Flying Programme

Planned military flying times at Keevil airfield are published on RAF Brize Norton – CLICK HERE for Flying Info and scroll to the bottom of the page for LOCAL SCHEDULED TRAINING SORTIES where you can download a PDF of the latest schedule for Keevil.

NOTICE March 2023: Keevil Airfield Activity March – May

From FS Claire Reynolds | FS Airfield Assurance | RAF Brize Norton

I write to make the residents of Steeple Ashton and Keevil Villages aware of military activity taking place at Keevil Airfield in the near future.

The military is conducting several training exercises which involve both ground troops and aircraft during a week in late March, and again Mid April to Mid May. Local residents may be aware of increased military vehicles and personnel in the vicinity during this period. A small installation is being created on the airfield which requires aggregate, deliveries scheduled to take place in late March.

I would like to assure residents that we are doing our utmost to minimise disruption in the local area.

Possible Charity Day on Keevil Airfield in 2023

From Paul Lenaerts, November 2022: “It has been suggested that we (the village) should organise a charity fun day some time next year on the Airfield for villagers so we (and local charities) can get some benefit from the great resource on our doorstep. The Parish Council have indicated their general support, and we have had some (unofficial) encouraging discussions with the authorities concerned. The idea would be to have a daytime event using some or the whole of the tarmac perimeter track which is about 2.5 miles (4km) circumference. Free access would be via Crash Gate 3 at the end of Martins Road. Possible events could include cycling, running, wheel chair push etc. The first thing is to get some idea of the appetite for this so if you have any ideas regarding events, timing, charities and general organisation, please drop me an email or give me a call: Paul@lenaerts.co.uk, Landline 01380 870186, Mobile: 07855 887547

2023 Track Days

From time to time motorsport events are held on the airfield: the MOD have advised that in 2023 activity is proposed on the following dates, avoiding Easter and high summer, and that events should be complete by 17.00 hrs. Councillor Rob Kevan liaises with the organisers, please contact him with any queries on 07503 212965 rob@keevilpc.com:

  • Monday 27 February
  • Friday 31 March
  • Friday 19 May
  • Friday 23 June
  • Sept (tbc)
  • Friday 20 October
  • Friday 10 November
  • Friday 8 December
47 Regiment Royal Artillery Watchkeeper RPAS activity
June 2022: KEEVIL AIRFIELD AIRSPACE CHANGE PROPOSAL ACP-2021-006 CONSULTATION

The consultation period for the MOD Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) that is seeking to enable the Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft from Keevil Airfield ran June-August 2022, and included a number of roadshows, online briefings and Open Days. Details can be found online on Citizen Space, including documentation for Stage 3 of the airspace change process as well as online feedback from individuals and organisations. Further updates are expected in the new year.

The Project LOVERIDGE team: Capt R D Goodman RA | Project LOVERIDGE lead | 47th Regiment Royal Artillery | Horne Barracks | LARKHILL | Wiltshire | SP4 8QE |email: 47RA-Project-LOVERIDGE@mod.gov.uk

More about Watchkeeper and 47 RA – and they have a great Facebook page

Annual Interservices Regional Gliding Competition

20th – 29th August 2022, hosted by Bannerdown Gliding Club

Track Days on Keevil Airfield: discussions in 2022

The meeting on Tuesday 5th April was attended by around 30 villagers; Paul Lenaerts reports as follows…

“Maj. Gen. Simon Hutchings made the case for holding Track days on the airfield but accepted that there was a noise issue for the village. I put the argument against motorsport on the airfield saying that the proposed programme of 11 Track days in this year was excessive and that although there was overwhelming support for military use, the concept of using the airfield for a sport that was environmentally damaging was not popular.

Rob Kevan chaired the meeting and read out 3 emails from residents who couldn’t attend, then took comments and questions from the floor.

After discussion it was agreed that the current year’s programme would be reduced by 3 events in the summer months, and that next year, early consultation would take place before any programme was finalised.

Longer term, Simon re-assured us that Army motorsport would be moving to a ‘greener’ format, and I undertook to start a campaign for the airfield to be more accessible to villagers on a controlled basis for leisure, wellbeing, and charitable purposes which were environmentally friendly.”

Paul Lenaerts | 9th April 2022

Public Meeting Tuesday 5th April 2022, 7.30pm in the village hall

Following an increase this year of motorsport activity on the airfield – to eleven events over ten months March-December – villager Paul Lenaerts sent a petition to Brize Norton, following which Major General Simon Hutchings, President of the British Army Motorsport Association (who host the Track Days) met with Paul. As a result of that discussion, it was agreed that the first two planned days would go ahead (on 8th and 25th March) and then there would be an OPEN MEETING for residents where the case for and against the Track Days would be publicly debated by Simon and Paul, chaired by Rob Kevan (who as a Parish Councillor holds the Airfield Liaison portfolio)

September 2018: Static Display of Aircraft on Keevil Airfield

RAF 100 Click here for the Gallery of images

Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) newsletter

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-newsletter