The Aviator, Cheltenham

Located in a somewhat unusual location within the grounds of Gloucester Airport, this is not an airport bar in the more usual sense of one being located within a terminal building and catering to departing passengers, but a pub that just happens to be located next to the airport. That said, Gloucester Airport is not conventional either, there are no scheduled flights and it seems to primarily cater to the training and business market. There was also a constant stream of helicopters coming and going during my recent lunchtime visit. The pub itself is reasonably compact and has outside seating with picnic benches on three sides to make the most of the runway views. Internally it’s arranged in an L-shape configuration with a small bar counter at the inner corner of the L. Flooring is some type of wooden laminate, whilst the paintwork is a very pale grey and the furniture consisting of wooden tables with upright black leather chairs. Large windows on two sides make the most of the outlook, and the walls were liberally covered with aircraft related photographs and paintings, some of which were for sale. A number of large model aircraft were displayed in the roof space. I didn’t inspect the menu, but did notice both a regular printed one and the specials board, and the food certainly seemed popular with the pub largely full with pensioners eating when I visited. Beers on tap were Hogget from the Cotswold Lion brewery, along with a trio from Sharps – Doom Bar, Atlantic and Sea Fury. Ciders meanwhile were well represented with Thatcher’s Haze, Carling Dark Fruit, Aspall’s Suffolk and Aspall’s Harry Sparrow. Overall, whilst not a pub in the more traditional sense, I quite liked it here, as much for it’s quirkiness and unusual setting as anything else perhaps, but would certainly pop in again if passing by.