Skegness Aerodrome.

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

It's over 10 years since the old Butlins Aerodrome at Skegness Lincolnshire ceased to be. (31 years now, 2024) I have many memories of flights out of the Aerodrome in its last few years of operation in its fleet of Cessna 150s G-ATYN, G-AZLH, G-BPAW. Also in, I think ex Gary Numan, C182.....reg' escapes me at present. My last flight out of Skegie was in G-BPAW on 7-2-93. Also had several enjoyable trips out in Austers G-AJEI and G-AHSO and one in G-AHCK, later burnt out and now on rebuild somewhere ?? Wonder if anyone else on the Forum has memories of this former Butlins airfield......or better still any pictures to post....?? Perhaps this should be on the General Aviation section ??.....but by my reckoning 10 years (31 years now 2024) since closure sadly brings it in the historic category...... Clive.

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Well......in the absence of any pictures .....I'll try to post one of the few I have of the old Aerodrome........
Pleasure flight Auster G-AHSO....Summer 1992.

Attachments

Member for

20 years 9 months

Posts: 333

Wow! - That really hit what i thought was a long dead nerve !

Just checked my old aircraft spotters note book when i saw
G-AHSO , and sure enough , my first EVER flight was in this aircraft !
Looks like it was 1977 according to some very scribbled notes, but i remember it being my first, because i nagged the pilot to death about what he was doing every minute of the flight.
I,m sure the Auster pilots broke every rule in the book about low flying ,as i used to see them literally at tree top height all the time i was there throughout the seventies.
It seemed to make perfect sense to me at the time though, because the Phantoms, Lightnings and F111's (as well as the occassional night-time Vulcans!) always seemed to be taking care of what seemed to be the 100 - 500ft corridor !.
Ah! happy days. Thanks for the photo !

Member for

21 years

Posts: 1,746

According to the 2002 VFR Flight Guide the airfield is still open but on request only. Two grass strips 540m & 755m. I found this entry in Bagby Aero Clubs site. See:-
http://www.nybc.co.uk/landings.htm#Skegness
mmitch.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Yes, Light Aviation is still served in Skegness via the airfield at the Water Leisure Park of Walls Lane Ingoldmells Skegness. This will be the ref' you have found on the Bagby Website....This site is South of the old Butlins Aerodrome site.

The old aerodrome is now home to a medical centre I believe. All traces of its former life were swept away with undue haste soon after closure in 1993.

Looking through some of the few photos I have of the old Aerodrome I find the one attached here showing, now sadly late, Peter Wilkes refuelling G-AHSO at Skegness in Summer 1992.

Pleased the previous picture brought back memories of a first flight.....likewise my first flight was at Skegness in an Auster too. I didn't keep notes ......I suspect it was in G-AHSO but it could have been in G-AHAL also operated.
In those days at least 2 Austers were running to the Clock Tower and back all day long...... large numbers of the East Midlands holidaymakers visiting Skegness must have had their first flight in a Skegness Air Taxi Service Ltd Auster.....

G-AHAL, G-AHSO and G-AJEI were sold .....the latter 2 to Pat Miller.....G-AHCK briefly replaced them for 1991 but was damaged beyond use in an arson attack.....and at the time of my photos G-AHSO was being hired back for pleasure flying.....note the red wheel and tank fitted that I suspect were from G-AHCK (well, they are visible as red on the originals, Sorry !!)....Note also that the aircraft is fitted for banner tow work...

The C182 I mentioned in my previous post was G-AXNX

The Austers must feature in hundreds of holiday snaps.....hoping some may surface soon..........

All the best,
Clive.

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

More searching through photos .....I have found this one of the old Skegness Aerodrome....Looking left (South) as we run downwind for 11 in Auster G-AHCK piloted by David Coulson.....
I don't have the date to hand but recall it was during a fly-in Summer 1991

Photo copyright A. Hall.

Regards,
Clive

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

And another........

G-AHCK Finals 11 Skegness.....

Attachments

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 5,237

Was the Gary Numan 182 GAXNX sorry if wrong:confused: :D Anna

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Yes,.....G-AXNX
I recall it went rather well but was a bit tatty.....

Went on a trip out in it once from Skeggy.....Which included finding a cloud and flying into it......I was just an innocent pasenger ...and was not too sure how good this idea was.....?????!!!!
Expecting a Tornado F3 driver to be having the same fun from the other side of the same cloud ......!!!!!!

Clive.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 5,237

Yes it is good fun in cloud I like the feeling of whats going to appear next . We all must be slightly mad.;) :D :D Anna

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 8,505

Shame it closed, a picturesque little field.

Love the air to ground photos

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Yes....It was a great shame.....A lot of work had gone on including leasing a next door field to give a new longer North/South Runway...New classrooms had been built, a second hanger was on site albeit in need of a lot of work.
At the last minute a plan to save the Aerodrome was hatched.....I think it involved the operators of the Leavesdon Flight Centre.....??
Sadly this was not to be an option as I suspect deals had already been done to find a new use for the Aerodrome site.

The Cessna 150s G-ATYN, G-AZLH, G-BPAW were ferried out under the ownership of Magnificent Obsessions....G-BPGB ferried out by lorry..
G-AZLH later returned to be operated by David Coulson out of his home strip at Croft, South of Skegness, and has now joined his operation at Cranfield.
The 2 PA23 Apaches G-ARJT, G-ARCW were I think towed via filling in a dyke across to the new strip at the Water Leisure Park.

Last resident to leave by air was I think Jack Allens Auster 5 G-APAF, TW511....or was it G-AGXN as last out.... ???

Then the bulldozer moved in.....couple of photos attached from late Spring 1993.

Still hoping someone may pull some photos from their archives

Clive.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

And the Bulldozer..........

Attachments

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 5,237

SO THE END? Anna;)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

SO THE END.......???

To my lone postings.............???

Or to the Aerodrome...........???!!!!!!!!

Clive......;)

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 5,237

G6 hyf
Hi what do you do at this moment in time? Do you fly ? What is Gary up to at the moment? Is he still flying? Anna;) :D

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Just when you thought I had run out of photos......!!

And I still vainly hope that someone may post others of Skeggy ....or of former Skegness aircraft now.....perhaps....??

Here is a little "pretender"....visiting Skegness in 1991.

Clive.

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 19

Skegness Aerodrome

Hi

As a matter of interest, the following are Airfields / Airstrips in the Skegness area, that are open.

If you post a memo on airfields-uk-ireland forum or enquire at the Airfield Research Group website ( contact Ray Towler ) they might be able to provide more info.

Regards Martin Burney

Croft at grid ref TF510610 or Lat / Long N5308-E00015

Clough Farm, Croft at grid ref TF551584 or Lat / Long N5306-E00019

Poplar Farm, Croft at grid ref TF507608 or Lat / Long N5307-E00015

Ashley's Field, Hogsthorpe at grid ref TP500715 or Lat / Long N5313-E00016

Ingoldmills at grid ref TF563677 or Lat / Long N5311-E00020

Burgh Road, Skegness at grid ref TF558668 or Lat / Long N5310-E00019

Wainfleet at grid ref TF522570 or Lat / Long N5305-E00014

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Martin,
Thank you for the info on the Airfields-UK-Ireland Forum....

I am curious to know of the source of the list of Airstrips that you posted......

It seems to contain several mis-matches of Grid Ref v' Lat' and Long'

I think that the Croft and Poplar Farm entries may be one and the same....the grid refs put them close but then the lat/long separates them....??
Poplar Farm is a Private Strip.....as is Clough Farm.

Ashleys Field is sometimes refered to as "Sloothby International" and takes its name from the late "Big Jim" Ashley-Rogers who established it during his ownership of G-BIHI....again it is a Private Strip.

The Ingoldmells grid ref' fits the Old Butlins Airfield..... closed in 1993 ....

Puzzled by Burgh Road as its grid ref fits the Southern tip of the current Skegness Airfield .....that is within the Skegness Water Leisure Park (Walls Lane, Ingoldmells, Skegness)....

And Wainfleet...... could that be the Helipad at the Bombing Range ......?????

Thank you for your interest,
Clive.

Member for

17 years

Posts: 2

I have many happy memories as a young boy flying with my father in Austers from Skegness airfield.

We visited relations in Boston each year in the summer and usually had a day out in Skegness, which included a visit to Butlins and a pleasure flight in one of the Austers. I remember G-AHAL and G-AIBH as being based there at the time.

These Austers alternated between pleasure flying at Skegness and crop spraying from Boston airfield, another favourite haunt for my father and myself.

My father was a keen cine photographer during his lifetime and has many films of these Austers flying in both roles.

A number of years ago I flew my parents into Boston airfield, once again to visit our relations. It was interesting after all the years to finally fly in ourselves after having visited the aerodrome so many times in my youth.

Additionally, in the early '90s, I flew to Skegness airfield with my wife and daughter to one of their fly-ins. Auster J1-N Alpha (G-AIBH, I think) still giving pleasure flights, but I also met up with Dave Coulson the CFI. Dave taught me to fly at Sherburn in the 1978 and I had not seen him for more than 15 years.

Sad that the airfield closed, but at least I have my memories and my father's cine films are now safely stored in the Yorkshire Film Archive in York.

Cheers

Dodgy Pilot

Member for

20 years

Posts: 406

Blimey what a blast from the past.
Skeggie airfield was my childhood playground.
my grand parents Had a caravan on the site at the back of the hanger.
spent the 70's summers spent at the fence of that airfield , happy times , not was mainly when i was told off for something i would wander off crying to the airfield fence and be cheered up by seeng the aircraft . was they not a F104 at the base once and a few other old jets over time stuck around the place,.