Maps & Facilities
Airstrip owner/manager: Bob Sage, telephone 01379 677334 or 07799 695144
How to get to us:
By Road: View how to get to us on Bing Maps
By Air: N52° 27' 09.24'' E 001° 07' 51.30''
AMSL: 186 ft
Radio: 129.830 MHz (Note: 129.830 MHz is the universal Microlight Air/Ground frequency so please use 'Priory Micro' in your radio calls to the airfield or local traffic.)
Priory Farm is to the west of the Norfolk Gliding Club at Tibenham. Some flight planning aids refer to “Priory Farm Tibenham” but the two airfields are completely separate and have different circuits. Radio calls as normal but do not expect a reply. Standard overhead join but do not descend to the east of the road immediately to the east of the strip.
Priory Farm facilities include a 100LL fuel bowser with electric pump.
No landing fee is levied on visiting aircraft by the landowner. However, if you use the pilot support services provided by the PFA we ask that you consider making a donation (suggested £5) to operating costs in the tin by the aerodrome log. Regular visitors may wish to consider annual membership.
Priory Farm Plate & Procedures
Priory Farm Airfield plate and procedures are not quite ‘standard’, so these a the best ways to fly in and out of the airfield.
Every departing pilot needs to remember we are next to a gliding field operating both winch launches up to 1500ft and tug launches up to greater heights, so keep well away from Tibenham airfield and keep a good lookout for tugs & gliders in the vicinity.
To be good neighbours, please fly the requested departure off-sets - 15 degrees to the left of the runway centre-line for a northerly departure and 25 degrees to the right on a southerly departure.
When approaching the strip, call “Priory Farm Micro” on 129.830 (the Air/ground microlight frequency) with your identity and intentions and request airfield information, if any. If there is no reply make a ‘blind call’ - “Priory Farm Traffic, G-DOME, 10 miles southwest, request joining information, or joining downwind”, Priory Farm” and continue to make position reports downwind & final approach.
You may want view the windsock from above to decide which runway to use. There are no set rules at Priory Farm to cover this situation but established practice at PF is to fly the runway centre-line at well above the 1,000ft circuit height to look at the windsock, then descend towards a cross wind to join the circuit in the normal way. Once in the circuit, give position reports over the radio. These are important as they tell other people what you intend to do and they warn others where you are.
IN SUMMARY:
- There is no ‘Dead Side’ available as the airspace to the East is Tibenham Airfield, so ‘standard’ overhead joins are not possible.
- There are TWO designated circuits - a large one at 1,000ft QFE, a smaller one at 500ft QFE. Which to use? - that is at the pilot’s discretion.
- There are Angled Departure Tracks for noise abatement to avoid overflying local properties.
- The radio at Priory Farm is not usually manned, so blind calls should always be made to request information from other aircraft or to announce your identity, your position and intentions.
Every departing pilot needs to remember we are next to a gliding field operating both winch launches up to 1500ft and tug launches up to greater heights, so keep well away from Tibenham airfield and keep a good lookout for tugs & gliders in the vicinity.
To be good neighbours, please fly the requested departure off-sets - 15 degrees to the left of the runway centre-line for a northerly departure and 25 degrees to the right on a southerly departure.
When approaching the strip, call “Priory Farm Micro” on 129.830 (the Air/ground microlight frequency) with your identity and intentions and request airfield information, if any. If there is no reply make a ‘blind call’ - “Priory Farm Traffic, G-DOME, 10 miles southwest, request joining information, or joining downwind”, Priory Farm” and continue to make position reports downwind & final approach.
You may want view the windsock from above to decide which runway to use. There are no set rules at Priory Farm to cover this situation but established practice at PF is to fly the runway centre-line at well above the 1,000ft circuit height to look at the windsock, then descend towards a cross wind to join the circuit in the normal way. Once in the circuit, give position reports over the radio. These are important as they tell other people what you intend to do and they warn others where you are.
IN SUMMARY:
- Make radio calls for info, intentions and position.
- Join overhead at above 1,000ft QFE is OK for windsock view.
- There is NO ‘deadside’ as that is Tibenham Airfield airspace.
- Fly the established circuits - radio or non-radio.
- Follow the designated flight paths on departure.
- Don’t overfly local properties.
Priory Farm Airfield Approach Plate
