Kemble Airfield
Encyclopedia
Cotswold Airport is a private general aviation
airport
, near the village of Kemble
in Gloucestershire
, England
. Located 4.5 NM southwest of Cirencester
, it was built as an RAF
base (RAF Kemble
). The Red Arrows
aerobatics
team was based there until 1983. It is home to privately-owned ex-military aircraft such as the Hawker Hunter
, BAC Jet Provost
, Folland Gnat
and English Electric Canberra
(operated by Delta Jets), and is used for the storage and recycling of retired airliners, as well as flying schools, clubs and industry.
Cotswold Air Show and a Battle of Britain
Weekend (both held over two days) are held there each year and the airfield is a venue for flying and vehicle rallies.
Cotswold Airport is in a good position for flying training as it is clear of controlled airspace allowing free movement for training aircraft. It is also centrally positioned between Cheltenham
and Gloucester and Swindon
, with good road and rail links.
There was a threat of closure because of a mistake the Cotswold District Council
made relating to planning permission
when it was sold by the Ministry of Defence
. However, this is no longer the case, and the planning status of the airfield has been changed to that of airport. In July 2007, the airfield was again threatened by the council due to complaints from local residents of noise pollution.
In June 2008, the threat of closure has eased after the Cotswold District Council allowed flying to continue, but in September 2008, North Wiltshire District Council
sought to overturn this decision in the High Court
as they said the original decision was flawed,
In August 2009, the airport was awarded a CLEUD (Certificate of Lawful Use) as a commercial airport so the future is assured as an airport and development to that end can occur. Lufthansa Resource Technical Training Ltd are relocating their EASA Part 147 Approved Basic Training facility to Cotswold Airport and will be opening their purpose-built facility in Spring 2010. This will have the effect of bringing numerous jobs to the local area as well as supporting local infrastructure, such as shops and hotels. There will be some 50 engineering students at any one time, 365 days a year.
Cotswold Airport has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P863), which allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Kemble Air Services Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
The airport is the home of the Bristol Aero Collection, a museum that shows aerospace items from the Filton
, Bristol
area, mainly aircraft but including missiles and ground vehicles. The collection includes a Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1, Bristol Bloodhound surface to air missile, a life size mock-up of the Giotto
spacecraft, a Bristol Sycamore
helicopter and items related to Concorde
.
Aston Down
airfield lies 3 mi to the northwest and has sometimes been mistaken for Cotswold Airport by visiting pilots. It formerly belonged to the RAF but is now used for gliding
by the Cotswold Gliding Club
.
The airfield is also used for Formula One
straight line testing.
Cotswold Airport is home to Chevron Aircraft Maintenance Ltd. Chevron is an Easa part 145 approved aircraft maintenance facility and has been based at Cotswold Airport since January 2004, Specialising in the Base maintenance and storage of aircraft. Chevron Aircraft Maintenance holds Base maintenance approval on Bae146/RJ series aircraft, line maintenance approvals on Bombardier Challenger 600 Series and Bae ATP. Easa part 145 approval number UK145.01181.
Cotswold Airport is owned by Ronan Harvey who resides now in Vanuatu
, but his daughter, Suzannah Harvey, holds a full-time position on the board of directors
.
Cotswold Airport is also the operating base of Air Salvage International (ASI), an aircraft boneyard
and salvage company.
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, near the village of Kemble
Kemble, Gloucestershire
Kemble is a village in Gloucestershire, England.It lies four miles from Cirencester and is the settlement closest to Thames Head, the source of the River Thames. Kemble Church is part of the Thameshead benefice, comprising the communities of Kemble, Ewen, Poole Keynes, Somerford Keynes, and...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Located 4.5 NM southwest of Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, it was built as an RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base (RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there...
). The Red Arrows
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
team was based there until 1983. It is home to privately-owned ex-military aircraft such as the Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
, BAC Jet Provost
BAC Jet Provost
The BAC Jet Provost was a British jet-powered trainer aircraft used by the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1993. The Jet Provost was also successfully exported, serving in many air forces worldwide....
, Folland Gnat
Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed by Folland Aircraft for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force....
and English Electric Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
(operated by Delta Jets), and is used for the storage and recycling of retired airliners, as well as flying schools, clubs and industry.
Cotswold Air Show and a Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
Weekend (both held over two days) are held there each year and the airfield is a venue for flying and vehicle rallies.
Cotswold Airport is in a good position for flying training as it is clear of controlled airspace allowing free movement for training aircraft. It is also centrally positioned between Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and Gloucester and Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, with good road and rail links.
There was a threat of closure because of a mistake the Cotswold District Council
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
made relating to planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
when it was sold by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. However, this is no longer the case, and the planning status of the airfield has been changed to that of airport. In July 2007, the airfield was again threatened by the council due to complaints from local residents of noise pollution.
In June 2008, the threat of closure has eased after the Cotswold District Council allowed flying to continue, but in September 2008, North Wiltshire District Council
North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural District and Malmesbury Rural District...
sought to overturn this decision in the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
as they said the original decision was flawed,
In August 2009, the airport was awarded a CLEUD (Certificate of Lawful Use) as a commercial airport so the future is assured as an airport and development to that end can occur. Lufthansa Resource Technical Training Ltd are relocating their EASA Part 147 Approved Basic Training facility to Cotswold Airport and will be opening their purpose-built facility in Spring 2010. This will have the effect of bringing numerous jobs to the local area as well as supporting local infrastructure, such as shops and hotels. There will be some 50 engineering students at any one time, 365 days a year.
The airport is the home of the Bristol Aero Collection, a museum that shows aerospace items from the Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
area, mainly aircraft but including missiles and ground vehicles. The collection includes a Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1, Bristol Bloodhound surface to air missile, a life size mock-up of the Giotto
Giotto mission
Giotto was a European robotic spacecraft mission from the European Space Agency, intended to fly by and study Halley's Comet. On 13 March 1986, the mission succeeded in approaching Halley's nucleus at a distance of 596 kilometers....
spacecraft, a Bristol Sycamore
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
helicopter and items related to Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
.
Aston Down
Aston Down
RAF Aston Down is a former Royal Air Force station near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, South West England. It was used by the RAF from the First World War until 1967, since when it has been the home of the Cotswold Gliding Club...
airfield lies 3 mi to the northwest and has sometimes been mistaken for Cotswold Airport by visiting pilots. It formerly belonged to the RAF but is now used for gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
by the Cotswold Gliding Club
Cotswold Gliding Club
The Cotswold Gliding Club is based at Aston Down airfield, between Cirencester and Stroud in Gloucestershire, South West England. The Club maintains a fleet of aircraft for training purposes, and is a centre for cross-country gliding and competitions....
.
The airfield is also used for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
straight line testing.
Cotswold Airport is owned by Ronan Harvey who resides now in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, but his daughter, Suzannah Harvey, holds a full-time position on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
Cotswold Airport is also the operating base of Air Salvage International (ASI), an aircraft boneyard
Aircraft boneyard
Aircraft boneyard is a term for a storage area for aircraft that are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage or turned into scrap metal...
and salvage company.
External links
- Cotswold Airport website
- Chevron Aircraft Maintenance Ltd Easa part 145 approved, Aircraft maintenance facility. Bae146/RJ, Bae ATP, Bombardier Challenger 600 series
- EGBP weather, NOTAMs and pilot reviews
- Delta Jets Vintage jet aircraft and advanced flight training
- Bristol Aero Collection
- fly2help - A charity supporting those facing tragedy & trauma via the medium of flight - turning ordinary days into an extraordinary adventures for many very special and brave families
- Cotswold Flying School - Flying School and hire for single engine fixed wing
- The Flying Club Kemble - Flying School and hire for single engine fixed wing
- Kemble Flying Club - Flying School and owner club for microlights