Cranfield has aspirations towards an airpark, but they have been very slow getting their act together.
There have been a number of similar plans for elsewhere in the UK.
I think that Verchocq faces a number of challenges which the owners have had difficulty getting their minds around:
1) The Pas de Calais, whilst undoubtedly French, is not far South enough to get you away from the indifferent weather of northern Europe.
2) The British, by-and-large, are not “back to nature” types, and the idea of living in a wooden hut on a field, does not match many people’s idea of Utopia.
3) At Verchocq, you cannot own the land on which your hut is constructed. The owner has gradually been persuaded to extend the length of the leases that he is offering, out to 11 years now, but that is still very short.
4) The suggestion that you can mitigate the short-lease issue with the ability to dismantle your hut and erect it elsewhere is frankly not going to cut it.
5) The runway is too short (and too sloped) for the average spam can to make it across the water 3-4 up with anything other than very low fuel.
6) Customs is unavailable at the strip, forcing the pilot to land elsewhere both inbound and outbound, before being able to fly in to the strip.
Despite several launches on internet sites such as this, progress at Verchocq seems to have slowed from its previous pace a couple of years ago. The new runway alignment (giving a rather safer length) is still not in place. The swimming pool, long promised, is nowhere. The first huts, now long promised, are still not there to see, so far as I am aware.
Given a proper airpark development, this might stand half a chance. As it is, I don’t see the marketplace for it.
Well Trinny – I guess that’s p!ssed on his strawberries….
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