcans were landing there, then I would imagine that the runway is over a mile long. On the plus side, if there is an aerodrome setting up, you'll get decent weather reports updated every 30 mins - not a lot if use if you can't fly

 

I'm an air traffic controller by trade, but I don't deal with aerodromes at all other than to ring them and tell them I have planes for them.

 

I do however, have a copy of the Air Navigation Order which covers all this stuff, so I'll dig it out and have a look for you guys

[Disco_Bison]

you'd be surprised what can land on that air strip if needed and take off. It's not the size of the aircraft its the power of the engines and at what point the pilot lets go of the brakes.

Hercules air craft can operate there but they are designed for STOL.

 

Too right, during the Gulf War the US looked at landing a Herc in a football stadium with parachutes, but tried it once and then gave up after the parachutes ripped the tail off

 

That is what the A380 is only allowed to land at a few airports in the UK, many of them have the runway length to deal with it, their taxiways and aprons are not strong enough to stand up to it though.

[jbrown7911]

Is the the Aircraft spotters hang out lol