Following on from the May flying patch update, much time and effort has been put in by your committee to not only return the facility to its former glory but also to embody some improvements!
The south-west threshold area has been cleared of foliage and the area levelled making a landing approach from that direction a slightly less hazardous task! That said, removal of the foliage revealed a low “buried-within” barbed wire fence which has to stay in place unfortunately. As an aid to the landing pilot, we have added some tape and netting to enhance its visibility from the flight line. Our ultimate aim is to grass over the newly cleared area. We are grateful for our landlord’s efforts in removing the bulk of the approach growth in addition to that which lined the length of the westerly edge of our strip.
In order to take full visual advantage of the newly cleared approach area, it was subsequently found necessary for a pilot to position himself west of, and outside the existing pilots box. The committee was in agreement that this was not an ideal situation for normal operations and a suggestion was made to reconfigure the “active pilot’s area”, relocating the ‘box a few yards to the west.
The photo mosaic below (perhaps worthy as a disjointed Google Street View!) shows the arrangement we now have. The pilot’s box is defined by the white line and cones (as seen in the photos) and the wooden fence gap becomes the flying area entrance/exit access; in essence, a reversal of the previous layout.
If flyers find this new configuration satisfactory in practice, the committee will consider making it a permanent feature – we hope members will like it!
