Fly Past

(Rick Simeone) #1

difficult to acquire important
retired military airframes from the
government. Even the number of
people attending airshows, surely a
barometer for the health of aviation,
is falling significantly.
The decline was noticed in
Westminster and a concerned
group of MPs, led by Grant Shapps
and Byron Davies, decided to
investigate. It led to the formation
of an All-Party Parliamentary
Group (APPG) on General Aviation
with Shapps elected as chairman.
Although APPGs have no formal
power, their activities are taken
seriously at the highest level of
government and carry considerable
influence. Group members can
ask parliamentary questions, put
forward private members’ bills or
recommend changes to legislation in
support of their cause.
An early aim of the APPG on
General Aviation was to seek


protection for the 82 licensed or
certificated aerodromes in the UK
where safeguards weren’t in place.
Clearly, having a good network
of airfields is vital for aviation’s
long-term health, but unprotected
airfields are ripe for redevelopment,
often having ‘brownfield’ status
that makes obtaining planning
permission for new housing
relatively simple. The APPG has
campaigned tirelessly on behalf of
GA airfields – at risk or otherwise –
and real progress is being made.
At the end of 2016, Dr Robert
Pleming, well-known for his
excellent work in leading the Vulcan
to the Sky Trust team and now
Chairman of Aviation Heritage UK,
approached Sir Gerald Howarth
with the observation that while
railway and maritime heritage
each had their own APPG, there
was none for historic aviation.
Given the existence of the GA

APPG, it was most appropriate to
create a sub-committee to examine
issues surrounding the heritage
aviation sector. Leading members
of this community volunteered
to investigate the difficulties
encountered in the warbird,
museums, and classic aviation fields,
and to recommend solutions to the
main APPG and lobby for change.

Level playing  eld
The Heritage Working Group
held its inaugural meeting at
Westminster on March 21. Robert
Pleming was elected sector chair,
with Robert Courts, the MP for
Witney, Oxfordshire, becoming the
parliamentary chair.
This sub-group has several aims.
These include quantifying the
significant direct and indirect
economic benefits of the heritage
aviation sector: there’s anecdotal
evidence that many youngsters

Below
Operating historic
aircraft, such as these
Supermarine Spitfi res,
is becoming increasing
diffi cult and expensive.
The APPG’s historic
aviation working party
is aiming to reduce the
‘red tape’ encountered
by owners and
operators. ARC-GEORGE
ROMAIN

November 2018 FLYPAST 93
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