Welshpool Airfield - Guide for Pilots & Visitors

Details of Visiting or Taking Flying Lessons at Mid-Wales Airport

Aug 10, 2009

Mid-Wales Airport is just outside Welshpool, and is a lovely place to visit, by air or car. People can also learn to fly either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft there.

Mid-Wales Airport, better known locally as Welshpool Airfield, is a small aerodrome situated two miles from the town of Welshpool in Powys, mid-Wales, UK. The airfield was developed from a grass strip in 1990 to act as a base for companies operating aircraft in the area.

Visiting Welshpool Airfield

For visitors arriving by car, the airfield is signposted off the Welshpool bypass, and is easy to find. If visiting by air, the airfield is easier to find from the north or south. Since the runway is orientated approximately north-south, the airfield is harder to spot from the east or west. The easiest way is to head for Welshpool town, then look to the south. The airfield is only two miles further on, and can usually be fairly easily seen.

Information if Flying into Welshpool

The runways are 04 and 22. Circuits are lefthand, at 1500 feet; this is necessary since the surrounding hills are close to 100 feet at some points. The runway is 1020 metres long, but is only 18 metres wide, so pilots used to larger airports may find Welshpool quite a challenging place at which to land. Pilots need to phone in advance for PPR, and non-radio aircraft are not accepted. The airfield is air-to-ground radio, so pilots should expect to make their own decisions.

The approach to runway 22 is over a main road with quite a lot of traffic, and that to runway 04 is over a farm with frequent mild turbulence, so again, Welshpool can be quite a challenging place to fly in to.

The airfield is a thriving little place, and home to both fixed-wing and rotary flying schools. Anyone who is interested can take flying lessons at Welshpool Flying School, which operates a number of small planes. It is also possible to have trial lessons, either as a one-off experience, or as the start of a flying course.

Whizzard Helicopters is a helicopter school which is based at Welshpool, and they offer trial lessons, helicopter flying lessons to train for a private helicopter licence, and pleasure flights over the surrounding area. They also offer charter flights.

Whichever type of flying a person decides to try, the airfield is in uncontrolled airspace, so no time is wasted waiting for airliners or other large aircraft, as can happen at larger airports. And the scenery is quite magnificent, with beautiful hills and lakes within easy reach.

What to do Around Welshpool

Those who decide to stay in the area are spoiled for choice. Welshpool is a thriving little town, with a number of pubs and restaurants. The old station is worth visiting, as is the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. Powys Castle is nearly, and is also well worth a visit.

However visitors travel there, and however long they stay, most people thoroughly enjoy their visit to Welshpool Airfield. For those who haven’t been there, a visit is highly recommended.

This is the first of a series of articles on less-known airfields (mainly in the UK) which are interesting to visit.

The copyright of the article Welshpool Airfield - Guide for Pilots & Visitors in Aviation is owned by Helen Krasner. Permission to republish Welshpool Airfield - Guide for Pilots & Visitors in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.