The answer is probably in the value of the site for building houses on it, but you would have to build a complete little town with all the facilities, because Manston is almost as bad as Lydd in that it’s in the middle of nowhere and with poor connections to anywhere half desirable.
It would be much cheaper to convert it into an industrial estate. Given the right choice of enterprises and the right kind of management, retaining the runway in operation would actually be logistically justified.
I flew over it yesterday. They seem to have painted parking spaces over it. No aircraft visible and there are some objects fixed along the runway
Close-up:
The ‘parking places’ are markings for lorries involved in ‘Operation Stack’ for use when there are Channel Tunnel problems.
At least it keeps the tarmac down – “While there is life, there is hope . . .” – but I sense that the battle to retain an airport is now totally lost, unless Boris Johnson suddenly realises that it is more practical than ‘Boris Island’!
I still fly over it on a regular basis since I have have retained the GPS approach data and it allows me to do RNAV practices down to 500’ ad infinitum for free!
since I have have retained the GPS approach data
Do you keep an old data card for the GPS? That would seem to be the only way to fly the original GPS/LNAV approach, with all instrument indications remaining as per original.
Peter wrote:
Do you keep an old data card for the GPS?
Yes: I got myself an old card which I kept the last edition of the data which had Manston on it.
I also ensured that I had retained/recorded the plates before they were removed.
It has paid for itself (In saved fees) many times over.
I may be missing something but you can make up your own GPS/LNAV IAP for anywhere, with user waypoints. The only difference is that you won’t get the automatic tightening of the full scale sensitivity from 5nm to 1nm to 0.3nm. You have to do that manually.
Yes, but then training effect would be moslty down the drain, because will still not be a real GPS approach. For example, the approach annunciations will be missing. Also, as you will know, the scale on a real GPS approach is not 0.3NM right from the start.
Re the Manston IAP, I doubt it’s usfulness for training even if you have it in the database. One can only fly any approach so many times (say 6-8 times) before you know it by heart and then it will no longer be really useful for earning “general” proficiency. Flying and experiencing approaches with different nuances is what makes us learn and get better.
boscomantico wrote:
Re the Manston IAP, I doubt it’s usfulness for training even if you have it in the database.
Although this is partly true, I find doing the missed approach and the hold is various wind conditions still a good exercise.:
Just got this email, from somebody who prob99.999 moved there long after the airport opened 
IOW, the usual problem.
I think that there is still a Helicopter operation out of Manston and the old frequency is still active,
From Polar Helicopters website.
“All aircraft operating within a 5NM radius of Manston should contact Manston Radio on 119.925 MHz”
Seem very friendly when I pass over
Stewart
