Coltishall's Future

Well, no-one has picked up on this, but I was dozing through BBC Look East a week or so ago and they anounced that the airfield was to be retained by the MoD and transferred over to the army, or had I had too many glasses of vino, but I’m pretty certain that’s what they said.
Incidentally does anyone know whats happening on the last day of ops which is March 31st I believe, will it be a good show like last year, I want to stand at the end of the runway and feel the Jags move the earth one last time.

I trust you are not implying that Lofty and I would ever explore an airfield without permission 😉

Mind you, the fading sounds of “GETTORRRRFMYLAND!” as you pedal furiously away from the red-faced denizen of the countryside is one of the joys of airfield exploration.

Moggy

Its even better when the RAF Police arrest you. Each time you were frog-marched to the guardroom and given a stern lecture about trespassing on government property. During this lecture, the powers that be, usually some corporal would try his best to put the fear of god into you – anything to relieve the boredom on his part.

The problem was not the Royal Air Force and what they could or rather couldn’t do to you. The problem was what the Royal Air Force could do to your father, especially if he himself was later frog-marched into the very same guardroom – this after getting off the nightly crew bus returning from RAF Staxton Wold. Yes, the threat of being charged could do wonders to the father-son relationship. When I was caught it was the wrath of dad that put the fear-in me and not the RAF. Despite these awkward moments it was not long before the camp beckoned and I found myself exploring another part of the camp.

I was only eight or nine at the time…

The big issue at Coltishall would be the viability of the grass strip.

If Swanton Morley couldn’t make it, what chance Coltishall field? 🙁

Moggy

I often wonder if the whole airfield had been retained and not handed over to the grunts, whether it might have been a better bet (more maintenance, mind you). Memories of halcyon days of watching a Stearman landing on the “wrong” side of the runway markers put out by the VGS then on site and having to carefuly guide him back to the “right” side…… 😮

I trust you are not implying that Lofty and I would ever explore an airfield without permission 😉

Mind you, the fading sounds of “GETTORRRRFMYLAND!” as you pedal furiously away from the red-faced denizen of the countryside is one of the joys of airfield exploration.

Moggy

The big issue at Coltishall would be the viability of the grass strip.

If Swanton Morley couldn’t make it, what chance Coltishall field? 🙁

Moggy

Give the man a prize. We don’t like to admit it, but there are too many aerodromes in the UK. Pilots might not agree, but with only a finite number of pilots and aircraft to go around, it’s becoming more difficult to operate a profitable aerodrome, unless you can make money from other side lines, like warehousing, factory units or a hotel. That’s why Sywell and Shoreham work so well and are both profitable. Neither aerodrome would probably survive just an aerodrome. Also, not all aerodromes have the same level of populace as Elstree or White Waltham.

Driffield is too far out of the way to become a popular and therefore financially viable GA aerodrome. It took me years to admit to that. There is also Eddsfield, which is run by a farmer, who probably subsidises his aerodrome operations through his yearly crop cycle and livestock. Eddsfield is also very popular (Edward Peacock and his mates have worked hard to make the success that it is) but not as a base (I think they are home to around 12 aircraft?). Not because it gives poor service, but because GA pilots are thin on the ground in East Yorkshire. That’s why neither Driffield nor I suspect Coltishall will work as a GA hub.

My proposal for Driffield is for a grass landing field to be maintained by volunteers and used infrequently throughout the year under the 28 day rule. When not in use for fly-ins or gliding competitions, the site could be used for model aircraft flying or parascending, which it was used for during the 1980s. I see both Driffield and Coltishall being operated on the same likes as Cranwell (North Field), Halton, Henlow, Newark, Pocklington, Bicester and a number of other aerodromes, which are largely run for the love of it and through much hard work by volunteers.

I would like to add that converting either Coltishall or Driffield back into a grass landing field would probably take maybe two or three years to achieve – that’s if you manage to secure the site and have the money. At Driffield I would probably plant crops for a season or two to settle the ground and to provide with some additional income. Mad or what.

We find ‘Mountain’ bikes to be the ideal tool for airfield exploration. You can cover the area fast quickly, particularly useful where the sites are widely dispersed, have 100% all-round viz, and can ride through the wooded bits that a car can’t reach.

Moggy Presumably the mountain bikes also afford a quick getaway when confronted by the chap wearing an old and tatty “viz” tee shirt with the legend “Farmer Palmer says get orf mi land” emblazoned across the front!

The big issue at Coltishall would be the viability of the grass strip.

If Swanton Morley couldn’t make it, what chance Coltishall field? 🙁

Moggy

I did have this vision of the site being returned to its BoB condition, i.e. grass airfield and becoming a haven for warbirds, but then I woke up. 😮

Actually, your idea might not only be viable, but possibly even profitable as well. I had (still have) the same idea for RAF Driffield. Basically, farm land goes for around £10k per hectre. Now at Driffield there remains around 500,000 sq ft of concrete (despite the runways being removed in the 1970s) on the 212 hectre site. Now if you can find someone whose willing to buy the concrete at Coltishall, then this might be more valuable that the actual land. I’ve been quoted between £5 and £60 per ton.

By removing the concrete, you would also reduce the size of Coltishall’s landing field, so additional income would be generated through selling off this surplus land for farming. You don’t been much to run a grass landing field. Hard work, yes, but it is viable. All you need is the money to buy the site. You could work with a concrete reclaimer and local farmers. You would need some capital yourself (you need something to bring to the table – if only £100k, which you can secure from remortgaging your house), but I’m sure you could secure contracts for the concrete at a set price, which you could use to secure a bank loan. Planning permission is a problem, but a few phone calls should clear this matter up. You could get outlining planning permission to remove the concrete before hand. Just be prepared for others to pinch your idea and push you out of the loop.

At Driffield the airfield is described as a minor facility by its owners, the Army Training Estate – part of Defence Estates. If I could secure £50 per ton for the remaining concrete, then there maybe the possibilty of securing the site and reverting it back to a smaller, grass landing field. My proposal is to operate the site under the 28 Day Rule – used for gliding and frequent fly-ins. One can but dream, but it is viable. All I have to do is wait for the MoD to dispose of the site and hope no one else will want the site, which they probably will.

The main problem is in restoring the grass landing field. You’d need to remove a load of crap, remove trees and the foundations to concrete runways, etc. This would be a major civil engineering project, but still viable. You would cover these costs by selling off surplus land.

Just an idea…

We find ‘Mountain’ bikes to be the ideal tool for airfield exploration. You can cover the area fast quickly, particularly useful where the sites are widely dispersed, have 100% all-round viz, and can ride through the wooded bits that a car can’t reach.

Moggy

Stu……….Glad you’ve owned up (at last).

Don’t worry – It’s only when I’m arriving (or leaving)……

…..& in any case, us 100bhp+ Motorcyclists are wary enough to avoid ya, at all costs – don’t wanna damage our expensive toys now, do we ???? (or ourselves !!!).

Plus, try parking up and WALKING round – you’ll get the vibe alright…….

P.S. – Shame, the last time at Willingale (just a week or two before we moved) they’d blocked up the entrance to the old Ops Block……we found an old (v.large) & rusty oil filling churn in there, back in ’93 – EXACTLY the same as the ones featured in the ‘Memphis Belle’, & the old half/half U.S.A.A.F. paintwork (blue/white) with all the electrical fixtures & fittings…..aah. 😎

its you that I narrowly miss each time, coming the other way!!!

..or me :rolleyes:

Wholeheartedly agree with EVERYTHING you’ve said in your above quote.

Willingale, Matching Green, North Pickenham & Wendling (Beeston) evoke so much more emotion for me personally……..

However, being the jaded cynic that I am, I fully expect Epping Forest District Council (money talks) – plus the large & powerful jaws, of any future potential developers(£££), to have their wicked way/pound of flesh…….& turn North Weald into a massive housing/retail park complex.

You can bet your ‘bottom dollar’ on it.

Even if the airfield/enthusiasts/preservationists were fortunate & WON THIS TIME AROUND….the same proposals, will rear their ugly head, time & time again, until the corporate developers, lean hard & heavy, then the bulkhead cracks.

It’s very geographical location, so close to London, blights it’s future.

We may be lucky (sarcasm) – they might do a Hornchurch, & throw in a poncy ‘ Country Park’ for the benefit of all the thousands of ‘new’ residents, located in their wafer-thin, sardine-like new-builds (do you other optimsts on the forum REALLY think E.F.D.C. gives a toss about W.W.2 history ?)
Just hope the M.11 & the A.414 can cope….Shame – 5 years, if not 15.

North Weald……R.I.P. (just like Coltishall et al)

So when I am out aimlessly driving around Willingale and Matching Green trying to pickup a vibe, twisting my head round 180 degrees trying to see through the bushes,and ending up in the middle of the road in the process , its you that I narrowly miss each time, coming the other way!!!

Airfield Closure

I always feel that a deserted airfield, sinking slowly back into the countryside as so many of the 8th AF fields are here in E Anglia have much more atmosphere and dignity about them than the airfields that adapt to everyday use like Biggin Hill.

The worst fate, and one that as befallen many of the famous names, is to become covered in little-box houses conveniently located on Spitfire Way and Hurricane Close 😡

Which is why the fight for North Weald is so important. Moggy

Wholeheartedly agree with EVERYTHING you’ve said in your above quote.

Willingale, Matching Green, North Pickenham & Wendling (Beeston) evoke so much more emotion for me personally……..

However, being the jaded cynic that I am, I fully expect Epping Forest District Council (money talks) – plus the large & powerful jaws, of any future potential developers(£££), to have their wicked way/pound of flesh…….& turn North Weald into a massive housing/retail park complex.

You can bet your ‘bottom dollar’ on it.

Even if the airfield/enthusiasts/preservationists were fortunate & WON THIS TIME AROUND….the same proposals, will rear their ugly head, time & time again, until the corporate developers, lean hard & heavy, then the bulkhead cracks.

It’s very geographical location, so close to London, blights it’s future.

We may be lucky (sarcasm) – they might do a Hornchurch, & throw in a poncy ‘ Country Park’ for the benefit of all the thousands of ‘new’ residents, located in their wafer-thin, sardine-like new-builds (do you other optimsts on the forum REALLY think E.F.D.C. gives a toss about W.W.2 history ?)
Just hope the M.11 & the A.414 can cope….Shame – 5 years, if not 15.

North Weald……R.I.P. (just like Coltishall et al)

Following James K’s last contribbution, I wish to point out that it is not the airfields that have recently been Listed by the DCMS – it is only 255 individual buildings on the airfields named on the DCMS website/press release on 2nd December last.

Exactly which buildings are affected has yet to be published anywhere and so far nobody seems to know…..even the article in last month’s FlyPast was non-specific about the buildings (though it is clear that the Scampton hangars are now Listed).

Sadly the imminent Norwich Northern Distributor Road (aka the northern bypass) will make the acres of concrete at Coltishall very attractive hardcore. The same said road will effectively seal the airport within the city boundary, encouraging development to encroach, thereby raising safety fears, increased noise complaints and a pressure to reduce movements. What they’ll then look for is a more remote site, one with a 8,000 ft runway and hanarage. Oh ******, they dug it up back in 2008…

Ok here’s an idea, turn Coltishall into a massive air museum, keep the runways (cheaper to fly planes in than cut them up to get them in).

Display them in the hangers (thus saving the hangers) then in a 100 or whatever years move the musesum elsewhere and you have a nice preserved 20th century (WW2) airbase.

Yeah ok maybe not but its gotta be better than filling it with ****y house’s.

While the fate of Coltishall may be sealed by the location and the lack of major roads etc etc…..

Have the Men (and Women) at the Ministry sorted out the Airfield basing review yet?

And is Lyneham still closing in 200whatever………….

Or have they decided the will not have any room for the Hercs at Brize, especially when the C-130K replacement arrives (it might fly sometime this century) :dev2: :dev2:

Tim

Makes you wonder just how many (or more appropriatly, how few) Battle of Britain airfields will exist, 100 years from now ?

Just playing Devils advocate for a moment here, so bear with me…

How many W.W.II airfield should survive until the 22nd Century? How many do we need as examples of the battles?

And then, which ones? In my experience you couldn’t open an Ord Serv map of Southern England without two or three airfields, current and ex- appearing on them. Very nice, and we all cherish our local one (perhaps – not as much as the Farmer whose land it was before the war…) but which ones must be saved? The war’s over folks. What do we need them for?…

Some have been listed recently, and there’s a good case of history to be made for each and every one – but which really matter?

Discuss…

Makes you wonder just how many (or more appropriatly, how few) Battle of Britain airfields will exist, 100 years from now ?

Good point.

I always feel that a deserted airfield, sinking slowly back into the countryside as so many of the 8th AF fields are here in E Anglia have much more atmosphere and dignity about them than the airfields that adapt to everyday use like Biggin Hill. (Lower Kent International Business Executive Gateway International or whatever)

The worst fate, and one that as befallen many of the famous names, is to become covered in little-box houses conveniently located on Spitfire Way and Hurricane Close 😡

Which is why the fight for North Weald is so important.

Moggy

Coltishall

Coltishall will obviously go the same way as so many other (wonderful) airfield sites have done over the last 25 years….. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

Makes you wonder just how many (or more appropriatly, how few) Battle of Britain airfields will exist, 100 years from now ?