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| The
Problem |
| When it comes to the struggle to
defend airfields, two themes become very apparent. On the one side we have organisations
such as the General Aviation Awareness Council decrying a "latent complacency"
in, and general lack of support from, the aviation community. On the other, the
anti-aviation lobbies cast our community as a small minority selfishly pursuing a rich
man's leisure activity to the detriment of the majority. |
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| The
Background |
| A brief run down of the situation
facing airfields today. |
| Ipswich
1930 - 1996 |
| Local authority closed down the
airfield in order to redevelop the site, despite widespread support for the airfield from
the local community. |
| Rochester
1933 - ???? |
| Fighting for survival against a
city council that is seeking to redevelop the airport into a science and technology park
and executive housing estate. |
| Local
Authorities |
| Both battles were fought, and are
being fought, against hostile local authorities and within the framework of the planning
process. |
| Collateral
Effects |
| Two of the flying clubs formerly
based at Ipswich moved to Elmsett. Almost immediately the airfield starting receiving
complaints from the local population. Nearby Crowfield, which also became a refuge for
some displaced Ipswich residents, had already been restricted to 20 movements per day in
1996 after a 7 year campaign by local residents against noise. |
| Regional
Airports |
| This process is being made all the
more acute by the tendency of regional airports, from Edinburgh to Bristol to Luton, to
squeeze out GA operations in favour of more lucrative commercial transport. |
| Current
State of Support |
| "Wake Up - The Rest Of You",
"Aviation’s supporters barely emerge from the sand", "…this
latent complacency has to be overcome if GA’s voice is to be heard and heeded" These are comments made in the March newsletter from the
General Aviation Awareness Council. The GAAC is working hard to present the case for
aviation at the local authority level and in the past five years has worked on no less
than 185 different plans. Unfortunately, as the GAAC chairman says "planning is not a
sexy subject".
Northamptonshire Structure Plan
Examination in Public:-
Pro-Aviation:
Sywell Aerodrome.
The GAAC.
Anti-Aviation:
Hundreds of letters of objection (many individually worded).
Barrister.
MP.
Elmsett inquiry 1998:-
Pro-Aviation:
183 letters (0.6% of the active aviation community), 1000 donations to support
fund.
Anti-Aviation:
400 strong resident campaign (4% of the local population).
N.B. Only 13
representations made against the airfield at the last public hearing.
Airfield operators faced with the prospect of
closure or of excessive restriction currently have no central resource on which to draw
support. Appeals for support are made piecemeal and wherever the organisers feel they can
get a sympathetic audience, from aviation mailing lists, web sites, and letters to
magazines.
The latest figures (March 2000) put the active
UK private pilot population at some 30,000, and the total active UK pilot population at
some 50,000. Add to this the enthusiasts, the sympathisers, and ancillary businesses which
benefit from GA, and we have a very significant population. We have the numbers, it just
does not appear that we yet have the voice. |
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|
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| Action for Airfields |
| The campaign is an
independent grass roots effort dedicated to fostering an environment which encourages and
supports the aviation community to: |
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Actively support airfields against
restriction or closure |
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Promote airfields to the wider
community |
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| Mission |
| A4A is not an
alternative to existing organisations. It exists to: |
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Alert the aviation community about
threats to airfields |
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Help the aviation community to
actively respond in large numbers to these threats |
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Inform the aviation community
about ongoing airfield issues and campaigns |
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Encourage the aviation community
to foster wider public understanding of and support for airfield operations |
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Support existing aviation
organisations and airfield operators in their campaigns to protect and promote airfields |
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Embrace all forms of flying and
non-flying aviation supporter |
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| FAQ |
| Some frequently asked
questions... |
| What is A4A campaigning for? |
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A4A is campaigning to
mobilise the support of all who care for aviation, in the support of airfields which
increasingly face threats of restriction and closure. |
| How is A4A different from AOPA, the GAAC, PFA, BGA, BMAA, or any other
established group? |
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A4A is not an
alternative to any existing aviation group. It exists to encourage grass roots support in
large numbers for the efforts of established bodies, as well as groups and individuals
fighting to defend our airfields. Furthermore A4A is targeting all levels of support and
makes no distinction between different flying activities, or even between flyer and
non-flyer. |
| Does A4A campaign on any other issue? |
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No. As the name
suggests, A4A is concerned only with the protection of our airfields against restrictions
and closures, and the promotion of our airfields as valuable community assets. |
| How is A4A funded? |
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A4A is operated on a
volunteer basis, using predominantly internet technologies. As such, funding requirements
are minimal and met out of voluntary contributions. |
| How can I help? |
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We are always on the
lookout for more help. See the Support section on this web
site for ways in which you can help both the campaign and airfields in general. |
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| Threats |
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Local councils
rezoning airfields for industrial and housing estates
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Regional airports
squeezing out General Aviation
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Displaced aviators
moving to smaller rural airfields
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Anti-noise campaigns
follow as a result
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Complacency in the
aviation community
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The image of General
Aviation in the wider community
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| Objective |
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To defend airfields from the threat of closure and to preserve them for the use
of future generations.
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| Functions |
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Create a grass roots,
nation-wide network of airfield supporters
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Alert the network
whenever an airfield comes under threat
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Encourage and aid the
network to actively support threatened airfields
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Inform the network
about ongoing airfield campaigns
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Foster wider public
understanding of and support for airfields
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Counter the
increasingly influential anti-aviation lobby
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Liaise with and
support allied organisations
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|
 More on Rochester
More
on Planning
More on Elmsett
GAAC
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