These destinations pages aim to inspire you to visit new places. I have been to them for a variety of reasons – a museum or local landmark, a rest or re-fuelling stop. I went to some purely out of curiosity, using a free landing voucher from a magazine. Regrettably not all flying magazines still offer these, but I recommend buying a copy of Flyer – the savings on landings far exceed the cost of the magazine!
I’ll take a look at destinations over various distances and fill out the details as time permits. So check back periodically!
All the airfields listed on this page are a flight of approximately an hour or less.
Less than 50 nm
You don’t have to fly vast distances to find an interesting destination with something to see and a decent bite to eat….
Fenland is one of my favourites for a short trip. The restaurant is open Thursday- Sunday and often on other days. Katy’s justifiably famous cakes are a thing of the past, as the restaurant has changed hands, but is still very welcoming with a range of meals and snacks. And at £5 per landing, what’s not to like? Phone first, even though they are not PPR, to check if the runway is not too soft.
Peterborough Conington – for Andrewsfield students, this is their first land-away. Friendly and helpful, with a fine hard runway, but no taxiway so be ready to go-around if someone has just landed, or taxi right to the end to the clear the runway for someone else before back-tracking. If you are not in a rush to get back, stop for lunch. Always PPR and check the website: for noise abatement, circuits may be left- or right-handed and the join is non-standard (but straightforward).
Cranfield – even though prices have gone up, still the cheapest instrument approaches (NDB, ILS, RNAV- you name it) in the East of England. They have a loyalty card – every 6th landing is free. The airfield is adjacent to the university campus, so there are plenty of places for drinks and food. In the lobby of the Whittle building, not far from the airport gates, you can view a collection of historic jet engines.
Old Buckenham – a short hop. The restaurant is open Thursday – Sunday only but you can land any time, and use the coffee kiosk. Stay off the grass areas – they are very soft in winter. There’s a small museum and a memorial to the USAAF units based there during World War Two. You can PPR online, and view the circuit diagram. Downwind is positioned to avoid Attleborough town, making the circuit very wide.
Northampton Sywell – I visit regularly, as it’s my nearest source of Mogas. Eat at the Pilot’s Mess 
overlooking the apron, or at the art deco Aviator Hotel. Strictly PPR, with hard and grass runways, although the grass may not be available after heavy rain. It’s important to call for PPR: if the Blades are doing an aerobatic practice you won’t be able to approach or land! There is an eclectic range of based and visiting aircraft from microlights and WW1 replicas to Spitfires.
Turweston – has recently constructed a new building housing offices, flying school, restaurant and tower, with great views over the airfield and surrounding areas. They deserve visiting for this reason alone – it’s not often you find people investing in small airfields!
Rochester -is a relatively short hop from Andrewsfield. It has parallel grass runways, approx north-south. After heavy rain, the runways are unusable so always check NOTAMs and call for PPR. Word has it that they plan to build a tarmac runway – but don’t hold your breath. If taking off towards the north, be aware that Southend CAS is very close- have a plan ready including outbound route and next radio frequencies / calls.
Headcorn – Not much further than Rochester, Headcorn is a busy grass airfield with GA and parachuting. As a result expect to join the circuit downwind, not overhead. The café is reasonable. Bewl Water is a scenic detour 12 nm to the west.
Less than 75 nm
Leicester – A handy re-fuelling stop on the way up north. The Aero Club has a large restaurant area overlooking the runways. Rotax engineer and Woodcomp propeller agent Kevin Dilks is based nearby. He is highly experienced and can do maintenance at the airfield or come to you.
Wellesbourne –The airfield is still under threat of closure due to proposed housing developments, so visit while you can! There is a small restaurant (cash only!) and a small museum, open on Sundays. The Vulcan XM655 is worth a look from the apron. The national trust’s Charlecote Park is about 25 mins walk. It’s only 5 miles to Stratford-upon-Avon, where you can visit Shakespeare’s birthplace. Did you know that Shakespeare only used 34,000 of the 175,000 words in the English language? We in VFR General Aviation use a maximum of 300 words in our RT calls, and commonly only around 75!
Cromer Northrepps is probably my favourite in this list. There is an active microlight and gyrocopter scene as well as more familiar SEP types. Being close to the sea, the local wind can be quite different to the prevailing wind, so it’s always a good idea to phone and ask. At 600m, the main runway (22) is adequate for many light aircraft, but the shorter cross runway (33) is a lot shorter at 300m. I once made a very short landing on 33 only to be advised that there was no discount for only using half the runway. There is no Avgas on site, but they have a Mogas bowser. The Cabin Crew diner is open weekends, run by the wife of ‘Smithy’, the resident microlight instructor. An inexpensive taxi journey will get you to Cromer sea-front for a walk on the beach, fish and chips or a posh sea-food lunch. The National Trust’s Felbrigg Hall is also a short taxi ride away.
Oxford – landing fee is around £20, a bit more than I like to pay, but fuel is reasonably priced and it has long opening hours. There are instrument approaches for IR pilots too. A short and inexpensive bus ride takes you into the City Centre: take in the atmosphere of the colleges, visit the Ashmolean Museum, indulge in afternoon tea at the Randolph Hotel, or go on an Inspector Morse tour.
Lydd – has nice long tarmac runways. I find the Biggles bar / restaurant a bit soul-less but the food is adequate. The circuit join is not conventional, but not difficult either – just read the plates before going. It is very close to Dungeness nuclear power station which is a restricted zone, though you are allowed to penetrate it (remaining 1.5 nm from the power station) when flying circuits. So again read the plate to check where you should be and what you can do. Whilst there a trip up and down the coast can be scenic, but avoid the Hythe and Lydd Ranges, which are marked danger areas.
75 – 100 nm
Northbound …..
Wickenby is, for many people their first trip northwards out of east Anglia. Routing there will take you past the Wash – scenic in itself – and probably through one of more MATZ’s. It is close to Scampton, so don’t stray into R313 where the Red Arrows practice. They use a standard overhead join which makes positioning for the circuit easy enough. It’s a very friendly place, with a small but well-run cafe and a patio to soak up the sunshine. The RAF Wickenby Memorial Collection on the first floor of the Control Tower is free to visit. It contains artefacts, photographs and documents from Wickenby’s war time period.
Destinations to the south at modest distances include…..
Goodwood which has several grass runways within the Goodwood motor racing track. It’s always worth calling as the surface can be soft after heavy rain. Reasons to go to Goodwood include racing (cars and horses!) itself, Goodwood stately home nearby and a number of nostalgia events like the Goodwood Revival and the Festival of Speed.
Shoreham, or Brighton City as they now call themselves, is very busy – so ensure your RT and look-out skills are top-notch. It’s not uncommon to be asked to orbit in the circuit – on downwind for example. On departure you can be stuck for ages at the hold due to the stream of landing traffic. The landing fee is pricy too, but at least the restaurant serves decent food. Shoreham opened in 1910, making it the oldest airport in the UK and it has a striking 1930s art-deco terminal building.
To reach either Goodwood or Shoreham, it’s important to plan well clear of the Gatwick Controlled Airspace. Get a service from Farnborough Radar to ensure you stay out of trouble. A route via the QE2 bridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells to Heathfield or Uckfield will do the trick. If you venture further west than Uckfield, or via the MAY VOR you are asking for trouble unless your navigation is super-accurate!
Calais – described in the International section.