I’ll be flying to England July 17 or 18 and leaving July 24, and I’d love some advice from the group. Plane is a Mooney M20J. Grass parking is fine. IFR approaches preferred for arrival airport, but VFR-only will be OK if the weather will cooperate. I’ll be arriving from Sarajevo, probably.
I have a hotel reservation in Stevenage for the night of July 18 and a race there the next day.
Cranfield looks closest for a GA field but inconvenient by public transport, whereas Cambridge airport looks like it has a good train connection. Duxford looks like it offers cheaper parking if I park on the grass (but I have only travel chocks and no tiedowns and am not sure they’d accept that). Am I right to think Cambridge is the best choice if I arrive on a Friday (since it’s not open on weekends)?
I would take Duxford over Cambridge any day. Closer to your destination, lower fees and no stupid weekend closure (which can always catch you out, as plans sometimes change. Plus you will get to visit an awesome aviation museum as well. I would pre-book a taxi (an UBER) and not fiddle with public transport.
Old Warden / Shuttleworth is only up the road from Stevenage. It’s a grass runway but kept in a great condition for the Museum pieces that fly from there.
I’m unfamiliar with Mooney performance requirements though.
Make time to go to the museum of you have time even if you use another airfield, it’s wonderful.
Another one for Duxford. I’m a resident there. Tie doesn aren’t mandatory but advised.
Now, here’s the problem – Duxford’s hard runway will be closed from the 8th to the 21st for urgent repairs. Having said that, you can use the grass runway that was temporarily extended to 1000 meters.
As stated, Cambridge closes at weekends for non-residents. Otherwise, it’s a good option (but more expensive than Duxford).
Thanks, @Mr_ess_jay, @Boscomantico, @Fernando. If the weather allows it (way too early forecast on Windy is VMC), I’ll probably try Old Warden / Shuttleworth. 2400 feet of grass in good condition should be fine for me, even after a long flight.
@Fernando, I’ll give you a heads-up if I head to Duxford, by plane or otherwise.
@Boscomantico, I’ve enjoyed flying in your country and have found friendly people at EDKA, EDFV, EDFM, EDRY, and EDNY. Am I right in concluding that even though it’s not very close, there isn’t a better option than EDJA for a trip to Fuessen (which is where I go when I leave England in late July)?
Yes, but EDJA isn‘t so bad. Not entirely cheap for a Mooney, but accceptable. It is motorway all the way to Füssen, so not much more than 30 minutes by car. They have App2Drive there, if you can make that work. Otherwise, they also have normal rental cars, and by train should also be doable.
MikeKnobler wrote:
I’ll be flying to England July 17 or 18 and leaving July 24, and I’d love some advice from the group. Plane is a Mooney M20J. Grass parking is fine.
I assume you have read up on completing UK GAR form for customs/immigration arriving or departing UK? It is important to follow the time limits as they are increasingly strict on enforcement.
They get stroppy but AFAICT nobody has actually been busted in any simple case.
boscomantico wrote:
Yes, but EDJA isn‘t so bad. Not entirely cheap for a Mooney, but accceptable. It is motorway all the way to Füssen, so not much more than 30 minutes by car. They have App2Drive there, if you can make that work.
Thanks, @boscomantico. And @a1650772 and @Peter, thanks, as well; I’ve gotten a GAR education by reading this site!
Peter wrote:
They get stroppy but AFAICT nobody has actually been busted in any simple case
I know one person who was threatened (in writing) with a £10,000 fine for getting a passport number wrong on the form. Only cancelled after challenging it.
