Tatenhill Airfield
| Tatenhill Airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: EGBM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Private | ||
| Operator | Tatenhill Aviation Limited | ||
| Location | Tatenhill, Staffordshire | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 439 ft / 133 m | ||
| Coordinates | 52°48′53″N 001°45′40″W / 52.81472°N 1.76111°W | ||
| Map | |||
  EGBM | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 08/26 | 3,904 | 1,190 | Asphalt |
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] | |||
Tatenhill Airfield (ICAO: EGBM), previously known as RAF Tatenhill, is a licensed airfield operated by Tatenhill Aviation Ltd, located 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) west of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England.
Tatenhill Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P813) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Tatenhill Aviation).[2]
History
Tatenhill is a medium sized general aviation airfield built, like so many, during the Second World War. The airfield was built in 1941 as a satellite for Lichfield Airfield (a now disused field to the south which has been converted into an industrial estate). It was used as a bomber crew training field named RAF Tatenhill, which continued in varied training functions until 1944 when it was used by a munitions unit after the disastrous explosion at nearby RAF Fauld. Flying at that time was limited to only a few flights a week as the explosion site still contained large amounts of live munition.
After some years of disuse, when the ground around the runways was returned to agriculture, the airfield was obtained by Allied Breweries of Burton-on-Trent for use in connection with their business, being a suitable location for many of their visitors to fly in directly and also as a base for the brewery to operate their own aircraft.
Over a period of time, the number and variety of aircraft flying out of the field gradually increased and, although still unlicensed, traffic levels were rising.
In 1987, the airfield was taken over by Tatenhill Aviation as a General Aviation field and gradually built up to become a viable operation. The field was licensed in the 1990s and a flying school started. Many private owners base their aircraft at the airfield. There is a busy M3 aircraft engineering business carrying out aircraft servicing and repairs. There is also a JAR145 approved avionics business is located here. Both Jet A1 and 100LL fuel are available.
Airfield facilities
The design was the wartime RAF standard of three co-intersecting runways, east-west, north-south diagonal. While the north-south and southwest-northeast runways are now only used for aircraft parking and one has a new reserve hangar built at one end, the east-west one remains in everyday use. A wartime Bellman hangar remains in use. The runway is licensed for use at 1190 metres in length and is capable of handling a large range of General Aviation aircraft. This runway also has lighting, enabling both night landings and training for night ratings. A non directional beacon is installed but there is no let-down procedure.
Current operations
The only runway in use is 08/26. The grass is now only used for taxying, 04/22 and 17/35 are only available for aircraft parking.
Tatenhill is now home to the Midlands Air Ambulance, which currently operates a Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter.