Welcome to Fly Llanbedr

25th May 2018. Included below, is our latest Fly Llanbedr newsletter

Fly Llanbedr newsletter

This is our last newsletter, unfortunately.

Why we are producing the newsletter

We are reviewing our mailing list in relation to the new GDPR rules.

As we did not ask for explicit consent to contact you (we asked people to opt out, rather than to opt in) we can only use people’s contact details where there is, or has been a business relationship.  If you want us to retain your details for possible future contact, simply reply to this email.

Why would you want to do that? For example, we may be asked to pass on information about new airfield activities, or new flying opportunities.

Why we closed

In 2016, our instructor said he’d put together a group to make a bid for a replacement air training organisation.  Without his support, we could not continue, particularly as having two companies competing for the limited amount of business would have made both non-viable, so we negotiated the termination of our lease and closure of our café.  As it turns out, that venture did not get off the ground (literally), so the training and air experience flights ceased from Llanbedr airfield. That’s a pity, as it was great fun and brought a lot of visitors to the area. Since then a new fly/ing school has arrived, Snowdonia Flight School. 

Memories

Having said that, we will look back on the time with fond memories.  We received lots of positive messages when we were there, along with lots of photographs from pilots and air experience passengers alike.

If you have any pictures you want to share, let us have them (via email), and we’ll select the most interesting to put on our web site, which we will keep open for a couple of years to allow people to remember their experiences.  Please include captions or explanations to accompany them.

Our thanks

We’d like to offer our thanks to all those who helped with the company over the years, with some particular mentions below.  If we’ve missed you or someone you know, then “sorry”, but drop us a line and we will correct this on our web site.

A regular helper, airfield historian, and decorator, Ian Bache, was always ready to help and to impart and enlarge his knowledge.  Without him, our premises would have not been as attractive, and many of our weekend operations would have had to be curtailed.

Our company administrator, Cerian was a reliable and willing member of staff, who always promoted the company and went out of her way to help get things done, so thanks are due to her.

When our café was open, we managed to get a good reputation for its quality.  Steph Woods and Jane Davies were the most prominent people here, with numerous temporary helpers, so big thanks are due here.

Regular gate-keepers and general helpers Brian Gowland and Gwynli Jones made a big difference to the weekends too; Brian is also hoping to start (or has started) a new social group.

An early visitor, Leia Fee, produced a great article for Flyer magazine, promoting the beauty of flying around Wales, and giving a good write-up of Llanbedr as a GA (general aviation) destination.  Hopefully it will become so again in the future.

We also enjoyed several guest speakers, including topics such as life as an airline pilot, or simply showing amazing photographs.  Thanks to them too.

There were also countless friends, families and local people who helped turn the building into its current state, so thanks to them too - you know who you are.

Our students and those taking air experience flights were the reason for existing - thanks to all of you too.

And last for this list, but not least, is Jason Coleman, who was a fantastic help in ensuring the airfield was open as much as practical, ensuring fuel was available, and generally helping us and visiting pilots who needed assistance.

And finally..

So whilst it’s a shame that this may be our last newsletter, we achieved our aim of opening up Llanbedr to GA, whilst having a great time, and hope that sometime in the future, another quality operation replaces us.

For those interested in our planes, the Cessna G-ATNL is flying in Ireland, and Piper G-DLTR (now called G-SROY) has returned to Biggin Hill, coincidentally in the hanger next to where it spent much of its early life.

Please let us know if you want to remain on our mailing list - it will never be sold!

Thanks and best wishes to all,

Mike