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Action for Airfields - Supporters network helping to support airfields now and for the future Action for Airfields - Supporters network helping to support airfields now and for the future

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The Problem
When it comes to the struggle to defend airfields, two themes become very apparent. On the one side we have organisations such as the General Aviation Awareness Council decrying a "latent complacency" in, and general lack of support from, the aviation community. On the other, the anti-aviation lobbies cast our community as a small minority selfishly pursuing a rich man's leisure activity to the detriment of the majority.
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The Background
A brief run down of the situation facing airfields today.
Ipswich 1930 - 1996
Local authority closed down the airfield in order to redevelop the site, despite widespread support for the airfield from the local community.
Rochester 1933 - ????
Fighting for survival against a city council that is seeking to redevelop the airport into a science and technology park and executive housing estate.
Local Authorities
Both battles were fought, and are being fought, against hostile local authorities and within the framework of the planning process.
Collateral Effects
Two of the flying clubs formerly based at Ipswich moved to Elmsett. Almost immediately the airfield starting receiving complaints from the local population. Nearby Crowfield, which also became a refuge for some displaced Ipswich residents, had already been restricted to 20 movements per day in 1996 after a 7 year campaign by local residents against noise.
Regional Airports
This process is being made all the more acute by the tendency of regional airports, from Edinburgh to Bristol to Luton, to squeeze out GA operations in favour of more lucrative commercial transport.
Current State of Support
"Wake Up - The Rest Of You", "Aviation’s supporters barely emerge from the sand", "…this latent complacency has to be overcome if GA’s voice is to be heard and heeded"

These are comments made in the March newsletter from the General Aviation Awareness Council. The GAAC is working hard to present the case for aviation at the local authority level and in the past five years has worked on no less than 185 different plans. Unfortunately, as the GAAC chairman says "planning is not a sexy subject".

Northamptonshire Structure Plan Examination in Public:-
Pro-Aviation:
Sywell Aerodrome.
The GAAC.
Anti-Aviation:
Hundreds of letters of objection (many individually worded).
Barrister.
MP.

Elmsett inquiry 1998:-
Pro-Aviation:
183 letters (0.6% of the active aviation community), 1000 donations to support fund.
Anti-Aviation:
400 strong resident campaign (4% of the local population).
N.B. Only 13 representations made against the airfield at the last public hearing.

Airfield operators faced with the prospect of closure or of excessive restriction currently have no central resource on which to draw support. Appeals for support are made piecemeal and wherever the organisers feel they can get a sympathetic audience, from aviation mailing lists, web sites, and letters to magazines.

The latest figures (March 2000) put the active UK private pilot population at some 30,000, and the total active UK pilot population at some 50,000. Add to this the enthusiasts, the sympathisers, and ancillary businesses which benefit from GA, and we have a very significant population. We have the numbers, it just does not appear that we yet have the voice.

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Action for Airfields
The campaign is an independent grass roots effort dedicated to fostering an environment which encourages and supports the aviation community to:
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Actively support airfields against restriction or closure
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Mission
A4A is not an alternative to existing organisations. It exists to:
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Alert the aviation community about threats to airfields
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Help the aviation community to actively respond in large numbers to these threats
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Inform the aviation community about ongoing airfield issues and campaigns
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Encourage the aviation community to foster wider public understanding of and support for airfield operations
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Support existing aviation organisations and airfield operators in their campaigns to protect and promote airfields
bullet.gif (407 bytes) Embrace all forms of flying and non-flying aviation supporter
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FAQ
Some frequently asked questions...
What is A4A campaigning for?
A4A is campaigning to mobilise the support of all who care for aviation, in the support of airfields which increasingly face threats of restriction and closure.
How is A4A different from AOPA, the GAAC, PFA, BGA,  BMAA, or any other established group?
A4A is not an alternative to any existing aviation group. It exists to encourage grass roots support in large numbers for the efforts of established bodies, as well as groups and individuals fighting to defend our airfields. Furthermore A4A is targeting all levels of support and makes no distinction between different flying activities, or even between flyer and non-flyer.
Does A4A campaign on any other issue?
No. As the name suggests, A4A is concerned only with the protection of our airfields against restrictions and closures, and the promotion of our airfields as valuable community assets.
How is A4A funded?
A4A is operated on a volunteer basis, using predominantly internet technologies. As such, funding requirements are minimal and met out of voluntary contributions.
How can I help?
We are always on the lookout for more help. See the Support section on this web site for ways in which you can help both the campaign and airfields in general.
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Threats
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) Local councils rezoning airfields for industrial and housing estates
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) Displaced aviators moving to smaller rural airfields
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) Anti-noise campaigns follow as a result
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) Complacency in the aviation community
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) The image of General Aviation in the wider community
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Objective
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To defend airfields from the threat of closure and to preserve them for the use of future generations.
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Functions
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1pix.gif (807 bytes) Create a grass roots, nation-wide network of airfield supporters
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Alert the network whenever an airfield comes under threat
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Encourage and aid the network to actively support threatened airfields
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Inform the network about ongoing airfield campaigns
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Foster wider public understanding of and support for airfields
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Counter the increasingly influential anti-aviation lobby
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Liaise with and support allied organisations
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sm_bull.jpg (515 bytes)More on Rochester
sm_bull.jpg (515 bytes)More on Planning
sm_bull.jpg (515 bytes)More on Elmsett
sm_bull.jpg (515 bytes)GAAC

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