CEO THOUGHTS

Left The different types and lengths of grass and flowers which would normally be restricted by herbicides, all add to the ecological value of airfields. Photo:

Michael Miklos

Below Turweston’s easily recognised solar farm, shrub planting and the solar power panels on LAA HQ all add to the airfield’s ecological credentials. Photo:

Turweston Flight Centre

In contrast, airfields offer a wide range of sustainable and diverse wildlife habitats both in their margins and even up to, and if it’s a grass airfield including, the runway. There is certainly no incentive for an airfield operator to use fertilisers to make the grass grow faster, nor to use herbicides to increase crop yields.

I wonder how many of us have taxied out to the sight of rabbits or hares on the aerodrome, sometimes scuttling away or in the case of hares, pressing themselves into the grass for cover. Or after an afternoon’s flight, when you have sat beside your aircraft and been serenaded by skylarks somewhere in the blue skies above you. Or perhaps on a grass strip you’ve heard the sound of the grass and wild flowers under your wheels as you swish into a perfect ‘daisy-cutter’ landing. They’re all proof of an airfield’s ecological credentials. At airfields with grass runways, the mixture of mown runways and longer grass margins is a perfect wildlife sanctuary, with the longer grass around the runway providing nesting cover for birds such as skylarks and lapwings, and animals such as hares and voles. At the grass airfield at Stow Maries in Essex, an English Nature survey listed no fewer than 105 species of plant and nectar-giving flowers. These drive populations of butterflies, bees and moths, which in turn create an eco-system, with other protected species such as sparrow hawks and owls taking advantage of the food chain. In fact, every British breed of owl has been recorded at Stow Maries, many of them living, nesting and hunting in the old buildings scattered around the former Royal Flying Corps WWI aerodrome.

Can we do more?

While we always should exercise caution when tree or shrub planting as it may encourage wildlife such as deer or larger birds into potential conflict with aircraft, the large curtilage of many airfields makes this practicable without creating any safety impact on flying operations. Guidelines on risk mitigation and strategies such as ‘long grass policies’ adjacent to runways can be found in the CAA document CAP 772. There is also scope for environmentally friendly development, including tree or shrub planting in airfield peripheries well away from flying areas, to act as carbon offsetting environments. In addition, areas such as disused runway beds and hangar roofs can be used as the basis for solar power arrays, which can operate without impacting on airfield safety. One example of this is Turweston Aerodrome where the LAA HQ is located. The 720-acre site has had over 10,000 trees and shrubs planted in the past decade and it is home to an 18.4mW solar farm supplying the National Grid, while the main tower building and adjacent offices, including the LAA HQ, receive a significant proportion of their power from solar-generated electricity from panels on a hangar roof. In fact, Turweston, and it’s not unique in this, has a ‘carbon footprint’ which can more than offset emissions by the aircraft operating from the airfield. So, what next? Watch out in next month’s magazine for the results of a research project carried out by our Engineering team on both (forgive the pun) current electric aircraft and watt – sorry – what technologies we might enjoy in the future. ■

Working together

By Steve Slater

First of all, I hope you are all well and thank you for your support of the LAA as we have groped our way through, we hope, the worst of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s been a very difficult few months for everyone and I hope that you, your families and your colleagues are healthy and have avoided the worst consequences of this dreadful virus. If you are one of those more badly affected, my deepest sympathy. Well, many of us are back in the air once again, regaining currency either by flying solo or with members of our households.

As I write, the news has just come in that the Northern Ireland

Assembly has sanctioned a return to flying with similar guidance to that in England, and I am hoping that by the time you read this our letters to Michael Matheson MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for

Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity in the Scottish Parliament and Ken Skates MS, Minister for Economy, Transport and North

Wales in the Welsh Parliament, will have also borne fruit. If not and you’re still locked down by their devolved legislation, write to them immediately!

We are in a uniquely challenging position in that unlike angling, tennis or horse riding, we are a recreational activity that has a higher level of legal regulation, namely that via the CAA and their paymasters, the Department for Transport. We owe thanks to the respective GA units in the DfT and CAA, and not least Transport

Secretary Grant Shapps, with whom we developed our case for a return to flying for Government approval. These discussions have also demonstrated that the main organisations involved with sport flying can achieve more by working together. We’ve been putting forward our arguments jointly with the British Gliding Association and the BMAA, and this combined approach has been seen as stronger and more credible than if we’d merely been ‘banging on’ on our own.

Post-COVID planning discussions are still going on, with the CAA and DfT hosting regular round-table meetings and we hope that if infection rates continue to decline, suitable precautions will ultimately enable a return to wider passenger carriage and dual instructional flights. A significant number of airfields are heavily dependent for their income on instructional flying. For them, the current scenario of bringing back staff from furlough and getting operational again, the reduced income from just private flying landing fees and fuel sales is a real financial challenge.

Another concession raised and taken up by the CAA, was that when air traffic controllers are unavailable, some Class D controlled airspace has been reverted to uncontrolled Class G, notified by

Notam. It offers us greater access and reduces controller workload, a win-win for all. It goes without saying that for all of us, the prime challenge is to beat the pandemic. I worry that the current cautious release, of which GA flying is a small part, might trigger a second rise in infection levels, forcing the government to re-apply restrictions. It’s in all of our interests that we adhere to government advice on avoiding close proximity to others and consider the use of protective gloves or masks when appropriate. Also, on the subject of personal protection, bear in mind that some alcohol-based sanitisers may adversely affect aircraft finishes or interior plastics, so be careful how you use them when near to aircraft.

Business as usual at HQ

Administratively, we are still handling all correspondence, including renewal applications, via home-working; with staff picking up the post daily from the local sorting office and scanning and distributing electronically as required. We have elected not to furlough any of our staff, as the engineering team are still flat-out processing Mod and CofV enquiries and the admin team are working hard on member support, so despite moving to home-working, apart from not being able to handle telephone enquiries, it’s pretty much business as usual at LAA HQ. We’re also looking ahead to other longer-term issues and working with AOPA and the Historic Aircraft Association (HAA) to evaluate future fuel strategies, as it appears that forthcoming European legislation might restrict the supply of tetra-ethyl lead, an important constituent of our staple, 100LL, avgas. Watch out for more on this in next month’s magazine, where we’ll also be revealing the findings from our recent member survey. We’re working on the data at the moment and it’s already giving us some food for thought! Finally, thanks for your responses to Part I of the Greener Flying article in last month’s magazine. One I particularly enjoyed came from Dr. Bill Brooks, whose name also comes up in the Rotax Jodel Project News feature elsewhere in the magazine:

On the subject of low carbon flying, I would encourage those who are not in a great hurry to get anywhere to try some ‘powered thermal soaring’. Just set the throttle to achieve about 200fpm sink at best glide speed and try to stay up. I can get down to 10LPH in my DR1050, which is cheap and quite green flying. You will also become better at flying efficiently close to the stall and turning, so will be much less likely to stall/spin inadvertently as you will get used to the feel of the aeroplane near the stall and what it tells you. Warm the engine now and then. The only thing I have to use full power for a while for, is to get the oil temperature above 100C before landing. Worth a try in your current post-lockdown flying? ■

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AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly. You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted. IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged. TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technical details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer’s build time should be taken as a guide only. AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft”. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament. AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

Pietenpol Aircamper. Engine A65 532 hr. Airframe 452 hr. 642 flights. Permit to 26/07/2020. Selling due to retirement. Offers in excess of £10,000. 01825 891346. HOLIDAYS

France, Loire. Montrichard private airfield. Hangarage for two aircraft, four-person cottage. Package designed by flyers for flyers. £700 per week. www.lachaumine.co.uk Tel 07802 217855 or 01424-883474.

AIRCRAFT SERVICES

Design & Stress Analysis Service. Type submissions, modifications, and general advice. We cover structures, powerplant (IC and electric) and avionics. Ex-Chief Stressman and Part 21J Head of Design. Contact John Wighton enquires@acroflight.co.uk or call 07770399315.

Beagle Pup 121 Srs 1. G-AWYO. Insured value £15,000. Airframe 4562 Hrs. Engine RR Continental O-200A, 1891 hrs, 117 hrs since major OH. Airworthiness Cert expires 19th SEPT 2020. One owner since 5th OCT 1977. Reason for sale owner 80 yrs old. Recent OH by Wiltshire Aircraft at Popham. ICOM ICA220 8.33 KHZ radio. Funkwerk TRT800 Mode S Transponder. Covers. Offers please to Barton Wild 01962-732209. Bartonwild@gmail.com

Fred 2 G-RONW complete with trailer ‘hanger’. Engine VW 1834 with 232 hours smoh. Provision for handheld radio installation. Permit run out. £3,500 ono. Contact William at malden@clara.co.uk

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LightAviation_2018.indd 2 5/17/18 3:11 PM

1/3 share for sale in a Perth based beautiful MTO3. Upgraded to 500kgs MTOW and RSll rotor head fitted by RotorSport UK. £12000 share, £88/month, £20/hr dry. Call or message Colin McLean on 07912 055739.

MISCELLANEOUS

Book for sale. The Man who Created the World’s largest Aircraft Manufacturing Enterprise. Book for sale at £13 (incl P&P UK). Profits go to Air Ambulance. Cheque to D.G.Scott, 21 Ellsworth Road, High Wycombe, HP11 2TU.