[jhb] Re: Andreas
- From: "Fossil" <fossil@xxxxxxx>
- To: <jhb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:42:40 +0100
Andreas was essentially derelict from the 1960's onwards. It was not used as
an airfield for a long time despite Lionel trying to attract customers. Some
of us had permission to fly in during the 1970's but I only tried it once -
the surface was terrible. It wasn't just grass growing through the concrete,
it had wheel size holes in the surface and FOD lying all over the place.
It was only the gliding/microlight activity that kicked it into action and
they had to tidy up the surface runway themselves. The hangars are indeed
cheapo affairs and the clubhouse an old Portakabin. My photos of that period
show Andreas in a very bad state and more farmland than airfield. It seems
not to have changed much but I doubt anyone is going to fork out for
bringing it up to even reasonable condition.
Manx Flyers had a ban on the place after they had to replace two props badly
dented by the loose surface.
bones
bones@xxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Gerry Winskill
Sent: 18 October 2009 09:25
To: JHB Restricted
Subject: [jhb] Andreas
I mentioned earlier, I think, that I couldn't get access to Andreas, so
that Tony Meredith might do a more accurate version. Well, yesterday I
got in. The announcement, last week, that there was to be a landing at
Jurby was wrong. It was in fact the arrival at Andreas of a locally
funded Kodiak; a present to a Missionary Organisation.
Having got in, ostensibly as being interested in the mission, I was
quite shocked at how different it is from the GE based version that I
did, a couple of years ago, and the more recent Tony Meredith version.
The shock started with the hangars, which are just a couple of small
plastic sheet over hoops type. Rather like an overgrown Nissen hut.
Next was how little of the rest of the field can be seen, from the
hangar area. Most of the total area is covered in cereal crops, with
scrub thrown in, to limit sightlines.
The old disused runway section used as the visitors' apron is tiny and
has scrub on one side and what look like a collection of scrap vehicles
on the other. One of these is the fuel bowser!
The derelict WWII Control Tower isn't, now, even in the same fields.
It was only thinking about it after arriving home that I realised it was
my expectation that was wrong. If thought of as a farm strip whose
runways just happen to be clapped out tarmac, then that gives a better
appreciation of the place.
Unfortunately, most design problems don't do dereliction!
Gerry Winskill
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