Windrushers Gliding Club
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Windrushers Gliding Club (also known as Bicester Gliding Club or simply "Bicester" within gliding circles) was a
gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...
club flying from
Bicester Airfield Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is an airfield on the outskirts of the English town of Bicester in Oxfordshire. Dating back to 1916, this military airfield is notable as the location of the first flight of the prototype Handley Page ...
in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
until late June 2020. At its heyday, the club was one of the biggest gliding clubs in the UK, hosting various competitions throughout the year and maintaining the physical presence of the
British Gliding Association The British Gliding Association (BGA) is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 80 gliding clubs (both civilian and service) which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members (i ...
's shop as well as numerous BGA staff members. The club operated seven days a week, with paid staff running various elements of the club's operations. The club also hosted Oxford University Gliding Club at their site until Windrusher's closure, where OUGC then relocated to
Oxford Gliding Club Oxford Gliding Club (OGC) is a UK gliding club, and is one of the oldest still in operation in the UK. Currently it operates from RAF Weston-on-the-Green, north of Oxford. In 2012, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary. History Formation ...
. During their tenancy, the gliding Varsity match between Oxford University Gliding Club and Cambridge University Gliding Club was held at Bicester Airfield every other year, the other years it was held at
Gransden Lodge Airfield Gransden Lodge Airfield is a former wartime airfield located west of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The Cambridge University Gliding Club (now Cambridge Gliding Centre) moved to Gransden Lodge in October 1991, having previously shared ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
these competitions were not held but in the early summer of 2022 the series was restarted and held at
Oxford Gliding Club Oxford Gliding Club (OGC) is a UK gliding club, and is one of the oldest still in operation in the UK. Currently it operates from RAF Weston-on-the-Green, north of Oxford. In 2012, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary. History Formation ...
. Prior to its closure, and since operations ceased the club has maintained Community amateur sports club (CASC) status, a favourable tax status.


Club history


Operational history

Windrushers originally started at operations at
Little Rissington Little Rissington is a village and civil parish about south of Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 280. Parish church The oldest part of the Church of Engl ...
before moving to Bicester in 1956, later merging with the
Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association is a British organisation which provides recreational flying in gliders to RAF personnel. Purpose The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association (RAFGSA) is a voluntary organisation which ex ...
. In July 2004 Sailplane & Gliding, Aug-Sept 2004, p51 the club was reformed as a separate entity after the RAFGSA moved to
RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...
. The following year it hosted the UK Junior National Championship and its own Regional championship. It also later achieved the British Gliding Association's accreditation as a Junior Gliding Centre. During their operation, Windrushers hosted the following competitions;


Closure

After discussions that took place in early 2020, the new owners of
Bicester Airfield Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is an airfield on the outskirts of the English town of Bicester in Oxfordshire. Dating back to 1916, this military airfield is notable as the location of the first flight of the prototype Handley Page ...
, Bicester Heritage, sought to change the lease that allowed WGC to operate on the airfield. WGC would have lost privileges they enjoyed over other users of the airfield, which would have resulted in increased cost and reduced independence to run competitions or expand operations. Bicester Heritage also looked to take over WGC property within the airfield, including the recently renovated clubrooms and workshops. In July 2020, the club left the airfield, with members leaving for various different gliding clubs in the local area such as
Oxford Gliding Club Oxford Gliding Club (OGC) is a UK gliding club, and is one of the oldest still in operation in the UK. Currently it operates from RAF Weston-on-the-Green, north of Oxford. In 2012, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary. History Formation ...
,
Shenington Gliding Club Shenington Gliding Club is a British gliding club near the village of Shenington in the Cotswolds, seven miles north west of Banbury. The club changed its name to Edgehill Gliding Centre in 2022, but still operates from Shenington Airfield. The ...
, Banbury Gliding Club and others further afield. The club maintains its leased was cancelled and it would have been impossible for them to stay at the airfield under the new operational requirements.


Club fleet

When the club ceased operations, it maintained that it was not being dissolved and was instead entering a state of "hibernation", which meant they did not need to follow the CASC guidelines on disposing of assets (such as aircraft) to other eligible CASC organisations in the local area. Controversially, this now means that the majority of their fleet is unavailable for use by either their own members or those in the local area. The club has leased some of the aircraft (noted below) to some clubs however the terms of the leases are not clear as they are not in the public domain. The senior management team of the club maintains that it is searching for a new location in which to restart operations, and until it has exhausted the funds at its disposal it will not provide free access to its fleet to the public.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Windrushers Gliding Club websiteCranfield University Gliding ClubOxford University Gliding Club
Gliding in England Flying clubs Gliderports in the United Kingdom