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If you could buy an airport, how would you set it up?

Ooooh you’ve really got me going now.
I started but never really got going on a project to move to South Africa to buy a dirt strip airfield. About 15 years ago.

For my dream airport…..

1. Well spaced parallel hard runways. One perfect for biz jets and Instrument training.
One sensibly shorter fir general GA. and accompanied by managed grass on it’s outside edge for those that really prefer grass.
2. In the space between the runways, a good restaurant with rooftop garden for alfresco dining and plane spotting Visitors welcome. A defined area to one end where children can ve supervised by their parents allowing the children to play but the adults to chill and eat too.
3. Cheap basic accommodation onsite, maybe in the form of Glamping or log cabins.
4. A real reason to visit….good food. A nice bar. Outsource some onsite Quadbiking activity, horse riding. Paintball or Clay shooting.
All of those can also accomodate non flying aircraft visitors and driving visitors alike and the rent helps along the way but really creates a draw…..and introduces people to aviation.
5. Mixt range of personal and group Hangarage as well as hard standing.
6. Within reason all avaition welcome.

I just need to win the lottery now.

United Kingdom

Nobody’s suggested a Mall? That’s how I thought airports made money.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

I would add a brothel. Gives the word diversion an entirely new meaning.

Last Edited by Cobalt at 16 Apr 21:16
Biggin Hill

Cobalt wrote:

I would add a brothel. Gives the word diversion an entirely new meaning.

Good idea. From a recent trip to Winnemucca, NV:

Yea sure this would do worlds with your better half when you say “Honey, I am at the airfield”.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

An interesting range of proposals

Clearly it depends on whether you can get a handout from the local govt / local chamber of commerce (or equivalent). But assuming it has to be self financing, the options are more limited – e.g. as here. You need either a high net worth community of owners paying lots in hangarage, or a fair bit of commercial property income, or just lots of traffic. A number of airports are aiming at the first two of these (e.g. Biggin Hill).

When it comes to IFR (instrument approaches) much depends on where it is. In the UK, ATC is mandatory for an IAP, currently. Yet, ATC salaries are the biggest fixed cost on an airport. It’s a bit like the UK business rates – they are set at a level which ensures that all but the most profitable businesses go bust.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Regarding instrument training, please bear with me, I’m just brainstorming ideas but without much knowledge.
What if you were Air-Ground. Everyone is responsible for their own separation and in VMC only, with an instructor or safety pilot surely you could accept a ‘no priority to me’ scenario and just fly the procedure which finishes down the final instrument approach.
If everyone on frequency was familiar with the concept surely it can’t be too difficult to achieve.

Do we have the ability to dynamically change from one class to another at airfields? I can’t remember.

United Kingdom
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