About Us

Founded in 1966, Banbury Gliding Club is a friendly club operating two club two-seater gliders for instruction
(see Gliding Flight Experiences and Learn to Fly package)

There are two club single-seat gliders (Grob Astirs) and around 20 privately owned gliders, launched by our EuroFOX tug aircraft.
The club operates at weekends and bank holidays throughout the year, together with some midweek days over the summer months, especially when suitable soaring conditions occur.

Banbury Gliding Club members and gliding instructors come from many walks of life and all have a shared a passion for flying. The club caters for a wide range of ages, from teenagers – it is possible to fly solo at age 14 – right up to those in retirement. Consequently, a real mixture of flying occurs at the airfield, with some learning to fly in Club two-seaters locally to the airfield, whilst others compete, flying cross-country in modern high performance aircraft, often for hundreds of miles; others enjoy aerobatics, instructing, or flying the tug aircraft that launches the gliders.

Some may participate in local, regional or national competitions; an inter-club competition.

In fact people are often surprised by the scope and range of different activities that gliding has to offer as this short video explains…

The Club operates on a ‘self-help’ basis, and does not employ staff, which keeps the costs of flying to a minimum for the member’s benefit. All work necessary to operate the club and ensure that members can fly is carried out by certified members where possible, including the daily operational tasks such as getting the aircraft out from the hangar and assisting at the launch-point.

All instruction and maintenance is free from qualified & British Gliding Association certified club individuals. If you have a keen interest in experiencing the joys of gliding, you’ll fit right in with us.

Our home: Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield

Our airfield, Hinton-in-the-Hedges, was built in 1940 by RAF Bomber Command and was active throughout WW2; dry all-year-round and large enough to accommodate several large runways, we are able to fly in most weather conditions and have a variety of cross-country options for the more advanced & adventurous glider pilot.

The airfield is located a few miles from the M40 and A43 giving easy access to Banbury, Milton Keynes, Oxford, London, Birmingham, Bicester, Northampton and beyond.

Free from built-up areas and man-made obstructions, Hinton-in-the-Hedges airfield provides an excellent and convenient base for gliding courses and flight experiences.

History

The Club was founded in 1966, as the Civil Service Gliding Club, and initially based at Westcott (Rocket Propulsion Establishment); over the next five years, the Club moved sites several times but came to Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield in 1972 and became known as Aquila (which is Latin for ‘Eagle’). In 2007, the club became Banbury Gliding Club to best reflect our relationship with the local community.

Banbury Gliding Club continues to go from strength to strength, fuelled by a passion for silent flight and the enjoyment we get in sharing this with visitors through our gliding flight experiences.