On Tuesday 3rd February 2015 four FoDTVA members travelled down to Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield to meet our counterparts at Friends of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
We stayed at the airport Ramada Encore hotel and the next day met up with four FODSA members as well as Head of Airport Services Lorraine Daffern where we chatted for about an hour, discussing our respective airports and Friends groups.
We then began a comprehensive tour of the airport, starting with the Airport Operations room, and it was interesting to see live CCTV of our own airport as well as associated technical equipment and meeting the staff you speak to when press the button to get the car park barrier to lift etc! Next we moved on to the Fire Section who welcomed us with open arms and hot drinks, followed by Air Traffic Control where our visit was brief due to them getting busy. From here, we went on to the ramp near Hangar 3 where a very special photo shoot was taking place, T2 Aviation, an offshoot of 2 Excel Aviation, had just had a 2nd ‘Oil Spill Response’ vintage Boeing 727 delivered and they had them both nose-to-nose. One had been circuit training earlier in the day – a lovely sight and sound! Finally, we went into Hangar 3 itself for a good look around another Boeing 727, this time only the forward fuselage of an ex-Iberia model, used for educational purposes. Also in the Hangar was the Links Air Jetstream aircraft involved in a landing incident last year, still under repair, and last but not least, the mighty Vulcan bomber XH558. Ian Straw from a company called Directions showed us around the Vulcan area and one of their pilots booted up the Flight Sim and tried to find DTVA for a fly-past, alas unsuccessfully!
After the tour, we headed over to Wetherspoons within the terminal for some dinner, followed by a brief tour of the building. The final item on the list for the day was the reason we were there – we attended FODSA’s monthly meeting where FoDTVA Secretary Chris Smith was Guest Speaker. After an insightful, if a little lengthy, talk by Chris, our two groups exchanged some subtle gifts, said our goodbyes and we headed on home, having had a superb day and deeply looking forward to the next time our paths cross!!
On 10th March, a report on our trip appeared in the Northern Echo – click here.
Here are some photos from the day.
