Cambridge Gliding Centre is a gliding club based near

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on the

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

county border. Nearby major towns include

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

Cambourne Cambourne is a new settlement and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It lies on the A428 road between Cambridge, 9 miles (14 km) to the east, and St Neots and Bedford to the west. It compris ...

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

, Royston, Sandy, St Ives and St Neots. The club is based 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 ...

, where it moved to from

Duxford Aerodrome Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...

in October 1991. Formerly known as the Cambridge University Gliding Club it became known as the Cambridge Gliding Club in the mid-nineties. In 2006 the club began trading as the Cambridge Gliding Centre. The Cambridge Gliding Centre provides flying lessons, and 'learn to fly' courses for aspiring glider pilots, along with advanced training, e.g.

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

, and conversion courses for more experienced pilots. Experience trial flight gift vouchers are also available and provide a steady stream of visitors to the airfield. The club boasts an active and growing membership, with many record holding pilots amongst their ranks. The Cambridge Gliding Centre operates a fleet of four two-seat basic trainer and five single seater gliders, has access to a

motor glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...

and facilities for both winch launch and

aerotow 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 a ...

operations.

Visiting

Visitors are always welcome. Powered aircraft require "prior permission".

References

External links

Cambridge Gliding Centre
Gliding in England Organisations based in Cambridgeshire {{aviation-stub