Pilot reviews of Bagby Airfield

“Not realy the place to put comments but the comment from Mike is typical of the high handed attitude and the lack of thought that is received from Bagby. As for spelling well grow up this is flying not spelling. Read Pooleys and the AFE guide show me where it says near Bagby, infact it says dont overfly which we didnt. As their website says no overhead joins then I think this should be in the guide as it is for other fields. Lets keep it real about other people and be VERY honest in the reviews about the airfields as I was being. Hope you enjoyment of personal critisism finds a better outlet rather than the more serious matter of flying. Please feel free to mail me on here to discuss.”

“Things may have changed at Bagby since the new owners came, but one thing hasn't - you don't overfly, you don't go near the village. I visit Bagby regularly for food, engineering and fuel and have always found that the advice given on the RT to be timely and helpful. The guide I use clearly shows the area to avoid and as such implies to me that overhead flying should be avoided as you will already be too close to the village. If the person in the tower loses sight of you, you will be called as you're about to fly over the village !! Also helps if a spellchecker is used prior to posting ;-)”

“Probably the least enjoyable place I have atempted to fly to. Read my 2000 Pooley guide and my 2008 AFE VFR guide and followed them to the letter. Called Bagby radio 3 times to no avail so crossed overhead (avoiding any and all habitation including Bagby itself) to view the field and windsock/square prior to deciding if an approach/landing was safe or possible. I was greeted by a nasty and most unhelpfull man on the radio accusing me of overflying Bagby(he didnt want to speak to offer air to ground services but quick to offer abuse). I fly from Sherburn and learned there and am therefore very aware of the problems and lets be honest Bagby isnt special in having difficult neighbours. I have mailed Bagby and phoned since to complain and was told whoever it was on the radio should not have been on it. Lets be honest Bagby is unlicenced and as such will be by defination very relaxed but it was the worst experience I have ever had since I started to fly. Thanks to the airfield management for the appology but I real dont think Ill open myself or indeed my stunned passengers to such a place again. Lock you radio mike away and for Gods sake get the info from your website into the guides and make the field PPR all the time and maybe then less problems would be encountered. Here is hoping someone listens and maybe the feedback from me could be good. (I flew in from Beverley and they were great) Adrian”

“Controvesy abounds ! Bagby is up there as possibly my favorite Yorkshire airfield after my home base. I have never had anything but polite and helpful comments from any staff there. Certainly I have been advised of alternative tactics on a couple of occasions that I may not necessarily agreed with. But then I reckon the local guys do know best. The welcome from the locals is warm and interested. The food at the sirfield is generally snacks - possibly because i tend not to go weekends at meal times. But there is always coffee and a fridge full of chilled mars bars. The runway is in excellent condition and the A/G staff are helpful. A definite venue to visit”

“Just revalidated my SEP rating here with 'Flying Sloutions'. They offer a no-nonsense and practical approach to training - easing me into another two years of GA flying!

Their rates are very competitive (esp compared to Durham) and I personally will be looking to base my recreational flying at Bagby from now on. Recommended.

”

“Any GA pilot looking for Jet A1 or Avgas recommended to visit Bagby for a quick and friendly turnaround.

James Townshend Pilot N836TP.

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“Just thought I would add my perception of Bagby in order to add balance to the perhaps one-sided comments by previous contributors. Coincidentally I also visited the airfield on 20 August and in contrast found the owner nothing but helpful. Any guidance offered was reflective of the essential need to maintain a good neighbourly posture with his fellow, not necessarily as GA-minded, villagers; lets not see another airfield closure ! On positioning for RW 33, I considered his reminder to me not to overfly the village as a timely reminder and not a personal slight on my airmanship. Anything I asked for was made available; fuel was very reasonably priced and it was a delight to taxi onto anchored pre-prepared tie-down points and be on my way soon after landing. In addition, the coffee machine depenses perfectly agreeable beverages although perhaps not quite as good as the beer pumps ! If the owner appeared a little brash, perhaps it was down to the fact that last weekend offered the best flying conditions of the year and he was, by default, very busy. Also, like me, he is a Yorkshireman and I am afraid we tend to be rather direct by nature. ”

“I'm reading with interest the recent comments published by visiting pilots. It's amazing how people can turn around their errors and ignorance to cover up their lack of professional abilty. As I am very well aware, every single pilot who either operates from Bagby or visits is an expert in how to do it best, and certainly better than I am able! Put simply, they do not have a remote clue about the difficulty in running such an operation -- I'm simply not in it for the money; without my military pension I couldn't afford to keep the place open! The rules and procedures are published and are there for very good reasons. Indeed, your opening pages of Bagby reflects this very well. It's just a shame that a minority of pilots do not appreciate that. It is a small but vocal minority and I am very pleased to report that I have far more comments of praise than criticism. As for the supposed aero club web site mentioned in one reply, it was outlawed by the aero club committee publicly a long time ago and merely reflects the rantings of a disaffectioned ex-member. The internet can be a very useful and interesting tool but it can also give a voice without the accountablity.”

“John, I was interested to read of your unfortunate experience at Bagby as I had a similar one earlier in the year. I had dropped in for my first visit with three friends and to pick up fuel. I had not received any reply on the radio going in but after shut down we received our “welcome.” Apparently, we had not parked on the correct piece of grass so received a “lecture” from this ill-mannered individual. The place was quiet and there were no other aircraft movements. He took our landing fee and we left straight after without further communication or appreciating the surroundings. The old coffee machine on offer did not appeal by then. Within thirty minutes we landed at Sherburn and what a difference! Freshly made tea and a friendly welcome. We were told that “bollickings” were a regular occurrence at Bagby. Check out the Bagby Aero Club Newsletter and see what the residents have to put up with. After re-fuelling we headed home. We will never go back!”

“Flew into Bagby from Scotland only to be greeted by a miserable man who was not helpful in the least. Departed as per Pooleys to avoid Bagby village and was then subjected to ranting and raving over the radio from the same helpful man who had made no attempt to communicate any special avoidance request, it was not busy. (When flying I do try to have some idea where I am it does help!!!!! )

I fly from a grass farm strip and a GA airfield both of which are subject to noise abatement and am very aware of such problems. To finish, take a course in people communication and get a pair of glasses!

”

“Gary mentions following the A64 to find Bagby, for the avoidance of confusion and a pile of GA in Scarborough, it's the A19 you would follow and beware of Topcliffe Aerodrome to the east by a very few miles.”

“Visited Bagby several times this summer - currently my favourite destination for a short trip away from base. The main runway (06/24) is quite challenging for a low hours pilot such as myself. It is narrower than I'm used to and has quite a severe slope (uphill on 06). Pooley's quotes 2.5% for the slope, but I think that’s an average - the first half is very steep indeed, then it levels out around the 'apron', then uphill again towards the eastern end. The slope makes it very easy to get too low on the approach and there's a main road close to the threshold so care is needed. Except in quite heavy wind, 06 is used for arrivals and 24 for departure. The parking area is mid-runway and you may be directed to park on either side, depending how busy they are. Fuel, if required, is dispensed at the left hand side of the main clubhouse building, north of the runway. Once on the ground, you couldn't hope for a more friendly location. Benches outside the clubhouse (south facing) are usually filled with local flyers happy to chat and give advice to visiting pilots. Drinks and food are available inside, although I must confess to not having tried the latter yet. The landing fee is very reasonable (can't remember the exact amount) and fuel is cheap too. Departure from runway 24 is "interesting". After the first 200m there is a steep drop, so it feels like you're flying off the edge of a cliff. I've never yet managed to do a good take-off here - always seem to do 2 or 3 hops over the uneven ground before finally getting airborne. Just be aware that it isn't possible to see the opposite end of the runway from either threshold, so good RT awareness is vital at all times, especially with the dual-direction of arrivals and departures. The A/G radio operators are very helpful with things. When I last visited, there was a guy practising aeros in the overhead in a CAP232. Other movements seem to be mainly microlights, but there are a few SEP's based on the field too. Other points... Beware of gliders operating from Sutton Bank, on the hills 4nm to the east. These hills are also useful in finding Bagby as there's a large white figure (horse, I think) carved into the hillside just east of the airfield. If all other navigation fails, simply follow the A64, which runs just past the field (visible in the photo). All in all, a very pleasant field to visit. The runway looks intimidating the first time, but if you're well prepared (call them for advice), you should have no problems and a very enjoyable visit. ”