What is the hangarage at Biggin like these days?
I think there is some available. Quite dear though.
Back to the OP, I found out this morning that there is an annoying limitation that you can’t start engines until 06:30, so for an IFR flight the earliest take-off is realistically 06:45
Noe wrote:
FWIW, I think you can land at White Waltham out of hours. At least when I was based there (in club planes), I never had an issue with it.
If you are a member you can come and go 24/7/365, at least as far as I know. It is very useful in summer.
Needs PCL though to be truly useful. I wonder what is stopping them?
What is the hangarage at Biggin like these days? Last time I enquired, years ago, the only option was a firm which forced you to accept their maintenance, and that is a “deal” any aircraft owner should run from at max speed.
Jujupilote wrote:
So what does it mean practically ? Do some staff stay late if you come after hours with no surcharge ? Or can you exit/enter the airfield by yourself ?
Neither. It’s open. Just open, with ATC ‘n’ firemen ‘n’ everything.
Berto wrote:
Looking at their fees: are Handling and/or “Security Airside Escort” mandatory? If not, £41+8 does seem rather attractive for international visitors.
Fees are here Handling is not mandatory, you walk into Border Force to get your passport checked (having submitted a GAR (free through SkyDemon) at least four hours earlier), then call a taxi or take a bus to Bromley South station.
Noe wrote:
There are likely much better airfields for reading.
Denham, High Wycombe ? Probably similar issue with ops hours, though.
FWIW, I think you can land at White Waltham out of hours. At least when I was based there (in club planes), I never had an issue with it.
Noe wrote:
There are likely much better airfields for reading.
Indeed there are – Blackbushe would be my favourite, but sadly it closes at 1800 as do most small fields in the area. I’m trying to get a day’s work in (at least till 1400), head over to my hangar and be airborne by 1530 CET. With a C172, 3h30 isn’t enough.
Farnborough… well, let’s not even discuss that!
So EGKB being open till 2300 sounds very good… still curious about those fees.
Berto wrote:
Reading, public transport means a bus and two trains,
There are likely much better airfields for reading.
I know White Waltham EGLM is near a train station that has frequent and direct trains to reading, but I imagine it might also be worth checking other airfields around it.
They are unlikely to have night / instrument approaches though.
Looking at their fees: are Handling and/or “Security Airside Escort” mandatory? If not, £41+8 does seem rather attractive for international visitors.
Transport towards the west seems a pain… I have friends in Reading, public transport means a bus and two trains, super slow. I guess Uber is the only reasonable alternative?
So what does it mean practically ? Do some staff stay late if you come after hours with no surcharge ? Or can you exit/enter the airfield by yourself ?
