"frightplan"

[PrivatePilot]

The Nation had an interesting article today on the dangerous situation at some local airports (see parts of it below this posting).

I realize that the Thai government loves to have Thailand show up as much as possible in the Guiness Book. But by allowing two airports to be built within a couple hundred meters of each other they've certainly outdone themselves. Thailand will now have 2 new World's Records, for having the closest operating airfields, and for having the most inept/corrupt Civil Aviation Department. Someone at the CAD must have been paid off rather well to allow the incredibly shortsighted decision to issue the second airport permit.

One of the officials gave the following excuse "We have no right to stop anything to be built on private property or what people do as a hobby”. Since this guy seems so focused on property rights, perhaps he should also consider CAD's responsibility to protect private property owners from having burning aircraft debris rain down on them.

Fortunately for most of us, the risk to commercial air traffic into and out of CNX appears to be quite low (for now). However, I'd hate to be in a light plane flying near Nok/Ban Thi Airport. Hope those pilots remember to file their "frightplans" before taking off...

(Note: For the complete article, check out The Nation's website)

-------------------------------------------------------

Airfields in North are far too close for comfort, pilots warn

Published on January 04, 2006

Pilots have voiced fears for their safety following a Civil Aviation Department decision to licence a new landing field for light aircraft in the North – within the threshold of an existing airfield. “If you have 25 rai of land with a minimum length of 500 metres and minimum width of 20-30 metres with no obstacle on the approaches and sides you can build a temporary ‘landing ground’ for light aircraft,” Ken Cornell, director of Northern Aviation Services, said recently.

All it takes is Bt12 million and anyone can start an airfield on their property, said Cornell, whose company was granted a permit three years ago by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) to operate Chiangmai Lanna Airport in Banthi, a small Chiang Mai village.

But the move had caused pilots and aviation experts to seriously question the safety standards of airports and airfields, he said.

When another airfield or “temporary landing and takeoff ground” is allowed to be constructed next to an existing one, a very dangerous situation is created, Cornell said.

The new landing strip, called Nok Airport, is just 270 metres away from Cornell’s airfield.

One pilot, who preferred not to be named, said the “adjacent” airfields left little margin for error.

“Even with good operational discipline a small mistake by a student pilot or radio failure of the air traffic controller for an incoming plane could result in a potentially fatal mid-air collision due to the extremely close proximity of the two airports and their conflicting traffic patterns,” the pilot said.

Cornell is a naturalised citizen who has lived in Thailand for over 30 years and was the first in the country to operate an air-park for light aircraft in Banthi, before the CAD issued another permit last March to Nok Airport.

....

A US general aviation pilot who declined to be identified said the two airports were accidents waiting to happen, especially if there is some sort of competition among pilots using two different runways.

“Under visual flight rules, pilots in Thailand – unlike in the US which uses instrument flight rules, under which the ATC controls aircraft separation and flight paths – are expected to maintain a priority according to where they are in the landing or takeoff pattern of the airport. In the case of Banthi and Nok airports, you will have conflicting traffic patterns and pilots may be on different airport radio frequencies.”

...

According to other experienced pilots, the situation may be unprecedented worldwide.

“There is a potential for air misses or worse for air collisions which could, in worst-case scenarios, result in fatalities,” one said.

JA Wijayasinha

Special to The Nation

MORE INFO AT:

http://www.thaiflyingclub.com/linkairportbanthi.html

http://www.thaiflyingclub.com/linkairportnok.html

http://www.lanna-flyingclub.com/

[PrivatePilot]

Here are a couple shots of the two airports discussed in the article (photos are from the TFC website [www.thaiflyingclub.com])

Photo #1: The approach to Ban Thi Airport (over the hangar for Nok Airport)

Photo #2: Nok Airport - VTCY

[mobile69]

Isn't Ban Thi the proposed location for the new Chiang Mai airport?

[Ajarn]

Some months ago the CM Mail had this story... Included was a different picture showing both of the airports in one picture, making the conflicts quite clear...

[ovenman]

Some months ago the CM Mail had this story... Included was a different picture showing both of the airports in one picture, making the conflicts quite clear...

The cynic in me thinks that this duplication is just a planned scam on the part of the powers-that-be to sell the need for a new commercial airport in Ban Thi (or wherever).

[Ajarn]

Some months ago the CM Mail had this story... Included was a different picture showing both of the airports in one picture, making the conflicts quite clear...

The cynic in me thinks that this duplication is just a planned scam on the part of the powers-that-be to sell the need for a new commercial airport in Ban Thi (or wherever).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I remember the previous article focusing on the fact that they got their permit before they were even finished with construction, which contravened the law, according to the owner of the old airport, signalling possibly someone with connections, maybe...

[Norman d'Plume]

Wonder where I might have heard this before. Seems to rhyme with "Chin" or something.