11 March 2010 - 'Easter Fly-In' at Easter Airfield (From Dickie Bird, Airport Manager) (Original document)

Our next ‘fly-in’ will be held on the weekend of Saturday, April 3rd and Sunday, April 4th, 2010, subject (as ever!) to weather.

Please log on to our wbesite for PPR and complete our on-line form or by calling 01862 871555 during office hours. On the day(s) PPR may also be obtained by calling 07973 851944, mobile phone reception permitting! Whatever, ‘no PPR’ = ‘no land’ at Easter.

With *D703 closed at weekends, arrivals at Easter are greatly simplified and our Air Ground (A/G) facility on 122.750 will be manned for the duration; call-sign is ‘Easter Radio’. Enter D703 via the Nigg Bay E/E lane and, depending on the wind, join for either a straight in approach for RWY 06L or a downwind, right-hand join for RWY 24R. (Please refer to our circuit pattern). Alternatively, to get a feel for things first, a standard overhead rejoin can be made (http://www.maukair.com/ohrejoineaster.pdf).

(*Kindly note that, even when RAF Tain is closed, there is still a 5000’ height restriction over the land areas: 1:500,000 chart refers, D703/15.0, OCNL/22.0, Outside Hours/5.0).

However you choose to join, our noise abatement procedure (NAP) must be observed at all times. Full details of the ‘no-go’ areas can be found at our website.

It is essential that you familiarize yourself with our NAP and under no circumstances whatsoever fly directly over, or close to, the white bungalow on the approach to runway 24

Hours of operation for the ‘fly-in’ will be Saturday, 0800 to sunset and Sunday, 0930 to sunset. We now have decent shelter from the elements, with a fully fitted kitchen, hot and cold water, not to mention heated bogs! There are no landing or parking fees on the day(s), but a £5 donation, per aircraft, towards tea, coffee and diesel for the generator would be sincerely appreciated. . We now have the goodwill of the occupants who are supportive of our future plans for the RWY at Easter, but quite understandably, they do not want aircraft flying directly over their bungalow. Accordingly, an angled approach to RWY24 must be made at all times, as per published procedures. No excuses will be accepted for any aircraft that deviates from this procedure.

Finally, be it inbound or outbound to Easter Airfield, make certain to contact Inverness Radar on 122.600 and, if you have a transponder, SWITCH IT ON!

23 February 2010 - Inverness Air Traffic Control Safety Night 25th March 2010

An Inverness Air Traffic Control Safety Night date has now been confirmed as Thursday 25th March 2010.
The venue location has yet to be determined as it will be dependent on prospective numbers but will be either HAC or the Airport Terminal.

The focus of this nights discussion will be safety around the airfield in particular the runways and will be hosted by Simon Card (Inverness Air Traffic Controller)

16 February 2010 - British Red Cross and Skywatch Exercise at Easter Fearn Airfield 6th March 2010

over the weekend March 5th - 7th, Easter Airfield will be the forward RV point for a British Red Cross exercise involving the Skywatch Civil Air Patrol, the Police and some of the other emergency services.

Over the weekend March 5th - 7th, Easter Airfield will be the forward RV point for a British Red Cross exercise involving the Skywatch Civil Air Patrol, the Police and some of the other emergency services.

Although the exercise will take place over the entire weekend, Skywatch aircraft involved (Units 23 Highland and 24 Lowland) will only fly as part of the exercise on Saturday, March 6th, weather permitting. They will be involved in the following scenarios:

A cross country event in the hills, west of Tain that goes wrong - Skywatch a/c will be tasked to find the walkers and report accurate locations.
A canoe event on the inner Dornoch Firth that goes wrong - Skywatch a/c will direct BRC boats to rescue the participants. The BRC jet boats will be based at Tain. The Dornoch lifeboat will also be in attendance.
The location of a ditched pilot in a dinghy in Nigg Bay - Again, Skywatch a/c will be tasked to locate the pilot and direct rescue boats.

As some of the flying will take place in the Dornoch Firth, Sqn Ldr John McKeown has kindly offered to put a temporary ban on the use of explosives on the Saturday, so as to deconflict aircraft from demolitions on Tain Range. The Police will also be on the scene at Easter and the Assistant Chief Constable of Northern Constabulary, Gary Sutherland, will be paying us a visit.

The BRC HQ will be Carbisdale Castle and the search frequency 132.65 will be in use. ARCC Kinloss and Helimed Inverness have been briefed by the Skywatch Unit 23 Chief Pilot, Peter Macintosh, and they will also use 132.65 in the search areas, unless a full emergency is declared. If this should happen, we will all change to 123.10 and vacate the area as required.

Again, weather permitting, Skywatch aircraft will be positioning into Easter on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning from Fife and Kinloss. Including my own, their should be seven in total. On the Saturday, there will also be a SWCAP VariEze operating out of Kinloss but not landing at Easter. Our A/G frequency 122.750 will be manned over the entire weekend. We also anticipate some rotary traffic into and out of the airfield over the course of the weekend but, as yet, I have no details. The BRC Unimog comms vehicle will also be based at Easter for the entire weekend.

Please find below some contact numbers that might be useful on the day:

Ian Rideout, Operations Director BRC - 07740 914051
Peter Macintosh, Chief Pilot, Unit 23, SWCAP - 07976 591322
Suzanne Robins-Bird, liaison person at Carbisdale Castle - 07970 513864

16 February 2010 - Noise Abatement

While it doesn't relate directly to light aircraft sub 5700kg Inverness ATC have asked that all aircraft fly with consideration for the towns located near the airport. When flying circuits please try to use a pattern the avoids flying directly above arderseir, croy, culloden and the outlying towns.

Highland Aero Clube have rescheduled their fly out to Oban for 31st January 2010. Aircraft still available to attend book soon as places filling up fast.

Highland Aero Club Flyout: Highland Aeroclub are organising a fly-out to Oban on the 3rd of January 2010 weather permitting.