Advice wanted on renting an airfield (commercial venture)

Hi there.

I have had the idea for some time now to rent an air field out and use it as a lorry park.
I had this idea before they used that airfield in Kent as a lorry park for operation stack.
I know of some air fields that are rented out as race tracks and car lots.
I was told if ever the country went to war all of it would have to be off within 24hrs though.
I would need hard standing ground for about 100 trucks and a few porter cabins.

But finding airfiels for rent or finding unused air fields is the difficult bit.
So that is my question for this board, how do I go about finding myself an airfield to rent for long term use.

And do they all belong to the RAF or are most of them private.
And do they usually have mains electric, water and sewerage or self contained

Thanks
Jimmy B

The Greenham Common Trust have done something very similar, though primarily with cars and turning the buildings to other uses. Maybe they can offer some guidance?

Jimmy.B;163161 wrote:

Hi there.

I have had the idea for some time now to rent an air field out and use it as a lorry park.
I had this idea before they used that airfield in Kent as a lorry park for operation stack.
I know of some air fields that are rented out as race tracks and car lots.
I was told if ever the country went to war all of it would have to be off within 24hrs though.
I would need hard standing ground for about 100 trucks and a few porter cabins.

But finding airfiels for rent or finding unused air fields is the difficult bit.
So that is my question for this board, how do I go about finding myself an airfield to rent for long term use.

And do they all belong to the RAF or are most of them private.
And do they usually have mains electric, water and sewerage or self contained

Thanks
Jimmy B

Jimmy: In what part of the world do you want the airfield to be?

A lot of ex airfields are now farmland, or part of, so you may find a farmer willing to rent some of the hardstandings/taxiways out to you.
On another note, if we ever went to 'war' in a sense that the MOD wanted old AM land back, they would probably want you to FILL it within 24 hours to prevent any other nation using it!
Our tiny little amounts of Army, FAA and RAF aircraft could all use about 3 airfields in the UK and still operate at under max capacity. We barely have anything to put there.

I guess the US would want to use them for their 10 million aircraft though.

IanDDavidson;163164 wrote:

The Greenham Common Trust have done something very similar, though primarily with cars and turning the buildings to other uses. Maybe they can offer some guidance?

I looked at there web site and it would appear they are a charity of some description
Do you have any further information on this please and which airfields they hire

WJT;163165 wrote:

Jimmy: In what part of the world do you want the airfield to be?

South East of England; near a motorway or main trunk road

Engimaneer;163180 wrote:

A lot of ex airfields are now farmland, or part of, so you may find a farmer willing to rent some of the hardstandings/taxiways out to you.
On another note, if we ever went to 'war' in a sense that the MOD wanted old AM land back, they would probably want you to FILL it within 24 hours to prevent any other nation using it!
Our tiny little amounts of Army, FAA and RAF aircraft could all use about 3 airfields in the UK and still operate at under max capacity. We barely have anything to put there.

I guess the US would want to use them for their 10 million aircraft though.

I can not remember the airfield I was at when I was told this.
But from what your saying; our airfields are history and in the hands of private owner ship
I can't see a farmer having much use for an airfield though.
If they are historical then finding where these site are would probably be in some history book
Maybe the library would have a book on airfield sites like what was used during WW2

i know that Bill Kemball who now owns what was Bentwaters airfield rents out bits of it . he might be worth a call

Peter wrote:

There are very few airfields in the South East* that would fit that bill as you will most likely be looking at an ex WW2 bomber station or ex RAF permanent station. There are only two real contenders and I think they are still in use.

* I assume you mean Kent, Surrey & Sussex rather than the SE quarter of the UK?

Peter I don't rely know that much about the RAF and what they do (unlike you guys)
But I googled Bomber station and Permanent station and I got this off wikipedia

List of former Royal Air Force stations
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Royal_Air_Force_stations

List of Royal Air Force stations
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_stations

Am I onto some thing now; are all the x-stations all hard standing ground that may be what I want?
Are all the royal air force stations (in second link) in daily usage?

Jimmy.B;163218 wrote:

List of former Royal Air Force stations
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Royal_Air_Force_stations

While I was having a quick look tonight I found this one ''Bottisham airfield'' in Cambridgeshire
It is right next to the A14 and is a perfect location for what I need

Google tells me Bottisham airfield now belongs to the Bottisham Airfield Museum
www.bottishamairfieldmuseum.org.uk/

Hear are the cordinates from the wiki link
www.google.co.uk/maps/place/52%C2%B012%2...b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0
But looking at the google earth it is hard to tell what is agricultural land and what is concrete/ tarmac
If the whole area is still an old airfield and not been dug up for farm land then its a big site

Jimmy.B;163232 wrote:

But looking at the google earth it is hard to tell what is agricultural land and what is concrete/ tarmac

Really?