23 November 2017
Pembrokeshire County Council has launched a public consultation on a proposal to introduce an Instrument Approach Procedure at Haverfordwest Airport.
The consultation is in partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and aviation consultancy Helios. The main purpose of Instrument Approach is to allow safer approaches to the airport during poor weather (e.g. low cloud base).
Currently, aircraft intending to land at Haverfordwest will abort their approach and divert to another airport if they are unable to see the runway.
This often involves diverting to Cardiff or Bristol, meaning that during the winter, commercial flights in particular, as well as some private flights, are often cancelled because they would be unable to safely return to the airport. .
You can find out more about the proposals, and give your views at www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/haveyoursay
The closing date for responses is Monday, 26 February, 2018.
1 comment
All public use GA airports should have at a minimum, one GPS/GNSS/EGNOS instrument approach procedure (with vertical guidance where terrain/obstructions permit). At the same time, a program to install airport lighting and simplified approach lighting that is pilot controlled plus an automated weather broadcast station (AWOS) for the time where the airport has no Air Traffic Services (Tower, FIS, A/G) should be installed. The CAA should mandate this to improve safety, build pilot skills and experience at night and in marginal weather and inject life into activity levels. This doesn’t have to be done overnight, nor could it be, but a programme should be put in place working on an agreed airport priority list. This should be a mandated CAA program. There are many available existing products and contractors available with these skills for a program of this nature, the CAA needs to create or design nothing so this becomes a project management task. Do not reinvent the wheel.