Silverstone Heliport
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| Silverstone Heliport[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: N/A - ICAO: EGBV | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Octagon Motorsports Group | ||
| Serves | Silverstone | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 502 ft (153 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 06/24 | 1,476 x 98 | 450 x 30 | Grass |
Silverstone Heliport (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGBV) is located 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north of Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England.
The heliport at the British Grand Prix always held the mantle of being, for a short period before the Sunday race, "the World's busiest airport" with a take off or landing every 15 seconds. In Autumn 2002, and in time for the 2003 British Grand Prix, the main road linking the M40 and M1 motorways, the A43, was upgraded as part of the UK Government's trunk road improvement scheme.
There was extensive fog on the morning of the 2003 BGP which resulted in the majority of the helicopter passengers being coached into the circuit along the new road, with hardly any delays.
The combination of the new road, the bad weather and the easy access acted as a showcase for the new infrastructure with the effect that the helicopter traffic the following year began to decline.
Whilst still busy, the heliport is no longer as busy as it once was and has been reduced in size.
