Sea Plane V Rowers

kilburn

I was disappointed to see the article about this in the Limerick Leadrer today on the front page. Sorry lads cannot find an online link maybe I am blind.

But anyway St Michaels Rowing club have taken the Sea Plane venture to An Bord Pleanala after planning permission was granted. The amazing thing about it is that the operators tried to contact and arrange meetings with the Rowing Club but they were stone walled. They were trying to make arrangements to co-exist on the same stretch of river and keep everyone happy.

I have no vested interest here just want to see progress in the city and anything unique like this venture is a good thing in my mind. So threatening to leave the city if it is granted is a bit pathetic.

Amazotheamazing

I used to row with St. Micheal's so I'm biased but would you want to be rowing where sea planes could be landing? I'd want massive reassurances that they probably couldn't give.

Mc Love

Its obviously wide enough for the two co-exist? no?

kilburn

Thats the point surely he could have informed them of the times of arrivals and departures and they could have worked around it? Hardly going to be planes landing and taking off every 5 minutes. Most of my friends went there when we were in school also so would hate to see them leave.

Amazotheamazing

Mc Love wrote: »

Its obviously wide enough for the two co-exist? no?

In an ideal world but if anything went wrong it could go very wrong I guess.

I haven't been down in Michaels in over a decade so I've no idea what the thinking is.

L.T.P.

Thats unfortunate was looking forward to seeing the sea-planes sooner rather than later. Even though St.Michaels have been there a very long time they need to remember they don't have exclusive rights to the river.

Kess73

I think that they should have set up the seaplanes in Foynes.

The room is there for it and it would be able to co exist alongside the current levels of shipping.

The flying boat museum is there, and of course there is the history that Foynes has with flying boats.

I am a bit biased on the topic though as I had a family member who was part of the crew that flew into Foynes, and have a soft spot for the area.

phog

Totally neutral on this but wondering how do the rowers co-exist with the ships that arrive or depart Limerick docks and how did they manage when the hovercraft operated a few years back?

source

Kess73 wrote: »

I think that they should have set up the seaplanes in Foynes.

The room is there for it and it would be able to co exist alongside the current levels of shipping.

The flying boat museum is there, and of course there is the history that Foynes has with flying boats.

I am a bit biased on the topic though as I had a family member who was part of the crew that flew into Foynes, and have a soft spot for the area.

the idea behind this venture is linking the cities of Ireland by air using existing waterways. three idea of travelling 45 mins to do so is silly. You might as well drive to Shannon and go through the normal check in procedures if that was the case

hightower1

foinse wrote: »

the idea behind this venture is linking the cities of Ireland by air using existing waterways. three idea of travelling 45 mins to do so is silly. You might as well drive to Shannon and go through the normal check in procedures if that was the case

Very true, I'm delighted to see this idea actually get some traction tbh. Its using whats as of yet an untapped resource for the majority of the population and making it really practically usefull. I often travel to Dublin for a day trip and while I dont mind taking the train it'd be cool to take a plane, if it was more cost effective also that would make it a regular use thing for me.

Weighing benefits like that as opposed to the benefits of having a rowing club.... I think I know which one I would support.

Kess73

foinse wrote: »

the idea behind this venture is linking the cities of Ireland by air using existing waterways. three idea of travelling 45 mins to do so is silly. You might as well drive to Shannon and go through the normal check in procedures if that was the case

You do realise that there is/was a Foynes stop off planned for the route?

So there will be much more than your 45 minute trip to Foynes added on, not that it takes 45 minutes to drive to Foynes.

So the Plane will take off from Limerick, land again in Foynes for a spell, with the passengers having the option to walk to the Flying Boat museum during the stop off, and then after about an hour to 90 minutes the trip continues.

This was all mentioned in the paper about a month or so ago.


Also there will only be two routes for the seaplane should it get the go ahead for Limerick, so Hightower can forget about getting the seaplane to Dublin, or Cork, or Waterford etc. Galway and the Aran Islands are the two planned routes. If Hightower wants to fly by seaplane to Dublin, he will have to wait to see if they get permission for their Mountshannon terminal and then fly from there to Dublin.

Plus the Aran island route will not be a direct one. The seaplane will fly to Galway, then stop over there for a spell, then continue on to the Aran Islands.

All this was announced last year, along with the price which is €50 one way.

Another bit that was announced last year is that Harbour Air Ireland will be looking to build their actual base for the planes after Limerick starts, so six months to a year later they are looking to move their base for the region to Clare, with Lough Derg being the planned location, which will make Limerick just a stop over if it gets built.

The Lough Derg fishermen umbrella group have been protesting this since last summer.

Also Harbour Air Ireland announced that they will build routes to Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Athlone, and Nenagh if they get the go ahead to build their main termional in Lough Derg making Lough Derg (near Mountshannon is the site they are looking at) the point of take off for those routes. But this is planned for after the Limerick slot.

Seems to me that by having the flight start in Foynes you would be saving a lot of time on the journey.

So yeah it is really silly to think it should start in Foynes seeing as passengers will have to spend a lot longer in Foynes than it would have taken to drive there to start with.

So if this was to be a Limerick city based service which flew direct from Limerick long term, then it would be a great idea, but everything that Harbour Air Ireland has published in relation to it's plans seems to be ignored by people.

kilburn

+ 1 on everything Kess said all true.

I find it hard to believe that they will get planning permission for the major terminal near Mount Shannon though, the fisherman will drain the lake if they have too, to stop it. In theory though the idea is a great one.

hightower1

€50 one way :eek:... to Galway or the islands none the less! lol.
Eh, no thanks. Maybe the once off to the islands seeing as the missus is a yank and never been but thats it.

Galway is ok and all but I wouldnt be jumping for the nearest day off to go there and certainly wouldnt be paying 200 quid for a day trip for 2 to get there and back.