I’ve been on my tour of England for a couple weeks now and I’ve noticed some interesting things compared to the US.
Closed airports - I’ve been flying around and noticed large airports on the ground that were not showing in my navigation system. Those drove me crazy as I thought something was wrong with the sim. Other airports do show up in the navi system but when I cross reference they come up closed. I’ve had to make a few alternates.
Lack of airports around small to medium sized towns.
Airport’s without lighting - Had to find alternates a few times there as well.
Grass strips seem to be really common or grass parking at airports with paved runways.
Re closed airports. The UK was like one big aircraft carrier in WW2. Many airfields were hurriedly built and later closed when hostilities ceased. And over the decades, defence cuts have continued to see the erosion of the RAF into a shadow of what it was even in the post war decades of the 20th century. This has led to further large airfields closing.
Lack of airfields around small and medium towns? Think of how small the UK is in comparison with North America. Towns are close together, and the rail network was the staple for transportation for a long time too. Aviation as transportation between small distances was not as viable as ground based, established alternates.
Grass strips? Yes, the UK has had a rich general aviation history. Great aircraft of the past such as Beagles, Austers, and many more, did not often fly from tarmac.
The threat during WW2 came predominantly from the East and the South - Scandinavia, Germany and France - so the abundance of bases were in those areas. Russia was our “friend” back then. All the way down the East Coast, from Scotland travelling South, is littered with disused military airfields, some of which have become regional airports eg Inverness, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford, Teeside, Humberside, Norwich.
KJKerr is absolutely right. When I joined the RAF in 1963 it was around 200,00 strong but already reducing. Now, less than 40,000.
There are lots of old airfields that are no longer used. Many built on or used for other purposes. Quite a few now racing circuits.
Some are used for car storage or other bulk storage.
As they aren’t official airports anymore they will not appear in the nav system. But you can still land there.
BTW there are still plenty of active airbases but they ten to be towards the east of the country.
I live in Dorset and there are quite a few disused airfields within short flying distance. These were built to defend the coast and channel airspace from Luftwaffe aircraft heading north from north western France.
This is a screenshot of my Google Map. It’s every payware airport in England along with every freeware handmade airport/airfield I deem good enough quality to download.
Blue are cmmercial airports, the greenish icon is GA and small private use airfields/aerodromes.
There is an abundance of airfields in the south but it gets scarxer further north. Actually two more southerly airfields have just been released that I don’t have yet, Fair Oaks and Denham, so the south looks even more crowded than this.
There’s no love for Wales, Cardiff by UK2000 has been the only payware released specifically for this sim, Orbx’s Canaervan being a port from an old sim.
Decent coverage in the Glasgow and Edinburgh area, in fact Pyreegue’s Glasgow and Edinburgh are hands down two of the finest airports available for MSFS. Beyond that though it’s a bit scarce. Orbx did Sumburgh and Dundee ports from old sims, UK2000 did Inverness, the others are freeware airfields.
Still far better treatment than Wales and East England though.
Thank you for adding the Scottish contingent. There are still more freeware airports for many parts of the mainland and islands. Flightsim.to has most of them to my knowledge, and you can use their map to find them. Thanks again for pointing simmers to the UK possibilities.
Actually as I own every single payware scenery and fly almost exclusively in the UK I’m probably in a good position to rate the best airports and developers.
For England Pilot Plus are the best for airports by far imo, with Burning Blue Design heading the pack for smaller airfields and aerodromes. I’ll rate my favourites below
England
Liverpool John Lennon by Digital Design, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this airport, it’s literally the gateway to everywhere, brilliantly detailed and even though I live in Devon, the airport I most enjoy flying in and out of.
Oxford Kidlington by Pilot Plus - This little private commerical airport is beautiful, Oxford and Blenheim Palace are nearby, as are the Cotwalds, and a stunning freeware Silverstone race track add on. It has amazing building textures and I love flying here.
Bristol by Pilot Plus - Incredible detail, I’ve gone on holiday from here many times, and the terminal interiror is spot on.
Newcastle by Orbx - My favourite Orbx UK airport. Very well done, and if you have Great Britain Central then Newcastle itself looks superb with the Millenium bridge and swing bridge added, Sage Gatheshead and other iconic buildings in the city
Exeter Airport - This is freeware by Superspud, it’s my local airport and he’s done an incredible job.
Airfield/Aerodromes. Burning Blue Design dominate this space
Popham - Fantastic little rural location, so detailed you can read the prices of petrol at the two stations (and weep at much they risen in the year since this came out!)
Bodmin - tiny airfield in Cornwall but meticulously detailed. Probably the airfield I fly to the most.
Canearvan - This is tiny rural airfield by Orbx in Wales, its full of rustic charm and spectacular scenery nearby.
Lydd, another great little private commericial airport by BBD on the east coast of England. Great for hopping over to Brussels or Amsterdam.
Headcorn /White Waltham /Southend/Wycombe Airpark - hard to separate these four airfields, all of them well worth the money and a joy to explore.
Just off the mainland but awesome.
Scilly Isles by Superspud. This freeware is the best freeware scenery I’ve ever downloaded. It’s not just the airport of St Mary’s but he’s add POI’s and landmarks across all the islands, created watermasks and even put the real Scillonian ferry in Hugh Town harbour. Absolute must visit location.
Alderney by Boundless Simulations - This is a tiny island in the Channel Isle with a great wartime history. Boundless, recreated the whole island with the best watermasks I’ve seen. built all the major forts from World War 2 and added in all essential buildings like the famous Gilbert Scott designed church, the long harbour wall, lighthouse etc. If you have VR this is one to get out and have a walkabout to for sure.
I left the Army in the mid 1970s, and at the start of my army career my weapons instructor (and parachute instructor) had been one Bob Acraman (pic attached). Complete nutter, daredevil type, mad as a four-speed walking stick. I’d been an Air Despatcher, which is what got me into flying.
When I left, I settled near Popham, and on the local news was Bob,who’d opened a holiday camp at the airfield. No ordinary holiday camp, though. You became a POW in an SS camp, with German guards, barbed wire and everything.
