Weston Airport

zuutroy · 19-07-2020 8:55pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It's for sale apparently.

I heard literally the opposite where someone wanted to buy it and was knocked back!

sparrowcar · 19-07-2020 9:00pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Checks date.....no not april, but another waste of money report.

I couldn't find any date attached to it. What did you find out of curiosity?

19-07-2020 10:59pm

sparrowcar wrote: »

I couldn't find any date attached to it. What did you find out of curiosity?

I meant April fools, as in this is a joke if someone thinks you can build an airport there of all places.

19-07-2020 11:01pm

zuutroy wrote: »

I heard literally the opposite where someone wanted to buy it and was knocked back!

I haven't had it confirmed. I would imagine that if someone wanted to buy it it would be knocked back unless it was a mad high bid.

Depends on what they were offering to buy as well and if they wanted to buy it as a going concern.

Why isn't it open ?

zuutroy · 20-07-2020 10:26am

I'm not sure tbh. Maybe it just wasn't doing huge business for the owners and this was the opportunity to cut it off while they figure out what to do?

20-07-2020 10:36am

zuutroy wrote: »

I'm not sure tbh. Maybe it just wasn't doing huge business for the owners and this was the opportunity to cut it off while they figure out what to do?

Well with the constant hocking out of the airfield for concerts, circuses, drag races, car days and then their begging on their Facebook page for ideas and expressions of interest for the airfield as a venue I’d say they aren’t doing well.

If you can’t make money as an airfield when aviation was soaring.........

L1011 · 20-07-2020 11:21am

I'd be very surprised if we don't see at least a testing the waters of zoning there in the next few years. Land is insanely valuable there; but as far as I can see its not zoned for anything at all on the Kildare side (its outside both the Celbridge and Leixlip plan boundaries) and I can't actually find the SDCC maps.

Stovepipe · 20-07-2020 1:16pm

Weston was mooted for housing well back into the old Kennedy era. Given how quickly Baldonnel has become surrounded by industrial parks, you could well see Weston sold for commercial use. One of the reasons Weston was extended, was for business jets related to the computer giants up the road, being able to land there, which doesnt appear to have happened, as virtually all business traffic goes to Dublin, because Weston is too restricted in operation. Private aircraft operators were also being dicked around by management and they voted with their feet and their wallets and moved out.

Gaoth Laidir · 20-07-2020 2:48pm

What would the Weston nimby residents then say to having the added traffic of hundreds of new houses in the area instead of the occasional buzz of a C152? The divil you know...

20-07-2020 2:51pm

Gaoth Laidir wrote: »

What would the Weston nimby residents then say to having the added traffic of hundreds of new houses in the area instead of the occasional buzz of a C152? The divil you know...

The same people who live 100m from the 8 lane N4 ?

Davidth88 · 20-07-2020 3:56pm

I was wondering why it hadn't re-opened

really miss the GA about the place.

As someone said, better the devil you know I for one would prefer the odd C172 to another 1000 houses ( or more )

My friend who flies used to say he wouldn't land there because the fees were daft. That could explain the lack of visitors when it was open

zuutroy · 20-07-2020 4:11pm

€20 landing fee for a place with an 850x25 m hard runway with an instrument approach, full ATC, and relatively close to Dublin isn't that bad surely.

Masala · 20-07-2020 4:54pm

Davidth88 wrote: »

I was wondering why it hadn't re-opened

really miss the GA about the place.

As someone said, better the devil you know I for one would prefer the odd C172 to another 1000 houses ( or more )

My friend who flies used to say he wouldn't land there because the fees were daft. That could explain the lack of visitors when it was open

Never can understand how people who can get involved in an expensive hobby like owning an aircraft and all the associated costs of same then complain about the price of landing and fuel!!! its like buying a €100k Lamborghini and then complaining about the amount of fuel it drinks!

phonypony · 20-07-2020 5:54pm

Masala wrote: »

Never can understand how people who can get involved in an expensive hobby like owning an aircraft and all the associated costs of same then complain about the price of landing and fuel!!! its like buying a €100k Lamborghini and then complaining about the amount of fuel it drinks!

Relatively few private pilots go down the route of ownership. So it's more like hiring a €100k Lamborghini for two hours because that's all you can afford and trying to keep your other costs as low as possible so you can get as much fun out of it as possible.

Aviation appears to have been actively driven from the airfield via increased costs for both visiting and based aircraft. There has been little regard in recent years for the community it is supposed to be serving. Such a shame.

Stovepipe · 20-07-2020 7:20pm

Landing fees for small general aviation aircraft,in Ireland, are actually quite low and only the bigger airfields have them. Compared to a lot of European countries, we get off lightly. It's when you land in some airports in the UK and Europe and then find that you are being stung for "compulsory" handling, ie, you must use the services of a handling company,who will charge you to bring you a short distance to their terminal and you will be charged thru the nose for weather information (free in America) and access to a toilet,before you pay the airport the landing fee, navigation fee, and any other fee they can think of (like the "development" tenner at Knock). It's part of the reason why flight training is so expensive in Europe, the add-on fees outside the control of the flying school. It's one of the reasons why the number of student starts has been falling for years.......General aviation (which includes business jets, by the way) is always struggling to pay it's way and make a profit and operating in Europe is much more expensive than America or Canada.

HTCOne · 20-07-2020 8:35pm

Stovepipe wrote: »

One of the reasons Weston was extended, was for business jets related to the computer giants up the road, being able to land there, which doesnt appear to have happened, as virtually all business traffic goes to Dublin, because Weston is too restricted

Prior to the GFC, the banks used to send in a few Citations and the like a day, moving executives and legal paperwork etc around. Callsigns of the operators were “Lonex” and “Excalibur”. Don’t think they ever came back.

Stealthirl · 26-07-2020 1:18am

After the last sale i felt it was inevitable that it would eventually end up with light industrial and housing going in. It may take a long time but if it's not making money how could it stay open.

Petrol Head_Pilot · 28-07-2020 5:39pm

I'd like to know what the situation is. I was flying there until operations ceased.

An announcement of some sort would be nice. I know the National Flight Centre have now gone to Abbeyshurle and I heard Weston were selling off their supply of avgas recently.

I need to find a new flight school to keep current and fresh but I'd like to know if Weston are going to reopen as it is a nice place to fly in and out of.

zuutroy · 28-07-2020 6:51pm

Well the NOTAM expires on Friday, so all will be revealed then I guess. Latest I heard is that NFC are expecting to be back there in August but I've heard everything at this stage!

Oscar Bravo · 28-07-2020 9:27pm

Grass cut today on the sides of the taxiways etc. looks like operations will resume soon.

zuutroy · 31-07-2020 12:40pm

Closure NOTAM extended until August 19th

emo72 · 03-09-2020 5:07pm

Lads I think something just landed there. First time since the shutdown.

zuutroy · 03-09-2020 5:23pm

It was NOTAM'd as open for a few hours today but with no ATC.

03-09-2020 6:20pm

emo72 wrote: »

Lads I think something just landed there. First time since the shutdown.

No there has been others in similar circumstances.

N7777G · 03-09-2020 6:39pm

Check out:- https://eiwt.blogspot.com/2020/

California Dreamer · 04-09-2020 6:39am

Did all the NFC flight training recommence in Abbeyshrule? I wouldn't be too happy if I was like some of the students and had secured accommodation around the Celbridge/Leixlip area all of a sudden had to trek daily to Longford.

flyingpopeye · 17-09-2020 10:31pm

The Notam for Weston has been extended again till the 30th of September. Is there any positive news on the airport? Heard that ATC were getting retrained and certified.

Duke Dan · 21-10-2020 11:37am

NOTAM now till end of Oct coupled now with lockdown....will it ever open again!! I think not

21-10-2020 11:55am

I look back with fondness on the days of "cheap" aviation at Weston under Captain Darby Kennedy. Kept costs rock bottom, the aircraft were as idiot-proof as they come, with the only (avoidable) tragedy happening when somebody sadly made a forced engine practice into one of the tiny fields surrounded by high trees (in a real engine failure you could side-slip into this successfully in the Rallye 100 and walk away) and pulled out too late straight into a tree, killing the person on the side that hit the wood.

Even people on the dole learnt to fly there with a lesson every week or two. Great memories of old Weston, and it's a nice outfit now. Due to eyesight can't fly without instructor present now. I was hoping to have another flight in a 172 (way easier to land nicely than the 152 which I never mastered to mush down for some reason!) and a further helicopter lesson or two. All but for Covid.

smurfjed · 22-10-2020 12:07pm

with the only (avoidable) tragedy

Why do you consider it an “avoidable” accident?

Weston Airport

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