Expedition reports, cross-country flight achievements, cadet milestones, and airfield updates from Gransden Lodge Airfield.
Today was a day with lots of activity at the airfield: an inter-club cross-country competition, scouts flying, normal flying lessons, and… the relevant bit… lots of trial flights. We effectively had two gliders occupied by trial flights for most of the day. Today the sky looked like this: So, not a fantastic day – ideally … Read more "Whether to use thermals in trial flights"
Cambridge Gliding Club trains student pilots all year. In the winter training flights are fairly short because there are no thermals to keep gliders aloft; around April the thermals start to kick off, and a new cadre of newly-qualified pilots start to think about their first cross-country flights. Cross-country means "out of gliding range of … Read more "Early cross-countries and crops"
When? Saturday and Sunday 13th-14th June, 2026 Where? Cambridge Gliding Centre, SG19 3EB Have you ever wanted to fly? Come and check out what it's like to fly silently, kept aloft simply by thermals (rising currents of air) floating above Cambridgeshire. Free to visit and see the gliding! There's plenty to see — launches, hangar … Read more "Open Weekend 2026 – visit and learn to fly!"
This Sunday marked a huge milestone in my journey towards earning my Sailplane Pilots License (SPL). I flew in the Touring Motor Glider (TMG) for the very first time to complete the remaining training exercises: field selection and landing, navigation, and final glide planning. It was one of the most rewarding and eye-opening flights I’ve … Read more "My First Touring Motor Glider Flight: Navigation, Field Landings, and Final Glide"
In Early July I took my glider to my school! With help from friend Bruce Porteous, it was rigged and everyone had the opportunity to try on a parachute and sit in the glider. It was hugely successful as was running down the field with a timed out parachute. The children were aged 6 to … Read more "G-CHEH goes to school"
At Cambridge Gliding Centre we enjoy a great relationship with City University's Aerospace Engineering programme. We teach their students the practical aspects of aircraft performance by taking them into the air in a glider and showing them! The aim is not to teach them how to fly, but to demonstrate and explain how the controls … Read more "City University Engineers learn the physics of flight"
Yesterday someone posted this on one of our gliding club chat groups: (This viewer © 2019-2024 – @RASPWeather | Tiles © OpenMapTiles | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) Everyone got very excited: But why? What does this mean? It might (might) mean that gliding season is arriving. In the winter, glider flights tend to be short, at least around Cambridge. We … Read more "Is spring springing?"
One of the attendees of our Women's Go Gliding Weekend wrote this post about her experience and it's truly inspiring! Check it out here
Calling All Pilots: Spring Safety Refresher and Social at Gransden Lodge Airfield. Everyone is welcome! Brush up on safety and connect with fellow aviators at the General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) presentation this Friday, April 26th! The event will be held at the Gransden Lodge Airfield clubhouse starting at 7:30 PM (with the bar opening … Read more "General Aviation Safety Council presentation at CGC"
