Pilot reviews of Great Massingham Airfield

If you are looking for somewhere to go to combine a flight with a nice lunch, Great Massingham is a splendid place. WW2 runways still in remarkable condition, and a reasonable £8 landing fee. Flew in today having obtained PPR and a straightforward brief from the owner. No radio and few movements even on this sunny weekend, plenty of parking and the fee is paid in an honesty box. Thank goodness for people like the owner who is happy to see it in use as an airfield rather than putting buildings, containers, farm machinery or chicken houses on the runway - a fate which has befallen many of the airfields in this part of the world. Weekdays you'd be advised to talk to Marham, but today there were only gliders to worry about, but still better to broadcast your intentions to 'Marham Traffiic' . Park up near the large hangar, walk 300 metres along a well-worn path towards the village church, cut through the churchyard and you emerge in the centre of the village. The Dabbling Duck is oposite the church - very expensive beer (not that I had any), but food prices reasonable considering the quality and the setting is perfect. Well worth a visit and you'll earn lots of brownie points from your partner. On departure, if using 22, turn left as soon as you are able to avoid the village.

Popped over today from Conington for a first time visit. Obtained PPR yesterday very friendly and helpful on the phone and supplied all relevant information. Excellent service from the RAF at Marham, always give them a call as there were several Tornado's about and an Osprey! Airfield easy to find and the green hangar in the SW corner really stands out. Main runway is in exvellent condition considering it's age and as others have mentioned it's like being on the film set for twelve o'clock high. Landing fee still £8 for a single and payable in the green chicken hut on wheels.

Visited Great Massingham on one of the best flying days so far of 2011 the visibilty was excellent. I telephomed Great Massingham for PPR and they provided a very thorough briefing. They also asked me to Phone Marham ATC to inform them of our arrival and ETA which was straightforward enough. Approaching from Kings Lynn we nearly misidentified the airfield with West Raynham (disused) which is only about 2 miles away but the SAT NAV promptly informed us where we needed to be. Made blind calls on Safetycom, did an inspection run of the runway and came back round to land. Parked outside the big hanger next to the hut with a C on it. I was the only person there. The airfield is situated in beautiful surroundings and is so peaceful and quiet. A short walk to the village.

Myself & Bill Horton visited Great Massingham on Bank Holiday Monday in a Sherburn Warrior DE. We approached from Kings Lynn, and as Marham were closed, radio traffic was non existent (though that had been the case all the way down). Had a little trouble finding the airfield due to an idiot in the RHS, but once Bill ignored me he found it quite easily. Bill had received an excellent telephone briefing from the owners before setting off, but we still decided it prudent to make a precautionary low pass to inspect the runway first. On GoggleErf it looks like the surface is marginal, but it isn’t so bad in real life, though it would appear to be the original WWII surface. SafetyCom calls were made at all relevant points before landing on the usable part of 22 past the displaced threshold (after the intersection – the part before is unusable, partly due to having a barn built on it).

The runway is smooth and c900m long; however some of the taxiways are much narrower and have the occasional lump, bump and hole. Taxiing for the Control hut took us down a 15ft wide taxiway between grass so long that both wings were swishing through it! Arriving at the big green hangar and shutting down, the only sound is the wind in the grass – the airfield was totally deserted, even on bank Holiday Monday! The Control hut is literally that – a 6x4 shed where the suggested £8 landing fee is placed in an honesty box, and the booking in sheet filled out. 10 mins walk in the direction of the church down country footpaths takes you to the village, which is a typical Norfolk rural setting. The Dabbling Duck is directly opposite, which seems a nice pub doing food (though they know how to charge – 2 bottles of alcohol free, 2 cheese & chutney sarnies & 2 bags of nuts came to £16 – a bit of a shock to a Yorkshire wallet!!). Our visit was curtailed by the need to leave due to forecast weather back at base, so we returned to DE to find Stephen Nuttall’s C172 ZS parked next to DE, though at the time did not realise it was another UKGA user. No evidence of dog hairs…..

Taxiing back out, a cyclist considerately departed the taxiway to let us pass – even giving a cheery wave as we went by (so much nicer than the norm!). Visitors should be aware that designated public footpaths cross the airfield. Lining up for departure, the runway rises slightly before levelling out, restricting vision down the full length. As I began my takeoff roll, I did hope that there were no walkers with iPods in just over the brow…..

All in all, an interesting place to visit with a huuuge runway for even the most nervous of us (ie me), but don’t expect to find many people to talk to or much in the way of facilities. As mentioned by Stephen, thanks must go to the owners for keeping it open for visitors.

Definitely a place to return to, especially if you are taken by the history. Currently trying to work out whether we could fit two bicycles in the luggage compartment of a Warrior….!