G7 Summit - Cornwall - June 2021

[whole diary]

[old original]

Newquay's runway is just a shade over 9000 ft so should be capable of handling most aircraft.
For ref, Gatwick is 10,900, Manchester 10,000,  Heathrow 12,000

RNAS Culdrose near Helston is  6,000 & Lands End 2,500

Can the runway at Newquay Airport cope with Air Force One?

I think the answer is yes - so long as it's not got too much fuel on board (so no flying direct back home). After all, it's still the old RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) St. Mawgan runway. But for Land's End, a negative fuel load would be needed - or else "Air Force One" would be something much smaller relabelled for the occasion.

Air Force 0.1? 🙂

[Thatcham Crossing]

Newquay Airport has a lot of real estate, much of it on the western side which was the old RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) St Mawgan is still "behind the wires" as far as i know.

Easily a long-enough runway for anything currently flying (witness the BA^» (British Airways - about) 747's that recently arrived for part-out), so expect to see the USAF^▸ (United States Air Force) transports carrying "The Beast", the Marine and Army helicopters used to transport POTUS^▸ (President Of The United States) and his security details all heading for there I would expect.

Culdrose is smaller, but it's 6000ft main runway more than adequate for small/medium-sized transports, and lots of secure Royal Navy hangars for the US helicopters to hide away in/have any required maintenance done, for example.

I think you can discount LEQ^» (Land's End Airport - about) (Lands End Airport), short and narrow runways there, which are fine for the Skybus Twin Otters but not for anything much bigger.

"Air Force One" would be something much smaller relabelled for the occasion

"Air Force One" is a callsign, not a specific aircraft. It is of course mainly used by 1 of the 2 747's built for the job that we all recognise, but can be applied to other aircraft, as it was when Trump departed from Southampton in a C-32 (a VIP Boeing 757, in it's US military guise) last year.

The venue for the summit is reportedly Tregenna Castle, which makes more sense from a size and security perspective than other places that had been mentioned (eg, Carbis Bay Hotel).

The "hassle factor" of having this global circus descend will mean some disruption to local life, for sure, but will surely be outweighed by the income (already estimated at GBP 50m) input to the local economy, which must be great news, along with the publicity it will bring for Cornwall in general.

[bobm]

I have been told of a couple who had booked their already once postponed wedding reception at the Treganna Castle being told it has been cancelled again due to "a high profile event".

[Clan Line]

The venue for the summit is reportedly Tregenna Castle, which makes more sense from a size and security perspective than other places that had been mentioned (eg, Carbis Bay Hotel).

If Trump had still been president, he could have played golf all day whilst the others got on with the real business  

[grahame]

I have been told of a couple who had booked their already once postponed wedding reception at the Treganna Castle being told it has been cancelled again due to "a high profile event".

Sounds naughty. I would like (and actually can!) say that when we ran a hotel, we never cancelled booked guests when an offer of something that was better business came along.  The temptation was there a couple of times, and a couple of times we asked customers if they would mind us moving a course by a few days and usually came to a solution that suited everyone.

The Treganna Castle has a long and illustrious railway history.    From Wikipedia:

The Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) opened its St Ives branch line on 1 June 1877 and it leased the Tregenna Castle as a hotel the following year, opening it on 5 August 1878. Early railway hotels had only been situated near large terminals or junctions, but this one was the first intended by the GWR as a holiday destination in its own right.

Sir Daniel Gooch, the chairman of the GWR, stayed at the hotel a few weeks after it opened to the public. He recorded in his diary that "the situation of this house is very fine; it is a castle within its own grounds of about 70 acres (28 ha), a great part of which are gardens and woods with pretty shaded walks ... The house feels more like a private house than a hotel; the views from it are very fine, looking over the town and bay of St Ives and along the coast as far as Trevose Head."

The GWR purchased the hotel outright in 1895.

One of the GWR's buses, a 1.5 ton Milnes-Daimler type, was stationed at the hotel from 1913 to convey residents to the golf links at Lelant but the service was suspended in 1916 due to fuel shortages during World War I. It was replaced in 1922 by a new bus on a Burford chassis. This operated for seven years until the arrival of a new Thornycroft bus with a Duple body in 1929

The GWR was nationalised to become the Western Region of British Railways on 1 January 1948. Railway hotels throughout the United Kingdom eventually became the British Transport Hotels division but they were all privatised during the 1980s. The hotel and grounds are currently managed by the Tregenna Castle Estate.

In 2021, the castle will host the G7 meeting of advanced economies

[grahame]

If Trump had still been president, he could have played golf all day whilst the others got on with the real business  

If Trump has still been president, all the flights would have refuelled and aircraft serviced at Prestwick.

[Jamsdad]

I think we now know why the St Ives branch has just had its track renewed.

[TonyK]

For Presidential air transport, there is no reason why a Boeing VC-25 could not land at Newquay, and successfully depart for a refuel at Prestwick or Dublin on the way home. The many, many tonnes of cars and other kit needed to transport the President and his entourage down to St Ives will fit into a couple of C17 transports, that can also do the trip non-stop to Newquay and home, with mid-air refuelling. If they wanted to show off, they would fit into Perranporth airfield. There are also likely to be a few V-22 ospreys, which self-deploy from North Carolina via the Azores.

Boris might get the train, with a bike if he can get the reservation.

[Thatcham Crossing]

there is no reason why a Boeing VC-25 could not land at Newquay, and successfully depart for a refuel at Prestwick or Dublin on the way home.

NQY^▸ (Newquay (Station)) has 9000ft of tarmac, plenty for a heavy 747 (ok, VC-25!) to fly 8 or 9 hours from I would suggest. It's in line to be used as the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) airfield for one of Virgin's space projects, which will see a small rocket (capable of putting small satellites into orbit) launched at altitude from under the wing of an ex-Virgin Atlantic 747.

Generally C17's and C-5 Galaxies are used to carry the entourage. The C17 is an impressive beast, easily transatlantic range (depending on payload) and could probably deliver the heli's direct to Culdrose (I know that one visited RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) Cosford a few years back, to deliver an airframe to the museum there, which is a 3500ft runway).

As for the other world leaders, the Japanese use 747's also currently (although I've read they may be retiring them), the Canadians an ageing A310, the Germans an A340 (or possibly something smaller, as it's only a short hop), and likewise the French. The Italians I think an A319.

The international press corps will need to be accommodated aswell. Normally when POTUS^▸ (President Of The United States) comes to the UK, for example, there would be a least one chartered widebody to accommodate several hundred of them. You can bet there will be some global business leaders and other high-profile politicians around aswell, and these people tend to use private jets.

Newquay Airport (like many regional airports around the UK) has been very hard hit by the current situation, and must be extremely happy about this news.

[TonyK]

The C17 is an impressive beast, easily transatlantic range (depending on payload) and could probably deliver the heli's direct to Culdrose (I know that one visited RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) Cosford a few years back, to deliver an airframe to the museum there, which is a 3500ft runway).

Indeed it is, as this photo I took at a Brize Norton open day shows.


Helicopters for the US contingent, including Marine 1 if required, are likely to be delivered via Fairford, where the food is more American. The Ospreys don't need carrying, although I'm not sure I would like to do trans-Atlantic in one.

As for the other world leaders, the Japanese use 747's also currently (although I've read they may be retiring them), the Canadians an ageing A310, the Germans an A340 (or possibly something smaller, as it's only a short hop), and likewise the French. The Italians I think an A319.

Four engined aircraft are falling from grace, not the sky, these days, and 747s or A340s will soon look quaintly antique. The US is looking to procure something new, probably based on a Dreamliner 787. Our own VIP standard aircraft is the Voyager, based on the A330, one of which can be seen from inside the Galaxy.

The international press corps will need to be accommodated as well. Normally when POTUS^▸ (President Of The United States) comes to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), for example, there would be a least one chartered widebody to accommodate several hundred of them. You can bet there will be some global business leaders and other high-profile politicians around as well, and these people tend to use private jets.

Newquay Airport (like many regional airports around the UK) has been very hard hit by the current situation, and must be extremely happy about this news.

I think it will a time of great joy for the owners of Newquay airport. I can't see the press corps getting to fly all the way to Newquay in a wide-bodied aircraft though. Scheduled to Heathrow or Gatwick, and possibly chartered turboprop from there would be my guess. I think quite a few of them get the cheap seats on Airforce 1, for a consideration.

It's a brilliant place to have the summit from a security point of view. The Navy will be offshore to stop any stunts, access to Cornwall is easily controlled if the need arises, and any unseemly protesters can be stopped at Hayle or St Erth. Much easier than London. I always thought that St Kilda would be good for major summits, but Cornwall is a masterstroke.

[broadgage]

Most world leaders expect to fly pretty much everywhere, but some at least could try the train.

I expect Boris will cycle there straight from Downing Street.   

More likely to take the train and borrow or hire a cycle in Cornwall. Best not to take a cycle on the train.

[smokey]

I really do like that on the Overhead photo of the Carbis Bay Hotel there is a building called MOONRAKERS on Park Owles.  Spies Abound. 

[TaplowGreen]

I have been told of a couple who had booked their already once postponed wedding reception at the Treganna Castle being told it has been cancelled again due to "a high profile event".

Sounds naughty. I would like (and actually can!) say that when we ran a hotel, we never cancelled booked guests when an offer of something that was better business came along.  The temptation was there a couple of times, and a couple of times we asked customers if they would mind us moving a course by a few days and usually came to a solution that suited everyone.

[/quote]


..............you may have just put your finger on the reason why the G7 never chose Melksham for its get togethers?

 

[TonyN]

I wonder if there is a clause in the contract with Tregenna Castle that says:
The venue shall not be sold or leased to any company owned or controlled by Donald Trump until after the confrence has taken place.

[infoman]

Just a thought,I see the over head shots of the beach, could the beach accomodate  beach landing/s.

Well its just a few days after the D-Day events.

Stand by for half the Royal Naval frigates and destroyers to be in the area,not to mention two USA aircraft carriers.