Windrushers Gliding Club
Windrushers Gliding Club is a gliding club flying from Bicester Airfield in Oxfordshire, where it moved to from Little Rissington in 1956, later merging with the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association.The club was reformed as a separate entity in July 2004 [1] after the RAFGSA moved to RAF Halton.Within a year of reforming, it hosted the UK Junior National Championship and its own Regional championship.
Competitions held
UK Junior Gliding national championship (2005, 2010)
Regional gliding championship (every year since 2004)
Standard Class National Championships (2006, 2011)
18m Class National Championships (2008, 2013)
Club Class National Championships (2015)
Club fleet
| Glider type | Number owned | Club ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Schleicher ASK13 | 5 (CCZ, HAL, HMV, JXM, KKR) | Windrushers |
| Grob Twin III | 1 (PX) | Windrushers |
| Alexander-Schleicher K8 | 1 (EED) | Windrushers |
| Grob Astir CS | 1 (DFR) | Windrushers |
| Scheibe Falke 2000 Motor Glider | 2 (G-KGAW, G-CFMW) | Windrushers |
Members can also use OUGC's fleet, consisting of another Astir CS (FEF) and ASK21 (ESB).
Some other two seaters and single seaters are privately owned, however are lent to members of the club for use.[2]
Launch Methods
| Type | Name | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Winch | Skylaunch EVO 2 drum Winch | "Main Winch" |
| Single Engined Tug | Piper PA-25 Pawnee | G-BFPR |
| Single Engined Tug | Robin DR400 | G-ENBW |
There are approximately 45 privately owned gliders based at Windrushers.
From April to September the club is open seven days a week with paid staff, and the rest of the year flies at weekends, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Bank Holidays, when volunteers organise the flying (as is common at most other British gliding clubs).
Currently two university gliding clubs operate under the Windrushers supervision: Oxford University Gliding Club and Cranfield University Gliding Club. A small number of students from University College London also fly from Windrushers, although they also maintain a presence at RAF Halton.
The gliding Varsity match between Oxford University Gliding Club and Cambridge University Gliding Club is held at Bicester Airfield every other year, the other years it is held at Gransden Lodge Airfield.[3][4]
Windrushers Gliding club is a BGA approved Junior Gliding Centre.[5]
References
- ↑ Sailplane & Gliding, Aug-Sept 2004, p51
- ↑ "Gliders available for Bicester Gliding Centre members to fly". www.bicestergliding.com. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "Gliding Varsity - Oxford University Sport". Oxford University Sport. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match | Cambridge University Gliding Club". www.cugc.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "Junior Gliding - British Gliding Association". British Gliding Association. Retrieved 2016-11-12.