How to PLAN, PREPARE and FLY to airfields that have NO CHARTS and are NOT ON SKYDEMON

This country has some fantastic airfields and strips for private pilots all available for you neatly packaged with contact details, airfield plates and sometimes even pilot notes on our go to flight app …..SkyDemon.
However, today we’re throwing all that out of the window and using nothing but Google Earth and a verbal brief for our planning, because today we’re taking the Pipersport to the Essex back country and visiting a grass field that is literally, off the charts!
This time we visit Anniesfield also know as Goldhanger a lovely little grass strip not on any published charts or flying apps and so not many people get to visit it or even know that it's there.
So join me for what will be an interesting experience.
My name is Terry Kent and I am a General Aviation PPL private pilot operating out of North Weald EGSX about 12 miles to the north east of London in the UK. Short Field is my channel focused on the lighter side of General Aviation including flight and airfield reviews, equipment unboxing and review plus all things private pilot related. I use various cameras to record my videos including GoPro and Insta 360 and stills and edit them in Adobe Premiere Pro, I am an animator as well and often use animations to describe situations more clearly I use Blender and Adobe After Effects for these. I always attempt to post my videos in the highest possible quality, normally 4k.
I fly a 2011 Pipersport two seat single engine aircraft that is also known as the PS28 or SportCruiser in the USA (America) it is know under the FAA as an LSA or Light Sport Aircraft and can be flown on a very basic license. In the UK it is a Part 21 airplane which requires a full licence but it's generally cheap to run, affordable maintenance and great value for money. It cruises at 100 to 105 knots and has superb short take off and landing or STOL capabilities. I visit farm strips, back country and short airfields, some of them dangerous and I try not to crash :-), as well as international airports and try to learn something new every time I fly.
I fly VFR and IFR as well as visual and instrument approaches.
My videos may give helpful information to pilots but please remember these are just for entertainment, I am not an instructor nor should anything shown in my videos be used for real world aviation, also the airfields I visit may have totally changed or even closed since the making of the video so always consult the latest information for your country.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a ‘thumbs up’ and leave me a comment in the box below, I love to read them and I also like to hear what you like or dislike about my video. Please share it with anyone you think would be interested and I'd so love it if you ticked SUBSCRIBE and DING THE NOTIFICATION BELL to be informed by KZbin when I upload my next video. Thank you so much.
If you are interested, my video content is available to purchase as stock footage, please contact me via my email address in the ABOUT section of my channel for more information.
If you like my content you could buy me a coffee but no worries if you don't want too, I'm just chuffed that you are even interested in my videos, and if you ever see me at any airfields please come over and say 'Hi' and I'll probably buy you a coffee.
www.buymeacoffee.com/shortfield
If you see me around please, please come over and say 'Hi'.
Planning Software: SkyDemon www.skydemon.aero/
#privatepilot #generalaviation #backcountryflying #shortfield

[@FlyingDarkLord]

I was getting disillusioned that we keep losing airfields… but it warms my heart that there are little gems like these still around (if you look hard enough) 👍🏼

[@ShortField]

I agree, there's more out there than you think there is.

[@harmonised8353]

"Hello, Id like to have a go landing in your field tomorrow." "No problem, you're welcome to. But the grass isnt cut, so I'll have that done in time especially for your arrival" !! Love it!!

[@garysimpson3900]

Found "Andrews Field" when I would visit my brother in Suffolk in the 1990's & 2000's. We walked several old WW2 airfields including Sudbury, Lavenham, Thorpe Abbots, Seething & Framlingham.

[@ShortField]

Oh yes fantastic area for WW2 disused fields.

[@SimonWallwork]

Thanks for explaining about the 'low fuel press' warning. In another of your vids I was surprised at how little you were bothered about it.

[@ShortField]

Spent the first year worrying about it but once it was proven that it's just a trash sensor it is now just an annoyance.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Interesting video and place. What a history.

[@LeeRussell]

Excellent video Terry - love the historical information That part of the coastline is very beautiful :)

[@ShortField]

Cheers Lee, you are right it is a lovely area with the tide in or out. Thanks for the watch and comment.

[@fraserp2377]

What a fantastic video, really enjoyed this thanks.

[@ShortField]

Thank you Fraser for the watch and kind comment.

[@InducedBank]

What a lovely place! Really enjoyed that, thank you!

[@ShortField]

Thank you Mike, always feel special visiting places like these.

[@flyingkub]

I treat field like this as I would a precautionary landing but with less circuits. The order of the videos came out the other way around 🙂 I liked the shote of Phil at the end from Grove Farm 🙂

[@ShortField]

I have caused major confusion posting two vids at the same time...lesson learnt. Needed a shot of a field owner and the back of Phil's head came in handy from the weekend, I hope he approves :-)

[@ThePhobicFlyer]

Fantastic video, loving the Shortfield CHANNEL! 👍😃

[@ShortField]

Thank you so much your watch and comment is so appreciated.

[@comeflywithlee433]

Great video and it was nice to see the history of the airfield and surrounding area. Keep up the good work.

[@ShortField]

Cheers Lee

[@JodelFlyer]

Excellent video Terry. Good reminder about SkyDemon waypoint usage and the efforts you need to make to check out these strips and permissions. Interesting historical background to round it all off. I believe there were three such strips protecting London at the time. The others being Stow Marie’s and what is now Southend Airport.

[@ShortField]

Thanks Tim, our stomping ground is full of history.

[@porkorosso7885]

Thanks for the excellent video Terry! Looks like a really nice place to visit again soon.

[@ShortField]

Thank you Vince.

[@rogeriolopes6297]

Excellent video.

[@ShortField]

Thank you very much.

[@musoseven8218]

Another enjoyable trip, with interesting history lesson too. Thanks for your time and efforts in sharing 👍😊

[@ShortField]

Thank you as always. I'm not normally one for the historic side as my channel isn't really about that but I thought it was quite interesting.

[@musoseven8218]

@@ShortField I always enjoy a bit of history, we've got Rendcomb quite near to us that was a RFC airfield in WWI, things have come a long way since then😊😊

[@ThomasGrillo]

Always nice to discover places that are not on the maps. Thanks. :)

[@ShortField]

I agree Thomas

[@classicraceruk1337]

Great little strip, looked like fun

[@ShortField]

Thanks for the watch and comment as always.

[@jeffbridges666]

Nice little strip with history 👌

[@ShortField]

I agree Jeff, don't normally do all the history stuff but I thought it is worth doing for here. Thanks for the watch and comment, really appreciated.

[@kevchilton908]

Brilliant video, Terry! 👌 Again, very professional clear footage and your commentary is spot on. What a lovely field, and that little history added perfectly to make an overall excellent production 👍👏👏👏

[@ShortField]

Thanks Kev, did you catch the second part to this video, where I went to Barling?

[@kevinchilton]

@@ShortField Yes, I did Terry. I commented on that also (provided the comment was added. Sometimes I type out a comment which appears to be accepted but for some reason doesn't appear!) I shall check 👍

[@ShortField]

@@kevinchilton Thanks Kev, I made a bit of a mistake posting both videos at the same time but thank you for finding it and watching.

[@DanSmithBK]

Essex back country... love it! Another corker of a video, thanks again for making them!

[@ShortField]

Cheers Dan, need to get some Tundra Tyres on the SportCruiser next :-)

[@DanSmithBK]

@@ShortField and a mahooosive mullet haircut ;-) yee-hah!

[@ShortField]

@@DanSmithBK oh yes

[@MrKylehornsey]

Nearly as good as the real experience, thanks Terry once again. Having done my flying with paper charts & analogue instruments, all the electronic aids seem surreal! Actually the most enjoyable flight was with an instructor with only compass, map, watch and tacho - real seat-of-the-pants stuff, judging altitude by the reaction from sheep or rabbits. Keep it coming!

[@ShortField]

Cheers Kyle

[@sahhull]

I fly PPL(H) out of a private airpark that isnt listed or on the charts. Its nice. I made my own info sheet for the place. Bing maps birds eye view is a great tool, but in this area its around 15 years out of date. Nice landing BTW. That runway seemed very narrow.

[@frizzlefry5904]

Nice, come up to sutton meadow some time... and I will give this one a look one day, its a nice c.c. cheers.

[@ShortField]

I need to come back. I'll PPR next time and save some money instead of just bowling up :-)

[@flyingmissionary]

I like the thought process behind all your planning in theses sort of videos. I think you could’ve aptly titled this one UNCHARTED TERRITORY! 😆 Well done @ShortField 👍🏼

[@ShortField]

Thanks Dollar, what did you think of the thumbnail did it spike your interest?

[@flyingmissionary]

@@ShortField Yeah, it did but my first thought was more like “It’s on Skydemon/ paper charts, you’ve flown there but it doesn’t actually exist in reality”

[@JBMPPS]

Awesome video mate, what an adventure it must be. What I don’t understand however is why these airfields aren’t on charts. Surely either it’s an airfield or it’s not, if it is it will be on charts or the AIP, and if it’s not an airfield how is it legal to land there? Thanks!

[@ShortField]

Thank you. Yes some of these are literally just mowed fields. They don't advertise them as they don't want to be know as an airfield. As I point out you need to be very careful not to upset anyone or they will report you and as it is not a listed strip you run the chance of prosecution :-)

[@grahamlees4394]

I can't now remember the name of the old field but there was a TV program a year or so ago about an old wartime field in east Anglia where a family of barn owls were filmed over a period of a year, feeding and raising their chicks. Not sure if the field was still active but a really interesting program, nonetheless. Great video again Terry, as always 🙂

[@ShortField]

Thanks for watching and the kind comment Graham. I'm also not sure but it could be Stow Maries about 7 or 8 miles from Goldhanger, they have old hangers that have birds in them. Ironically, Stow Maries was a sister base to Goldhanger in WW1.

[@grahamlees4394]

@@ShortField Yes, the name is familiar... is it still flyable?

[@ShortField]

@@grahamlees4394 yes, they have limited movements so it's hard to get to visit. My mate is based there, they have a nice little cafe as well.

[@grahamlees4394]

@@ShortField brilliant, thanks... not as daft as I'm cabbage looking then 🤪

[@michaelmiklosofficial]

Subscribed

[@ShortField]

Honoured and grateful thanks Michael. 👍👍

[@michaelmiklosofficial]

@@ShortField Some time i will fly into Shotteswell / Banbury Airfield

[@michaelmiklosofficial]

@@ShortField Alscot Park Airstrip has no contact details

[@ShortField]

@@michaelmiklosofficial which one???

[@stratotramp6243]

Thought you had two thumbnails for the same video there 🤣 thought how does he do that... No it's two videos.

[@ShortField]

Always giving :-)

[@davidwhite5157]

Nice video - thanks! 😁 An even better feature than adding a Waypoint for this in SkyDemon (but you need the PC version) is 'Custom Data', which you can find under 'Setup'. That allows you to put the place in as an airfield, with its elevation, runway distances and orientations, contact details and Notes etc. Sync to cloud and then it appears just like any other airfield - perfect. A method for finding sometimes elusive PPR contact details I've found is to look on Google Maps. If there's another business shown on the farmstrip, give them a call and ask if they know who runs the strip or if they can provide contact details for their landlord. People are often happy to help. 👍🏻

[@ShortField]

Thank you David I need to look into that I'm building up quite a database of these strips now.

[@rinzler9775]

Residents on the ground: "there is a suspicious aircraft cirling around".

[@ShortField]

Yes, all felt very strange, great fun though.

[@dwykejack1279]

Saw that vid with Trent Palmer and apparently he was doing an “observation” check to check the surface was good to land, what you think?

[@ShortField]

I don't know, obviously it's wise to do a checkout of the field but seems like there's more to this than he is saying.

[@sebread7047]

Another nice video - one question. You mention that in doing a low pass you're still subject to low flying rules (>500 feet) but then go down to 100 feet to check the strip. Is that because you're planning on landing and therefore exempt? Thanks!

[@ShortField]

Thanks for the kind comments. That’s a great question I did try and keep at 500ft until I had passed the caravan park. Calling it a go around rather than a low pass covers you a bit as a low pass means you are not intending on landing so would not be exempt. Does that make sense?

[@sebread7047]

​@@ShortField Got it. I've just reviewed the legislation myself and it seems there is a level of vaguery in the wording that pilots just have to 'interpret' when it comes to these kind of ops. In my opinion a recce low pass (or go around haha) is essential for the safe conduct of the aircraft in any short field flying. Certainly it seems Trent Palmer has been treated unfairly by the FAA.

[@briancattle669]

Remember also that 500ft doesn’t mean that you need to be 500ft AGL necessarily. You only have to be 500ft from any building, person or vessel, except for takeoff/landing. So if you’re flying along at the height of a house say, then you’d need to be 500ft laterally from that house to ensure compliance with Rule 5.

[@rinzler9775]

"Bitching betty" was throwing a lot of warnings.

[@ShortField]

I know needed a slap :-)

[@markallisonparamotor]

Pull up, pull up! 😁😁 I bet that gets annoying fast, and distracting.

[@ShortField]

Yeah it is a bit :-)

[@laneman8777]

I like your videos but I am concerned about your flying philosophy. The thrill you find in landing at short fields is risky. The Wittle incident showed there is little margin for error. This may be thrilling, but may eventually cost you your plane or possibly more. I recommend watching Flywire and Blanco Lirio videos to add a focus on safety to your flying.

[@ShortField]

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment. YT is such a difficult platform, if you just post a video (as I have done) showing a flight from A to B no one is interested so I tend to post the more challenging ones or where I've made an error (even then I get told off for click-bait when I don't actually crash). I have been flying GA for over 30 years and have never even slightly damaged any aircraft, person, infrastructure or myself, I may do one day but my intention is to keep that record. Sometimes these videos look worse than they are and they are edited to tell a story which is why they seem worse than they are. I thank you and appreciate the time you took to view and comment. Terry

[@laneman8777]

@@ShortField You're welcome. I watched the last few minutes again and see that you did a full review of the chain of events. You also came up with a mitigation plan for future flights, plus established a personal minimum criteria for specific field lengths. Excellent job. Cheers from America