paulfromcamden
Baffled
I never really understood why flying can work out cheaper than catching a train. Something a bit wrong there.
Trains can be a lot more convenient too. How many cities have an airport right in the centre where you want to be?
Protecting local airfields from housing developments
- Thread starter Jamie
- Start date
Trains can be a lot more convenient too. How many cities have an airport right in the centre where you want to be?
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
There’ll be a number of passengers who were happy to pay full price, early on, to guarantee seats on that flight. Enough of those passengers on the flight means some seats can be almost given away, plus tax.
From memory, if BA filled First Class on a 747-400 years ago, the rest was profit. Something like that anyway.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
It can't be just that Tony. I used to work with a guy who commuted to London from Scotland. Flying was cheaper 90% of the time.
Getting a bloody great passenger jet into the air requires huge amounts more energy than it does to roll a train across some tracks. I don't get it.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
I suppose seats on trains are limited by the number of trains the network can take. There’s usually capacity for more in the airline industry.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Maybe. I had a quick google and found some stuff about the high cost of maintaining track but also some stuff about jet fuel being untaxed. Dunno.
And obviously it's not just the UK - I can fly to Amsterdam on a budget airline for a fraction of what it will cost me by train or ferry.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
It’s definitely a worldwide thing, and fairly recent.
In 1991, I flew LHR to Bordeaux, pre-budget airlines. Air France and BA were my only choices, and £300 was the return ticket cost. That’s £800 in today’s money.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Fair point, but there are, usually, other perfectly viable alternative locations for house building. The reason they want airfields is because they are level, drained and have services already brought to the site, so it saves the developers money. Which, oddly enough, doesn’t seem to be reflected in the price of the properties.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
They’re usually remote, the services are clinging on having been lashed up since 1937, and only desperate families move there.
The airfield that I’m quite impressed with for its appearance and multi use is Earls Colne. Lots of businesses, a large golf course and club… and a General Aviation runway. All in an area that can make good use of it, situated between Colchester and Braintree.
The airfield that I’m quite impressed with for its appearance and multi use is Earls Colne. Lots of businesses, a large golf course and club… and a General Aviation runway. All in an area that can make good use of it, situated between Colchester and Braintree.
manicatel
pfm Member
I do recognise the need for more homes being built.
However, the notion that “locals” object to the noise of the occasional Cessna flying around, yet would welcome with open arms the noise of a couple of thousand houses being tacked on to their historic village a bit daft.
A few years ago I lived very close to Andrewsfield in Essex & there were constant rumours around the site being developed for new houses.
The people in the surrounding villages, Stebbing & Great Saling etc were vehemently opposed against any new housing estates being built there.
From my Aviation History geek perspective, I just wish there could be respectful & significant memorials to the Airfield & the personnel who gave their lives. Not just a road named “Wellington Avenue“ or whatever, & a stained glass window in a local church.
However, the notion that “locals” object to the noise of the occasional Cessna flying around, yet would welcome with open arms the noise of a couple of thousand houses being tacked on to their historic village a bit daft.
A few years ago I lived very close to Andrewsfield in Essex & there were constant rumours around the site being developed for new houses.
The people in the surrounding villages, Stebbing & Great Saling etc were vehemently opposed against any new housing estates being built there.
From my Aviation History geek perspective, I just wish there could be respectful & significant memorials to the Airfield & the personnel who gave their lives. Not just a road named “Wellington Avenue“ or whatever, & a stained glass window in a local church.
richardg
Admonishtrator
Part of it is the cheap flight companies are getting paid to have their planes land there. Strasbourg gets no cheap flights as the council rightly refused to get involved in paying easyJet and Ryanair to use the airport.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Andrewsfield is such a lovely looking airfield, with the contrast of that old Super Sabre sat nearby.
I tell you where I’d like to see ripped up and built on: the studs around Newmarket. Foreign owners robbing us of everything that could be there. Few footpaths, few bridleways, just hundreds of square miles of rich man’s play things behind high security fencing. It’s just ugly, and one visit to Newmarket will show you it brings nothing to the town or its people. They even bring in third world jockeys as they’re even cheaper and take abuse without complaint. Yes, I’ve seen it.
I did similar at the same time to Milan and Hamburg at similar cost. There wasn't the choice. Same goes for America mid 90s, it cost as much then as it does now, 30 years on.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Air travel was a lot more pleasant though.
I absolutely detest what airports have become, and I’ve not been in one since 2013.
manicatel
pfm Member
Wow, never thought I’d be correcting you when it comes to flying things Tony!
But that Super Sabre is actually a Dassault Mystere. Apologies for nit-picking!
Although they do look really similar to each other.
But yes, it’s a lovely tranquil part of Essex, & a friendly club there. Nice & flat to cycle around that part of the world, & with a bit of planning, you can easily reach other areas of interest around the Great Easton, Saffron Walden, Weathersfield or even Matching Green, Sawbridgeworth & Hunsdon sites.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Haha, it had to happen! For some reason I had it in my mind that it was one of the Super Sabres that the US ‘loaned’ to France etc.
We lived on a farm outside Stansted for nine years, so we drove around there quite often, avoiding the A120 at its worst. Are the plastic palm trees still outside the pub on the old A120?
Sawbridgeworth is a favourite of mine, as Eric Ravilious painted a few scenes while he was there in the war.
I think I’ll keep away from Wethersfield until the inmates have left.
manicatel
pfm Member
Yes, although I’m no longer in the area, I remember the plastic trees outside the Saling Oak pub, which I think was a tasteless nod to the Palm Trees Chinese restaurant that was there.
Theres an interesting book called “Where the Lysanders flew” all about Sawbridgeworth airfield during WW2.
And another called “And the walls came tumbling down” about Operation Jericho which flew out of Hunsdon Airfield to the Jail at Amiens.
Hunsdon airfield has now been largely developed into a housing estate & yes there’s a road called Mosquito street or something. There is a Micro-light flying club which is on a part of the old airfield & a memorial in the form of a Mosquito Propellor there.
When I lived in that area, I tried to make a point of cycling to local WW2 airfields to see & photograph the memorials etc. It was a good way to get outside on a nice sunny day.
Theres an interesting book called “Where the Lysanders flew” all about Sawbridgeworth airfield during WW2.
And another called “And the walls came tumbling down” about Operation Jericho which flew out of Hunsdon Airfield to the Jail at Amiens.
Hunsdon airfield has now been largely developed into a housing estate & yes there’s a road called Mosquito street or something. There is a Micro-light flying club which is on a part of the old airfield & a memorial in the form of a Mosquito Propellor there.
When I lived in that area, I tried to make a point of cycling to local WW2 airfields to see & photograph the memorials etc. It was a good way to get outside on a nice sunny day.
tuga
Legal Alien
I am OK with airfields but recreational propeller planes should be banned.
They can hover for hours on end, oblivious of the noise they're making and that their selfish pleasure is disturbing to thousands of people. If that weren't enough their egotistical enjoyment is not environmentally friendly...
They can hover for hours on end, oblivious of the noise they're making and that their selfish pleasure is disturbing to thousands of people. If that weren't enough their egotistical enjoyment is not environmentally friendly...
Pravda
Well-Known Member
"Hover for hours on end" (those are helecopters)
"Disturbing thousands of people" (have you asked them all?)
"Their egotistcal enjoyment, is not enviromentally friendly" (not many recreational persuits are, are yours?)
All this reluctance, for people to be able to have a good time, smacks of a certain selfishness, or maybe even jealously.
I say, good luck to you, have a good time, we aint here long enough anyway.