Pilot reviews of Coll/Ballard Airfield
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| “ | Flew into Coll on 7 May from Oban. I’ve been here before, but this time we took the greyhounds. PPR is easy via Oban (where we were based for a week anyway). We bought a 7 day out of hours indemnity for a few pounds which covered Oban, Collonsay and Coll. Not manned when there is no scheduled flight and we even had to climb over the gate, but no problem. (Give me a few more years and I may think twice!) We walked to the beach – about a 30 minute walk and had a mile-long sandy beach; an aqua-marine sea and a beautiful sunny day all to ourselves EXCEPT for the long-haired cattle strolling along the beach. Coll is a magic place and well worth a visit if you love remote and beautiful locations. ” |
| “ | We flew in to the Isle of Coll airfield on 4th May and parked up until 11th May. There is no fuel available here. We refuelled at Oban and obtained our obligatory Argyll and Bute indemnity permit there at a cost of £39.53p We were also charged £11.55 landing fee for Oban and also for Coll for our Cessna 150. The Tiree airfield Taf and Metar can be obtained at Oban, and snacks and drinks, but we walked up the road to the nearby hotel for a very nice lunch. The surface wind at Coll was about 340 at 20 knots giving us a significant cross wind on runway 02. We experienced moderate turbulence on the approach and there were large patches of bird droppings on the wet runway which reduced braking action. This was no problem for us but could affect larger aircraft on this 500 metre asphalt runway. The small terminal building is by the very small apron at the southern end of the runway. The building was left open (fortunately!), and had good toilets and a working public phone. There is no mobile phone network on Coll but there is on the Isle of Mull. This can be picked up at a few points further up the island. We were warned about this and had phoned for the taxi from Oban, 01879 230479 to pick us up. We pushed our Cessna well up on to the grass and tied it down. You must leave room for the Air Hebridean Islander to turn around. No problems on departure, but again significant turbulence on take off in the high wind. ” |
| “ | Licensed last month, it is a super strip. Lools like fairly limited parking on the ramp though - the school run flight from Oban (cool school!) came in just after I left. You get PPR from Oban and pay them the landing fee in advance, £15. 01631 710910 With permission, I think they are fairly flexible about arrival / departure times. There are a lot of geese around at this time of year (Sep) and there were some on the runway so there is a part air/ground operator and bird scarer. There are toilet and coffee facilities at the terminal if he is expecting you (I was early). The strip is not near 'civilisation' and I did not even turn on my mobile, I do not think there is reception on any network, so unless you made sure there was someone there you would not be able to call a taxi. I took my folding bicycle and had an excellent lunch in the Coll Hotel at Arinagour. Apparently you can hire bicycles in Arinagour. Everyone was extremely friendly, as the islands always are. Interesting landscape and amazing beaches. I flew direct from Carlisle for the day, there is no fuel so you will have to plan carefully. http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/restricted/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=189&Itemid=268.html This is the AIS link for the runway and airfield chart. ” |
| “ |  Licensed last month, it is a super strip. Lools like fairly limited parking on the ramp though - the school run flight from Oban (cool school!) came in just after I left. You get PPR from Oban and pay them the landing fee in advance, £15. 01631 710910 With permission, I think they are fairly flexible about arrival / departure times. There are a lot of geese around at this time of year (Sep) and there were some on the runway so there is a part air/ground operator and bird scarer. There are toilet and coffee facilities at the terminal if he is expecting you (I was early). The strip is not near 'civilisation' and I did not even turn on my mobile, I do not think there is reception on any network, so unless you made sure there was someone there you would not be able to call a taxi. I took my folding bicycle and had an excellent lunch in the Coll Hotel at Arinagour. Apparently you can hire bicycles in Arinagour. Everyone was extremely friendly, as the islands always are. Interesting landscape and amazing beaches. I flew direct from Carlisle for the day, there is no fuel so you will have to plan carefully. This is the AIS link for the runway and airfield chart. http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/restricted/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=189&Itemid=268.html
” |
| “ | Flew into Coll from Colonsay on 10 July. It's really great to see the island airfields being upgraded (as part of the Oban/Argyle and Bute Highlands Airways commuter initiative). New A/G frequency used for "blind" calls.
Coll is newly resurfaced and about 500 metres long with hills nearby at each end, although not particularly challenging (and a completely different orientation to the old grass strip - it's now north/south - 02/20 - as opposed to east/west). The small terminal was closed - it only opens for the scheduled flight and the nearest cafe was a few miles away. However, the strip is in a stunning location and is a great place for a picnic, close to the beach and a pleasant walk into town.
PPR was obtained from Oban (who can give PPR for Colonsay, Glenforsa and Coll as well as Oban) and the landing fee of £15 was paid at Oban where we were staying overnight anyway.
Taxi's could be called to go into town, but the locals often offer a lift if they pass you.
The scenery around all the islands is some of the most stunning in Britain and although the weather has to be treated with great respect, the islands are often flyable when the mainland isn't. Well worth the effort! ” |
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