Cotswold Gliding Club facts for kids
The Cotswold Gliding Club (CGC) is a special club where people learn to fly gliders. It's located at Aston Down airfield, which is between the towns of Cirencester and Stroud in Gloucestershire, South West England. The club has many gliders for teaching new pilots. It's also a popular place for long-distance gliding flights, called cross-country gliding, and for exciting competitions.
Contents
About the Gliding Club
The Cotswold Gliding Club started in 1964. First, it was based at Long Newnton airfield. But in 1967, it moved to its current home at Aston Down. At that time, Aston Down was still a military airfield.
In 1980-1981, the club bought a big part of the airfield. They got help from grants and loans to do this. Since then, the club has bought even more land. Now, the CGC owns most of the airfield inside its main track.
The club has about 200 members. This includes 80 students from the University of the West of England in Bristol. There are also about 30 associate members. These include pilots with limited flying rights and people who fly model airplanes. In 2007, the club also welcomed people who enjoy Blokarting.
Aston Down Airfield
Aston Down is a very large airfield for gliding. Its main runway is about 1500 meters long (almost a mile). This long runway allows gliders to be launched very high. Launches can reach between 450 to 700 meters (1,500 to 2,300 feet). Sometimes, they can even go up to 900 meters (3,000 feet) when the wind is perfect.
For many years, gliders at Aston Down were launched using a "reverse pulley" method. But since 2000, most launches are done by winch. These high launches make it easy for gliders to find thermals. Thermals are rising pockets of warm air. They come from the Cotswold hills, which are made of limestone. These thermals create excellent conditions for soaring, which is staying in the air without an engine.
Aerotow launching is also becoming more common. This is especially true during competitions. It's also used when winds from the west or northwest create ridge lift off the Cotswold "Edge." Sometimes, they even get wave lift from the Welsh mountains.
The picture shows Aston Down from the south. The main runway goes from the bottom left to the top right. A shorter, 1000-meter (3,300 feet) runway goes from left to right. Part of a disused runway has been removed. This gives more space for gliders to land on the grass. Blokarting and model airplane flying happen on the runway not being used for gliding. The choice of runway depends on the wind direction.
Club Glider Fleet
The club has a great collection of gliders for training. It includes two modern ASK-21 gliders. These are two-seat gliders perfect for all-around training. There's also a DG 500. This is an advanced two-seat trainer used for long-distance flights and even aerobatics.
The club also has two ASK-13 two-seat trainers. For pilots who are just starting to fly solo, an ASK-23 is available. All the club's gliders have similar instruments. They are also equipped with audio variometers, which help pilots know if they are going up or down.
Gliding Activities
The club is open seven days a week during the main soaring season. This season runs from April to September. In the winter months, the club operates on Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends.
Members of the public can book special trial lessons. They can also take more intensive one-day or five-day courses. If you're part of a work group or another club, you can arrange group flying sessions. These happen on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the summer.
In 2008, the club started new courses. These courses were designed for power pilots. They give them a chance to try soaring flight firsthand.
About 30 instructors teach club members. These instructors are qualified by the British Gliding Association. They train pilots from their first solo flight to advanced cross-country flying. Some members own motor gliders. These are available for club members to practice field landings and cross-country checks.
During the soaring season, many members fly their own gliders. These are often owned by two or more friends. They fly for local soaring or for more ambitious cross-country flights. These flights can cover hundreds of kilometers! You can see examples of recent flights by club members on the BGA Ladder website.
Gliding Competitions
Aston Down is a popular place for gliding competitions. This is because it has excellent runways and facilities. As early as 1962, the National Gliding Championships were held here. The UK's first ever 300-kilometer (186 miles) competition task was set during that event.
The Cotswold Gliding Club has hosted many regional and national gliding competitions. Some recent ones include:
- 2004 Standard Class Nationals
- 2004 Competition Enterprise
- 2006 15 Metre Nationals
- 2007 Inter University Task Week
- 2008 Club Class Nationals
- 2009 15 Metre Nationals
- 2010 Open Class and Standard Class Nationals
- 2011 Junior Championships
- 2013 Open Class & Standard Class Nationals
- 2015 Junior Nationals and Cotswold Regionals
- 2016 20m Multi-Seat and Standard Class Nationals
- 2017 Standard, Open, 15m & 20m Multi-Seat Nationals
- 2018 Standard, Open & 15m Nationals
- 2019 Club Class Nationals
- 2021 Junior Nationals and Cotswold Regionals
- 2022 Standard, Open & 15m Nationals
- 2023 Cotswold Regionals
- 2024 Standard, Open & 15m Class Nationals
- 2025 Junior Nationals and Cotswold Regionals
Other Sports at Aston Down
Aston Down is not just for gliding! In 2007, it hosted the British Blokart Championships. Blokarting is like sailing on land with a small cart. In July 2008, the Cotswold Cycle Racing League held its final race there. It was a 30-kilometer (18.6 miles) bike race with six laps around the airfield.
Club Facilities
The original control tower building at the airfield has many useful rooms. It has a briefing room where pilots get ready. There's also a club room, a kitchen, and even places to stay overnight. You can also bring your caravan or camp on site.
A large hangar holds all the club's gliders. Most private gliders owned by members are stored in special trailers. Some are kept in a big, modern hangar when they are not being flown. There is also a workshop. Here, they maintain the aircraft, vehicles, and winches.
The club has even built its own glider flight simulator. This helps members get more training opportunities.
