The General Aviation Awareness Council (GAAC) has initiated a research project to investigate the economics of small airfields and provide an acceptable method for determining the economic impact of a particular planning proposal. The research is being undertaken at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London.

The overall aim is: “To significantly increase the body of knowledge about General Aviation in the UK, its current infrastructure, its role within the economy and its potential to play a greater part in the socio-economic development of the countryside.”

The project will gather information and data from three main sources: pilots, aerodrome operators and local planning authorities. It will examine the effectiveness of the Government’s planning policy guidelines that relate to General Aviation to achieved a more balanced approach regarding small flying sites.