Mr M Scott, Bagby Airfield, Bagby, Thirsk, North - Hambleton District ...

an example of changes at the airfield that may make it more attractive to pilots
that would then give rise to additional helicopter movements which in turn are
more intrusive than fixed wing aircraft.
245. The second piece of evidence relates to an incident observed at the airfield
during a site visit to survey the extended apron shown as Area 2 on plan at
Appendix 5. An aircraft taxiing under its own power across the airfield from the
refuelling point beside the club house using the reinforced tracks and crossing
the Runway 06/24 became bogged down in soft ground. The use of a high level
of power from the propeller failed to extract the light aircraft and required the
combined efforts of tractor and manpower to remove the aircraft the margins of
the Runway 06/24 and subsequently to tow it to the area used for the parking and
storage of aircraft close to the position of the proposed Jet A1 Fuel Stop. Aircraft
being parked in the hangars using reinforced taxi-ways gives rise to additional
aircraft movements even during periods when the ground is soft. The provision
of reinforcement to the taxi ways from the aircraft hangars to the refuelling points
and with sufficient reinforcement to Runway 06/24 also enables take-off and
landing along the 378.3 metres of reinforced and hard surfaced runway during
wet and soft conditions. The removal of the reinforcement and hard surfacing
would reduce the frequency of use of the airfield during periods when the ground
is wet or soft.
246. The increased reliability of the ground conditions that are suitable for the
manoeuvring of aircraft together with the increased provision of aircraft hangar
space would enable an increased use of the airfield and an increased attraction
to airfield users of all types. York Aviation advises that the changes would
provide increased reliability and that a growth of aircraft flight numbers would
result. (Appendix 1 Section 5)
247. The recreational airfield user would be more certain of the ability to fly to
and from the airfield irrespective of the weather conditions in the preceding days.
With more reliable ground conditions the commercial pilot would be more able to
timetable flights to and from the airfield the make use of the airfield with less
likelihood of needing to divert to other airfields. Both of these aspects would
reasonably be expected to increase the number of flights to and from the airfield
as a consequence of the provision of the reinforced matting and hard surfacing to
the central section of the Runway 06/24.
Hambleton District Council - Tim Wood – Proof of Evidence - 55 -