The government has reissued its statement about the UK being the best place in the world and updated its General Aviation Roadmap with a list of objectives.
“This starts at the grassroots,” says the GA Roadmap. “It provides the entry point for careers in aviation, as pilots, engineers, scientists and other highly skilled professions, and includes a number of vital businesses and services that are vital to the aviation sector, and is an enabler of innovation.
“We want GA to be a flourishing, wealth generating and job producing sector of the economy.”
The Roadmap goes on to identify key areas including:
The network of airfields is a national asset. Airfields provide crucial connectivity, both for business and emergency services, but also for leisure and sporting flying. Given their significant local and regional impacts, they are vital to levelling up.
It is vital we have airspace that is efficient and works for all users, enabling integration and a wide range of flying activities.
Government’s focus on innovation and decarbonisation will require testing and trialling of new innovations in aviation technology and cleaner fuels.
To be globally competitive in the future, we need a world-leading aviation skills programme, ensuring the sector is diverse, inclusive, and sustainable as it recovers for the future.
“This Roadmap provides an update on our GA Programme activities including our work with the CAA’s GA Unit, and our achievements over the last 12 months.
“It sets out our priorities for our ambitious future programme of work, both in the short/medium term to support the recovery of the sector and seize the opportunities following the EU transition period.”
The GA Roadmap can be downloaded here
Hi Andrew.......how much do you know about the proposal?
You say that this will be a training airfield......but the information issued by the developers says it won't be. Can you confirm.
Are you a local person that will be directly affected by the proposal? Or are you someone following the suggestion made on the fly.com discussion ref this proposal, to join this forum to keep your enemy's close?
This is a local issue affecting local people.
There are already other local airfields available to enable the opportunities that GA brings.
I couldn't confirm the veracity of the figures you quote, however, if they are correct, these are the figures without the airstrip proposed at Little Mongeham. Why would they reduce if this supposed non commercial development does not go ahead?
Ref the Nimby accusation.......if I were your neighbour, and I planned for months to build a block of social housing flats in my garden, which would affect the enjoyment of your property, and the first you here of it is an A4 notice on a lamp post in the street. Would you object?......after all, the construction industry brings in much more than GA does. Think of all the apprenticeships that local people could start working on the construction and then maintenance. Think of all the people who may not be homeless as a result......would you object?
Unfortunately the developers of this proposal have no consideration for the community they will affect.
Obtaining permission from the council to not produce an EIA to avoid full environmental scrutiny. Starting work on the project before permission has been given, which was stopped by the local authority........check out the pictures in the forum gallery.
Not engaging with the community goes against the recommendations of the CAA .....see other posts on this forum.
All in all, the actions of the developers so far, give little reason to suggest they are to be relied upon to follow good practice or the rules.
This proposal is for an unlicensed airstrip.....so not policed by the CAA, just the local authority without the funds to enforce any planning conditions.
GA, ie small planes contribute £3bn direct to the UK economy and £66bn indirectly. THATS why the government has agreed they are so important and hence the roadmap. Nimbys saying no are literally putting their heads in the ground. A mile of road will only take you one mile, but a mile of runway takes you all over the world.
i fully support this development. Its a grass airfield, it will unlikely to be usable in winter due to waterlogging, it delivers STEM education skills to the local populace as well as giving opportunities for flight training, something that by the time the pilots whonare training now have completed will give them full careers.
This is NOT a commercial airfield with jets, but a small training airfield for GA.
Someone has mentioned above the cost of flight training. Well tbh what has that got to do with anyone apart from the person undertaking the training? Did anyone query and complain about the cost of your house or car?
stop being nimbys and actually embrace something that will help give your children a future, ie STEM. Stop being nimbys and remember that if GA dies then that £66bn will have to be replaced by raising your taxes!
Dear Graeme
What the government roadmap omits to mention is the big bump in the road, and thats the costs of pilot training.
You can bone up on the eye watering costs here https://www.airlineprep.co.uk/career-guides/the-cost-to-become-a-pilot/
With no guarantee of employment at the end.
Also its not really relevant for this case because as of yet, there isn’t an airstrip there at all.
Maybe if Headcorn, Lydd, Rochester & Biggin Hill are overflowing with trainees, scientists & engineers there may be an argument for another airfield.
The world also has a glut of pilots due to corona virus https://simpleflying.com/global-pilot-shortage-surplus/.
The jobs market is awash with highly skilled professional pilots. When it happened in the early 1990’s it stopped new pilots from getting their first jobs for a long, long time. A lot gave up and pursued other careers.
Maybe something aspiring pilots will take into account before shelling out for training.
I can’t see how you can draw a comparison .
Regards
Gary
But none of that relates to this application!