Pilot reviews of Headcorn Airfield

“It is a very laid back airfield,although very active, it seems to be run well. This was my first visit here, I did struggle a bit to see the actual airfield, but having a railway nearby did help!!”

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“Flew over to Headcorn (Lashendon) in the Jodel 1050 the other day. Headcorn is a perfect taildragger destination as there are normally a few in use on a busy day courtesy of the Tiger Club who are based there and some of the resident aircraft.

I always find Headcorn very hard to spot and a good plan (apart from GPS!) is to aim for the railway to the East or West of the airfield and find your way into the circuit from there. Accidently arriving in the overhead is a very bad idea as there will almost certainly be parachuting going on. Also aeros take place over the airfield and model aircraft flying is carried out on the site. A phone call before setting out for a briefing on activity is best.

The taxiway is pretty uneven so some care is required, however the licensed strip is a good length. Seems to be open until dusk (but don't take my word for it!).

Uplift of 40 litres of avgas means no landing fee and there is a small museum at the airfeld.

A very informal atmosphere, plenty going on and decent facilties makes Headcorn worth a visit.

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“Headcorn: March 25th.

Really struggled to spot the field and was almost overhead by the time I did. Having read the other reviews was aware of the white markers and the meat bombers. The A/G was very laid back.

On the ground it is a delightful place to visit. Packed with people watching the parachutists and the Tiger Moths - the whole thing has a real country fair air about it. Great sausage baguettes ... and the promise of fresh lamb for sale alongside the landing fees in the near future.

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“Went into Headcorn (or is it Lashenden?) on 7th September and enjoyed the visit. Like others have said watch out for the "meat bomber", they drop from up to 12000 ft but the A/G guy will let you know when they're dropping. Excellent tuna bap in the cafe but the facilities do look a bit run down. However it is a busy field and some of the taxiways are, shall we say, not too smooth.”

“Visited Lashenden/Headcorn on 10-7-05. On approach spent some time thinking white runway markers were centerline markers. They were in fact edge markers and if you approach from the West(heading East) these runway edge markings appear to diverge rather than converge the further ahead you look. Maybe they are portable markers and were laid poorly the day I came. The place itself was good; a free 'bits and pieces' museum with two complete aeroplanes (Mystere IV and Super Sabre). They also have a piloted V1. Aircraft movements continue during para drops. Will visit again.”

“An amazingly busy airfield with a real buzz about it! Aerobatics and parachuting, not to mention model aircraft flying nearby all going on when we flew in on 29/5/05.

All the activity means overhead arrivals and departures are not encouraged.

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“Filed flight plan week last Sunday for France. Controller very helpful even though incredibly busy. Food good and staff friendly, although the lady in the canteen en-route home (Thurs 5/5/5) might have smiled a little more! Hope you're feeling better now.....:)”

“Started a PPL course at Headcorn (Lashenden) last June after a trial flight and am towards the end of my course now. After visiting a few airfields I chose Headcorn for its friendly feel. Let me promise you that first impressions were absolutely spot on! This is a special place to be either as a resident pilot or a visitor. Amature aerobatics displays are the norm most weekends and they can be very impressive. Fly-bys by Mustangs and the resident Yaks are commonplace. A very easy place to feel at home. You will not regret visiting Headcorn even if it is only for a sausage baguette served by an attractive waitress. Keep a good lookout on finals as the paraschute drop-zone is close to the runway. Also the "Tiger Club" with thier Moths and Turbulents invent thier own circuit patterns and are worth watching out for. Hope to see you soon.”

“Paid Headcorn a visit on Sunday.... ( 18/01/04 ) as a direct result of see the four lads training to be Spit pilots on C4...... well , well worth it , but I do have to say a big sorry to you all at Headcorn....... for making my initial call to " Lashenden ".......oooops........ !!
Great welcome, great ( and cheap ) food....and so much to see..... Keep up the good work Headcorn.......

From G-AWBC ”

“I dropped into Leicester on Wednesday courtesy of a flying mag "freebie". I had phoned beforehand and was warned that the Tower might not be manned and it wasn't. However "Golf Echo" gave me the QFE and runway in use and I made a safe arrival. It was surprisingly quiet with only the joy-flying Tiger Moth doing much flying. However the cafe was open and that was busy and the food was good. Plenty of runways but some are quite short. All in all a pleasant trip.”

“I visited Headcorn (Lashenden) on 4 th & 5th August for a 'tail dragger' course with the Tiger Club.
Having not visited it for years, it appeared to be as friendly as ever. The airfield is easy to find being just to the west of the main railway line from Tonbridge to Ashford. There is a good café on the field and there are pubs within a short distance serving good 'pub grub'. Headcorn attracts a lot of interesting visiting aircraft as well as the interesting resident aircraft.
Check with Headcorn radio before approaching the field due to the intensive parachuting/skydiving activities most days of the week.
It is well worth a visit”