Parking by the GA

[jake3]

Security are sometimes requested by the tower to move vehicles on as it interfere's with the ILS but that is only very occaisonally, and the vehicles were normally either on the mound or the undersoot.
Then there is always the problem of some security agents thinking they have more power than they have ( the uniform goes to their heads) I speak with some knowledge on this.

[uranox]

Driving along the back road towards the tower at 09:20 this morning I past the security van,the driver had his seat back and was snoring his brain out his mate was (alert).!!!

[bartt]

I passed them at 0940 and he was still sleeping!!

And about 140 there was a man hiding in the bushes by the 27 undershoot. Claims he was plane spotting ;D

[CloudWarrior]

I agree with Phil, all our vehicles must be known now as belonging to spotters, so the security excuse doesnt hold water.
Every now and then they are bound to have a bit of a blitz to justify their existence, and hassling spotters is an easy target.

You make a good point, Viscount, about antaganizing security, which could have a detremental effect on our hobby, but I'm struggling to understand your argument with the paparazzi angle. I think your'e over exagerating the importance of the very occasional VIP who passes through.

Spotters are hassled everywhere except Manchester, even when approached by the police on the south side, Ive never been asked to move on.
If airport security cant see the benefits of extra vigilance then thats their loss.

[LPL]

The Police have recognised that and have publicly asked for 'spotters' to report anything they know thats not right.

www.fola.org.uk/security.html

[viscount]

I'll use this existing thread, rather than open a new one, to record that today (Wednesday 24/6) a digger and dumper were working on the GA road - probably to widen it. A consequence of their work is a high pile of dry loose soil on the area where many spotters park. Quite likely only temporary, as work is clearly ongoing.

As I cannot find the thread on 'The Mound', I'll record here that further trees have been cut down at the river end/road side of the 'mound' car park sometime in the past two weeks or so. Visually opens up the site - although the build-up of litter/dump refuse is once again an eyesore.

[Deleted]

You beat me to it their Brian. Here's a shot of work in progress taken earlier today.

[L1011]

Hi All.

I have read most of the posts regarding the Security people moving us from the G.A.Park and agree it is a pain in the backside being moved.
I dont know if anybody has tried asking Peel Holdings can we have permisson to park on the G.A.Park maybe for a small fee per year
for the issue of a pass for our cars.
Plane Spotters are some of the best unpaid security an Airport can get.
Aberdeen Airport has a spotter schme also Gatwick and Heathrow
police are very spotter friendly as long as you stay in the right places.
If anyone on this Forum has any contact with Peel Holdings management I would be more than willing to accompany them and meet Peel Holdings management to put our case to them,and tell them all of the benifits to the Airport Security by having unpaid willing people rather than low waged uninterested people watching our Airport.

Regards.
Alan Jones.
Liverpool,U.K.

[kevmul]

Good comments Alan; hopefully they might give it some thought and react positively to the ideas.

Am I right in thinking that this could be our only option once the runway extension is built?

[viscount]

By midday Saturday 27/6 the road to the GA security gate had been re-surfaced, and the piles of gravel and soil scrapings removed. The traffic bollards along the road edge would indicate that the job has not yet been completed.

In reference to many of the comments earlier in this thread, including mine, and specifically to Alan's, I would like to point out that there is a difference in understanding and attitude towards us being at the boundary fence not only between Cheshire Police, Merseyside Airport Police, Security Force and Peel Airport Management, but also between those at street level and those in the management offices. Alan might be pleasantly surprised to find, principally due to various activities and relationship with FoLA, that Peel Airport Management are indeed very well of our activities and our needs, and are open to constructive ideas. The GA road parking problem misunderstanding I think arises from activiity well below decision making levels of management.

I still maintain that we have no automatic right to be parked on that section of airport land, which is fenced and gated off the public road. It is not that we are perceived either as a security threat or enforcement help, but as an untidy collection of idle males who don't belong there, so need to be moved on. So if we are asked occasionally to move on, do so, and be thankful it is only very occasional and not every time Security sweep pass. That might stir up comment, but before entering a reply firstly consider how we must look standing around to anyone with rightful passage along the GA entrance road and how easy, given how security sensitive the airport environment is, to misunderstand our intentions. One thing for certain, improving the entrance to the VIP/GA centre is not for our benefit!!

[Biggles]

It`s not hard to see all points of view on this subject, but one thing that may be missed by some is that "some "VIP`s" have tagging along wih them people who get paid huge amounts of money to protect their principal, part of a pre visit would always include a sweep of the arrival/departure area for unwanted or suspect threats, that would probably cover anyone standing idly around those areas. You and me that is then. hence the need to be moved.
We live in sensitive times sadly.