GIBRALEON (MAFE)  

Date of Visit = July 1998

Pilot: = Chris Belton

e-mail = chris@yarboo.freeserve.co.uk

Field Report =When we were there in 1998, it did to our surprise still have an ICAO indicator, I think LEMF but I’m not sure.

The details of this field are included for information, not because it’s recommended. The owners are trying to get the runway renovated at the government’s expense, on the grounds that it is an official diversion field for the police. It’s probably best treated as an emergency landing area.

This is a photo of the runway....!

It is a farm strip at Gibraleón, which is about 60 NM west of Seville. We had only the sketchiest of details, and no telephone number to contact the owner, but we had been told it was easy to find and in good condition. And, of course, the owners would not mind... We were flying in from a small strip in Portugal (Montargil: cf.) and we filed an airborne flightplan on a frequency we had been given. I designated Seville as an alternate: it seemed a sensible precaution since we had no idea what to expect. Our delight at locating the airfield quickly turned to dismay. The battered runway disappeared into oblivion among the weeds. I selected what looked like the best bit, and landed as best I could. The owners were surprised to see us, as were the guardia civil, who arrived hot on our heels. I do not think anyone had landed there for years. Of course, the flight plan had never arrived. When we said we intended to camp in this forbidding place (we could have got rooms in the village) they finally decided that we were loco, and left us alone, warning us to beware of bandits. The owner donated a bottle of drinking water, pushed the aircraft into the hangar (which was full of empty water-melon boxes and ruled over by a flea-ridden puppy), and left us to the mercy of two large, eager pigs, who seemed delighted to have some company. We propped up the tents on a cart track (the tent pegs simply curled up in disgust), but had to tie them down to bricks during the night when the wind suddenly got up. Just as we were drifting back to sleep, we were rudely awakened by the news in Spanish emanating from a loud speaker on top of the hangar. Good morning, campers!

The aerodrome in the valley of the river Tietar, 50 miles north-west of Madrid, is used in the summer as a base for a fire-fighting operation, and was home to two PZL Dromaders and their crew, the usual motley collection of dogs, and assorted insect-life which included a praying mantis which liked to sit on my tent and slide down onto my head when I opened the door. A huge lizard took up residence in John’s quarters, and an orchestra of frogs struck up every evening when the fishermen had gone home. It’s the perfect place to camp. The river, a few hundred metres away, is paradise, as is the view of the 7,000 foot mountains to the north. The hard runway is old but fairly serviceable, but there’s no fuel, except for the Dromaders. The firefighting team sit around there all day when they’re not working, and have access to some flight planning facilities. A elderly couple run a small cafe specially for them (and for you too if you want), and the toilet facilities are modern and clean. The water is pumped from the river, and it’s not a good idea to drink it the summer because parts of the river upstream are quite touristy, and in the summer there’s not enough flow to keep it clean. The old lady in the cafe will sell orgive you drinking water. If you don’t appreciate the exquisite surroundings and the proximity of the wildlife, you can get digs in a village about 11 kilometers away, which is where the firefighters lodge.

The owners run a large agricultural business, and the hangar and a small room at the side are the administrative centre. The family lives in this room all day. It’s one of those places whose names appear on the side of the fruit and vegetable boxes in your local supermarket. Once they got used to us (I think, like the police, they were suspicious at first) they were very friendly, and left us some drinking water - the water from the well is contaminated with agricultural chemicals. I liked it, it was interesting, and in its own way it had atmosphere, but you need to be able to speak some Spanish. There is a short piece of taxiway (less than 400m) to the south side of the runway (I think it’s marked with cones), which is probably better than the runway itself for landing/take off. In days gone by there was a flying club there, and I think it was used for crop spraying or fire fighting not so long ago. I’m not sure how we’d have gone about getting permission beforehand, though probably, since they do still officially exist, Seville airport has their telephone number.

Photos: John Hardy