LeSving wrote:
Only public airports have any information in the AIP. That is the definition of “public” as far as I know regarding airports. If it’s not public, then it has some prior permission requirements. I have given up on both EVR and SD regarding any consistent, updated and correct information of non public airports. Even the public ones are sketchy. For public airports I go to the AIP, for the others I use the web (google).
You are making up you own definitions. Don’t.
Lots of PPR-only airports have information in the AIP. It is essentially up to the airport operator if they want info in AIP or not. AIP-Sweden has info on about 30 airports of all sizes that are PPR at all times.
Also the UK AIP shows only licensed airports – a classification which today has little meaning since PPL training can now take place at unlicensed ones too.
Airborne_Again wrote:
You are making up you own definitions. Don’t.
I said “as far as I know”, and by that I mean “as far as I know” 
A public airport MUST be in the AIP, but that is not to say that private airports cannot be there. Lots of private airports are also public, but that’s beside the point. For public airports, all the PPR info is in the AIP, for non public airport that is no requirement. Again, with sugar on top, as far as I know.
In Europe, nearly every airport is privately owned – even if owned by local government or local chamber of commerce.
The “public airport” is a term which IMHO comes from the USA where these airports are a specific category which gets FAA funding and as a condition of that funding must accept traffic (and the city or whoever owns it gets a massive fine from the FAA if they mess with this, or even close the airport).
And the (European) owner of the airport can do whatever he wants with it. He may not be able to close it and build a housing estate on it, but he can certainly close it and let grass grow all over it and there is absolutely sod-all which anybody will be able to do to prevent that. Or he can publish a requirement that you must wear pink underpants to land there, etc.
I know this is obvious but a lot of pilots just don’t “get it” when they demand a right to fly to Airport X and land there. They have as much right to do that as they would have to land in somebody’s back garden. They do have a privilege to land there, not a right – google on Lord Denning
The bottom line is that in Europe not much can be assumed if you get down to the very basics. Any airport could just suddenly become 24hrs PNR for example.
Peter wrote:
The “public airport” is a term which IMHO comes from the USA where these airports are a specific category which gets FAA funding and as a condition of that funding must accept traffic
100% the same for Germany. If an airfield is “public” (that would be from Verkehrslandeplatz upwards), it receives government money because it is part of the public infrastructure and it also means that it has to adhere to approved opening hours (i.e. open during at least those times) and has to get its fee structure approved on every change. Germany currently has 160 Verkehrslandeplätze and on top of that you have the bigger ones which are called “Verkehrsflughäfen” (airports) of which there are currently 39. The ones that have no public obligations such as admission of traffic and opening hours are called “Sonderlandeplätze” (special aerodromes) and there are currently 230 of them. Below that we also have microlight and glider surfaces and whatnot.
So it’s not correct for Germany at least.
Peter wrote:
The “public airport” is a term which IMHO comes from the USA where these airports are a specific category which gets FAA funding
No, it is certainly a defined term in at least one European country. See this post in another thread. With Germany make it two, but I would not be surprised if the term was used in most of continental Europe.
I had to look it up (for Norway). Seems it’s more of a semantic/translation thing and different countries have different meanings. In the regulations, the word “public” (or the correct Norwegian translation) is not used. Instead a word, “allmenn”, is used. It means somewhat the same, but is better translated to “general” followed by some noun, as in “general aviation” for instance. It has nothing to do about who owns the airport, but describes who can use it. Allmenn means something is freely open to the general public.
Anyway, a “public” airport (allmenn) is defined as an airport that is open to the public within some opening hours, where the opening hours and the operator are described in the AIP. It’s as simple as that. If the airport is not “allmenn” then it is not in the AIP. A non-allmenn airport may also be open to the public 24/7, but can in principle close at any time for no apparent reason. hence it requires some kind of one to one agreement for it’s use (which also may be just a note on a web page, or a telephone number).
All Avinor airports (state owned) are "allmenn, and open to the general public, and they are all listed in the AIP. Those who are not are subjected to the laws of the jungle.
UK Licensed aerodromes fall into two categories; Public and Private. Basically with a Private you need PPR whereas for a Public you could (theoretically) just pitch-up.
Gatwick EGKK is Public License, no? It is PPR (last time I checked).
Inverness is PPR, strictly enforced. A pilot who radiod from some distance, asking to land (pax wanted to use toilet) was refused as he hadn’t phoned for PPR.
Owned and operated by HIAL, a QUANGO, so effectively Government owned
