last flights from Filton

[bristolracer]

Just heard last flights fron Filton will be 21st December.

End of an era, all due to be covered in new houses no doubt with corny aviation related street names.

[Eric Mc]

Don't forget that a whole village was demolished to extend the airfield just after the war. What goes around, comes around.

[wolves_wanderer]

I'll be in and out of there tomorrow. Probably for the last time

[Simpo Two]

Eric Mc said:

Don't forget that a whole village was demolished to extend the airfield just after the war. What goes around, comes around.

If that was true then income tax will one day be abolished...!

[Eric Mc]

Simpo Two said:

Eric Mc said:

Don't forget that a whole village was demolished to extend the airfield just after the war. What goes around, comes around.

If that was true then income tax will one day be abolished...!

It was.

But it was then reinstated.

[egor110]

bristolracer said:

Just heard last flights fron Filton will be 21st December.

End of an era, all due to be covered in new houses no doubt with corny aviation related street names.

Wonder if they'll sell the royal mail sorting center?

[davepoth]

Always struck me as a bit of a silly idea to not have Filton as Bristol's main airport. It's within a couple of miles of both the M4 and M5, sits next to the Great Western Mainline, and is one of the few runways outside of London to be able to take the biggest airliners. On the other hand, "Bristol International" is...st. It takes almost as long to get there from my house in Bath as it does to get to Heathrow.

[Puggit]

davepoth said:

Always struck me as a bit of a silly idea to not have Filton as Bristol's main airport. It's within a couple of miles of both the M4 and M5, sits next to the Great Western Mainline, and is one of the few runways outside of London to be able to take the biggest airliners. On the other hand, "Bristol International" is...st. It takes almost as long to get there from my house in Bath as it does to get to Heathrow.

It's in a shocking position. If it was near the M4 I'd consider using it from Newbury.

[bennyboydurham]

Puggit said:

It's in a shocking position. If it was near the M4 I'd consider using it from Newbury.

And it's on a hill (foggy), has a shortish runway (limits payload for longer flights) and is generally not a runway much liked by pilots as it is slippy and has a fecking great hump in the middle.

[davepoth]

bennyboydurham said:

And it's on a hill (foggy), has a shortish runway (limits payload for longer flights) and is generally not a runway much liked by pilots as it is slippy and has a fecking great hump in the middle.

It's quite disconcerting watching from the terminal when the planes disappear from view while still on the runway. Not exactly ideal.

[Black9]

bennyboydurham said:

And it's on a hill (foggy), has a shortish runway (limits payload for longer flights) and is generally not a runway much liked by pilots as it is slippy and has a fecking great hump in the middle.

Yes it gets foggy there but most of the time it's the smaller turboprops that are affected, but when they are using RWY 27 which is CATIII there are little diversions but when on 09 problems arise! In the last 2 months diversions have been kept to a minimal.

With regards to payload restrictions I've sent many 737-800/A320 out of there on a 4hr-5hr flight just10kg from their MTOW and I'm not talking about a certain Irish airline, the TOM 767 to CUN could go direct as it uses less runway than the 737-800 at MTOW it's the stopping in the event of an emergency that stops it from doing so, but the 767 has around 16000kg to play with when going direct to SFB.

I think your find the hump in the middle is a dip! The hump is around the touchdown point of RWY 09, the slippy part was sorted years ago after the resurface issues.

As for pilots not liking it, I get the opposite reaction from out of base pilots landing in BRS, they love it as it can throw huge challenges they don't usually encounter and 09 is the greatest in bad weather, but for the based crews it's just another day.

davepoth said:

It's quite disconcerting watching from the terminal when the planes disappear from view while still on the runway. Not exactly ideal.

It's just the way the land lies, it is funny hearing the comments of passengers boarding asking there the plane has gone.

[IforB]

This pilot has generally not liked BRS and nor do most of my colleagues.

[IforB]

wolves_wanderer said:

I'll be in and out of there tomorrow. Probably for the last time

Are you bmiR?

If so, how is it under the new/old regime?

[magpie215]

bristolracer said:

Just heard last flights fron Filton will be 21st December.

And everywhere else according to the doomsayers

[eccles]

Like many others from that side of the country I have very fond memories of air experience flights from Filton with the Air Cadets. Half the flight was taken up with flying down the endless runway, the other half doing aeros over the Severn bridge.... Happy days!

[wolves_wanderer]

IforB said:

wolves_wanderer said:

I'll be in and out of there tomorrow. Probably for the last time

Are you bmiR?

If so, how is it under the new/old regime?

No, just dive in there for fuel when we are working around Bristol.

[andymadmak]

Farewell Filton. I enjoyed flying from you in my UAS days. Another piece of aviation history lost.

[Geneve]

Great shame and genuinely disappointed.

Only been in there once - when diverted from BRS due to fog. But, have used their ATC for many years and always excellent service.

[Moose.]

fking nimbies finally won. I hope they build a huge council estate there and fill it with all the chavs they can find. Perhaps the nimbies might realise a quiet runway was a far better option.

I learnt to fly from Filton with Aeros and have many fond memories of its super wide runway. Real shame it's going!

[Fonz]

Puggit said:

davepoth said:

Always struck me as a bit of a silly idea to not have Filton as Bristol's main airport. It's within a couple of miles of both the M4 and M5, sits next to the Great Western Mainline, and is one of the few runways outside of London to be able to take the biggest airliners. On the other hand, "Bristol International" is...st. It takes almost as long to get there from my house in Bath as it does to get to Heathrow.

It's in a shocking position. If it was near the M4 I'd consider using it from Newbury.

I was flying (air experience flight, 1st lesson) over the dug up Greenham Common airbase a few months ago and the instructor made the point that it would have been an excellent location for Heathrow’s “third” runway. The GWR and A34/M4 all pass within a stone’s throw. It never ceases to amaze me how short sighted the planners in this country can be. This is unless of course they are looking for the next pocket lining exercise.