Captain’s Handbook

Developments at Enniskillen Airport

Maule M7 235B Seaplane over Lower Lough Erne

Not everything flying above your head and boat on Lower Lough Erne are birds. In recent years the air around the Round Tower on  Devenish Island has become more and more busy with helicopters and planes. Sunsets at the remote and idyllic jetty can be accompanied by the training of the flying schools and repeated landing approaches and starts.

Fermanagh District County had closed and mothballed the Enniskillen Airport in January 2002. End of 2004 the airport was reopened by Enniskillen Airport Ltd, a privately-owned consortium, which has rent the airport from Fermanagh Council and used as a pilot training centre.

Two flight training schools, Unique Helicopters N.I. Ltd and Enniskillen Flying Centre Ltd, have their business there. Also two helicopter maintenance companies, Sloane Helicopters and London Helicopter Company, are based at Enniskillen Airport and offer their services.

Aeronautical engineering and commercial pilot flight training courses are planned to run at the airport, if a delivery partnership between South West College and Enniskillen Airport goes ahead. The first aeronautical engineering courses are scheduled for September 2010.

And, that’s not all. For the future the Enniskillen Airport Ltd has visions and plannings to expand the business.

The three year goals (2010 - 2012)  include a amphibious marina, designed for seaplanes and boats. “The airports unique location allows Enniskillen Airport to have a marina adjoining the airfield capable of taking up to 15 amphibious planes - Enniskillen Airport will be the only facility in Ireland.” source

The Airport company is in talks on a first seaplane route to Scotland.

“Water taxi to your hotel!” headlined the Fermanagh Herald early March a report. “At this week’s meeting of Fermanagh District Council, members approved expenditure of £200,000 for eight acres of land between St Angelo and the lake, and a £75,000 interest in 10 adjoining acres, with the present occupier allowed a 49-year lease.” Stephen Finlay, one of the directors of the airfield told the Fermanagh Herald “that the marina facility would be ideal for people flying in who hire out cruisers in that, when they finish their holiday, they can leave the cruisers at the airfield where the hire cruiser companies can pick them up. ‘We will be stocking all types of fuel as well’, he added.” source

For the five year goals beyond (2013 – 2017) a runway extension by 400m and a new terminal with offices, canteen, corporate meeting rooms, pilot shops etc. are planned to attract high profile corporate charter businesses to operation from Enniskillen.

However, in May 2009 the first Fermanagh Seaplane Festival took place in Enniskillen. See photos of the planes here. The next Seaplane Festival will probably take place 2011.

And, the Maule M7 235B Seaplane of the the ‘Amphibious Flying Club’, based at Enniskillen Airport, is ready for takeoff.

source and copyright: Amphibious Flying Club

“We have been talking to the planners and we don’t see any major hurdles.” said Stephen Finlay to the Fermanagh Herald in the above mentioned report.

The birds on the Lower Lough Erne have survived Catalinas and Sunderlands. They seem to be genetically adapted and more familiar with flying boats and their smaller sisters, the seaplanes, than their conspecifics on Lough Derg. See  Captain’s Handbook

Sources and further read: “redOrbit” and ” The Fermanagh Herald”

Nicht immer sind es Vögel, die über Boote auf dem Lower Lough Erne fliegen. In den vergangenen Jahren sind im Gebiet um den Rundturm auf Devenish Island auch häufiger Sportflugzeuge und Helikopter zu sehen. Sonnenuntergänge an dem einsamen und idyllisch gelegenen Anleger können von sich mehrfach wiederholenden Start- und Landeübungen der Flugschule auf dem Flughafen von Enniskillen begleitet sein.

Nachdem der Flughafen fast zwei Jahre lang geschlossen war, hat seit 2004 der Flugbetrieb zugenommen. Und die Planungen gehen weiter. Die Enniskillen Airport Ltd möchte einen Anleger für Wasserflugzeuge und Boote errichten. Auch eine Verlängerung der Landebahn und ein Ausbau des Flughafens ist in Planung.

The New Lough Tap Bridge 2010.

click picture to “enlarge”

New Lough Tap Bridge 2010

The construction of the New Bridge on Lough Tap is finished. The image is courtesy of Diver, thank’s!

Lough Tap Bridge 2008

The second photo shows the old bridge in 2008. The increase of the track bed is clearly visible. To put down the canopy at this bridge is now past, I hope.

click picture to "Article"

Could it be pay for play on Lough Erne?

Waterways Ireland is the body which has six of the seven navigations in Ireland under their control.

The drums have said that the existing navigation Bye-laws of the Shannon, the Erne, the Shannon-Erne-Waterway and the Irish canals etc. should be harmonized and renewed. The registration of craft, public mooring, speed restrictions and penalties are the main themes, referring to Brian D’Arcy of Waterways Ireland. “We intend to proceed with the by-laws as a complete entity and not to introduce partial by-laws.”  said Mr. D’Arcy during a meeting of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure of the Northern Ireland Assembly 28 May 2009.

It needs time for all the discussions between the parties concerned and the talks between the two governments. Public consultations should happen. What has happened?

The bush telegraphy of ‘The Impartial Reporter’ seems to know that something is now going on.

Is there a special bye-law for the Erne underway?

But, what has a spokesman for Waterways Ireland the reporter of the Impartial Reporter told?
“The issue is under examination by legal representatives and Waterways Ireland awaits the outcome of this process before proceeding with the planned public consultation programme.”

Sources and further read:

The Impartial Reporter xxxx The Northern Ireland Assembly

Waterways Ireland hat seit längerem das Projekt einheitlicher Navigation Bye-Laws für die verschiedensten Wasserwege auf der Agenda. Der ‘Impartial Reporter’ veröffentlichte im Februar einen Artikel über mögliche neue Bye-Laws für den Erne.

Boats and seaplanes at a jetty in Seattle, soon at Mountshannon?

Mountshannon or Ballina?

Harbour Air Ireland Ltd is searching a destination on Lough Derg.
Seaplanes shall connect Mountshannon with Galway, Aran Islands, Foynes, Killarney, Cobh and Dublin.

Mr Heaps, director of Harbour Air Ireland, and the managing director of Clare Resorts in Bodyke, explained to   the Clare Champion: “Our business is tourism. We are looking to create a unique transport method to give the guests from Clare resorts ease of access to the West of Ireland so they will stay in our area longer and also we have to do return trips. So we’d be looking at trips: to Cobh, Foynes and Galway and we will be bringing these people back to Mountshannon and we’ll be promoting Mountshannon and reasons to visit Mountshannon. We’ll bring the people in and it’s up to the businesses in Mountshannon to cater for them. What has gobsmacked us is that we thought we would be welcomed with open arms in Mountshannon. We get phone calls from hotels across the country begging us to set up near them. It’s the reverse reaction to what we have experienced to date in areas where we’re blow-ins.”

Operations manager, Stewart Curtis, said: “We have a lot of money invested in Mountshannon. The three of us are Clare men and for that reason, we’d like to keep the base in Mountshannon but if they don’t want it, we do know that Tipperary want it and there’s an application in now for Ballina.”

Harbour Air Ireland hat sich Mountshannon als Standort auf Lough Derg ausgesucht. Hier sollen Wasserflugzeuge Richtung: Galway, Aran Islands (Inishmore), Foynes, Killarney, Cobh (Cork) und Dublin starten und landen. Die Flugzeit von Lough Derg zu den Aran Islands beträgt beispielsweise keine 20 Minuten.

Doch Harbour Air trifft auf Bedenken, nicht nur im County Clare. Das Department of Environment macht sich Sorgen um Fauna und Flora und die lokalen Bootseigner fragen sich, wie wohl die Starts und Landungen im teilweise doch sehr regen Boots- und Segelverkehr um Mountshannon aussehen könnten. Nun hat Harbour Air vorsorglich schon mal Pläne für Ballina beim Tipperary County Council eingereicht. Wenn das Clare County Council ablehnt, dann könnte ja auch Ballina Standort der Wasserflugzeuge werden.

Die Preise für die Rückflugtickets sollen je nach Ziel zwischen 75 und 100 € betragen. Das ist kein Preis für einen Familienausflug für Duchschnittsverdiener. Ob das Konzept von Harbour Air Ireland in der jetzigen Situation wirtschaftlich aussichtsreich ist, kann der Kapitän dieses Handbuches nicht beurteilen. Bootsmieter, die eine Woche oder zehn Tage buchen, werden kaum auf einen Bootstag verzichten wollen. Doch der Kapitän gibt zu, einmal die Gewässer von oben zu betrachten und einen Tagesausflug per Wasserflieger zu den Aran Islands zu unternehmen, hätte  einen gewissen Reiz.

photo taken by dweekly Source: Flickr.com Attribution License

SHANNON NAVIGATION

Lough Derg - Kylenoe Rocks

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise all Masters and users of the Shannon Navigation that the black starboard hand “G” mark at the Kylenoe Rocks, on Lough Derg which had been reported as being off station, on 8 Feb 2010, has been repositioned.

Marine Notice No 12 is now withdrawn.