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Fight for GA! All Party Parliamentary Group sets out mission

All Party Parliamentary Group

Inform and challenge MPs and government ministers on General Aviation (GA) – that’s the mission of a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) which has been formed by Grant Shapps, MP for Welwyn Hatfield and a keen private pilot.

Shapps wants private pilots to get involved, suggesting subjects for parliamentary questions and also to lobby their MP.

The APPG has 28 MPs and four members of the House of Lords so far with many more parliamentarians targeted. It has kicked off with a letter to Chris Grayling, transport secretary and Sajid Javid, communities and local government secretary, pointing out that GA airfields account for a range of business purposes including pilot training and business aviation.

The letter, also sent to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, is endorsed with support from key aerospace industries including British Airways, BAe Systems and Rolls-Royce, all pointing out the role GA has to play.

Urgent and coordinated government action is called for across several fronts, to calm the ‘perfect storm’ affecting GA airfields across the UK.  Five key areas are identified:

  1. Remove airfields from brownfield status
  2. Identify a strategic network of GA airfields
  3. Give the CAA a broader safeguarding role
  4. Safeguard UK airspace for GA flying
  5. Provide a level playing field for taxation on avgas and flight training.

Full details of the five points can be found on the APPG’s new website. Also on the website is an ‘Education Pack for interested parties to download. It provides information and tools on the best ways to get MPs and ministers to fight for General Aviation.

“We want MPs across the country to fight the closure of airfields in order to prevent an important sector of our economy from total closure,” says the APPG.

“General Aviation directly provides up to 40,000 jobs in the UK. Just as importantly, the sector helps inspire people to literally reach for the skies by promoting the all-important Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects; known as STEM.

“Sadly, a lack of understanding about the pivotal role that General Aviation plays in our economy has led to poor and misguided policy towards General Aviation by successive governments. This is putting the entire future of our broader world-beating aviation sector at serious risk; just at a time when we need high-tech jobs and skills to compete globally post-Brexit.”

All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

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11 comments

  • Irv Lee says:

    Urgent tasks –
    1 Get Dept of Trade *under which ever name it now functions) to work on extending the end date for UK licence holders flying UK (EASA maintained) aircraft in UK airspace beyond the EU imposed April 2018 cut off. It is bad law, and made even worse by the same government department now allowing faa (American licensed) pilots to fly those aircraft in the UK beyond April 2018 when UK licence holders cannot!
    2- To extend the ability to convert UK licences (especially NPPL SSEA) to EASA licences even if the licence or rating was gained after April 7th 2018. This bridge is the patch on several bits of poor EU legislation, and if the patch goes, there will be no solution to the problems EASA regulations have caused for some private pilots.

  • Ian Howlett says:

    It would be nice if there was a clear list of practical action steps that we could take, showing exactly what we need to do, ie who to write to, what to say, etc.

  • Roger Dyke says:

    As we will be leaving the EU, I see no reason why all NPPL holders should not continue to be able to fly EASA registered aeroplanes nationally beyond April 2018 like they did prior to having their registrations changed to EASA.

  • Gary H says:

    It would be a great help if those asking for us to support this were to wholeheartedly support it themself !!!!
    Grant Shapps owns an FAA registered PA32
    Byron Davis owns an FAA registered C310
    All a tad hypocritical in my opinion, both of them should be supporting UK Aviation by having CAA registered aircraft.

    • Clive Webb says:

      What does it matter what they fly as long as they are supporting flying in this country. Every month, there’s news of another airfield under threat of closure for one reason or another, more airspace grabs by the bigger players, etc. etc. It’s about time the smaller airfields had a voice in Parliament.
      Mind you, it would be nice if some of the airfields helped themselves with reasonable residents fees, landing fees and fuel prices, it’s almost as if they are trying to drive visitors (and residents) away. What could the owners be thinking???

  • Bruce Hutton says:

    John Prescott’s “brown field” definition of all airfield sites is the major cause of developers’ interest and the present threat. So easy to get the unsocial planning permission for many green airfields since that bloomer. I can’t understand how an ex-ship’s steward was qualified to take such a disastrous decision……

  • Jane Giffould says:

    It also includes getting local councils and the general population to realise that their airfields are an economic asset and even to understand what an airfield is? eg: my base airfield, which trains up to CPL level, has a very active membership, new hangars, excellent restaurant to which non-pilots come from far and wide, and an aircraft maintenance organisation, was described by the land owner to the local district planning committee as a piece of land of very low arable quality, used by the Americans in WW2 who left a hangar when they went. I was part of the audience and a friend was holding me down and gagging me as we are not allowed to speak unless we have previously booked a slot. I have been making a fuss with filling in forms, emails and going to consultations for some time. It appears the ‘Garden Village’ (extension to the local town) might just miss the actual airfield which would then be up for grabs for overspill. And anyway those new houses would not want the sound of aircraft disturbing them. Following this I have just learned why a former WW1 airfield is closed to visitors. Their quota is being cut despite them building up a historic environment with a large grant. I gather people who moved into more recent houses have complained. With that sort of attitude maybe I should ask that the local fire station is closed because the sirens on the fire engines might disturb a midday nap. Come on MPs, visit your local airfields, all of them in your constituency, find the benefits they provide to your area, see where British pilots start their training, have a flight with a local pilot and find it is not just toys for boys. Thought: maybe all airfields should write to their MPs and invite them for a free flight. Local councils should be invited to visit the local airfields and see what is going on, have a cuppa with the local pilots, see what an aircraft is like, find out about the strict safety factors required. Go for it.

  • Agree that airfields should not be under the brownfield sites category but think airfields should have to be SATISFACTORILY ‘replaced’ NEARBY at the developer’s expense.

  • Air field planning is a mess.
    Too many planning authorities have no idea what General Aviation is.
    Try getting planning for a new air strip. (3 years, 4th appeal in progress)
    Airfield planning for the smallest to the largest should be the remit of a dedicated planning team who know what they are doing.

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