22 December 2008
The Flying Club and School at Land’s End Airport, one of Britain’s most picturesque airfields, is to close. One of the reasons for the closure is that British International Helicopters is to relocate its Scilly operations from Penzance to Land’s End. With the arrival of the larger helicopters much of the limited space at the airfield will be taken up with these aircraft, leaving less room for light aircraft.
However, the airfield says that the future of the School had been in question prior to this announcement, due to a run of poor summers and the worsening economic situation.
The Club and School will be closing on 31 January 2009. It is hoped that job losses will be minimal as employees will be redeployed in newly created jobs on the airfield. Most of the school’s aircraft will be sold, although Land’s End is expecting to retain one aeroplane for sightseeing operations.
The airfield has confirmed that it will still be open to visiting light aircraft, subject to PPR and space being available. “This is not the end of private flying here,” airport manager Chris Pearson told us. “Land’s End has not suddenly gone anti-GA.” Fuel will still be available, and the cafe will remain open. Hangarage, however, will be very limited as new infrastructure is put in place to accommodate the new commercial traffic.
