Yorkshire Gliding Club

The Yorkshire Gliding Club (YGC) operate from an airfield[note 1][1] on Sutton Bank in the North York Moors National Park, England. The airfield site is 7 miles (11 km) east of Thirsk along the A170 road and just south of the National Park visitors centre at Sutton Bank.[2][3] The club formed in 1934 from an amalgamation of gliding concerns from the West Riding of Yorkshire and has been in existence for over 80 years and has had many famous fliers such as Nicholas Goodhart, Amy Johnson and Fred Slingsby.[4]

Yorkshire Gliding Club
Thirsk Sutton Bank
Yorkshire Gliding Club glider under tow. The circular clubhouse is in the background
Summary
Airport typePrivate
Owner/OperatorYorkshire Gliding Club
LocationSutton Bank, Cold Kirby, North Yorkshire
Opened1934
Time zoneGMT (BST)
Elevation AMSL920 ft / 280 m
Coordinates54.2307°N 1.2093°W / 54.2307; -1.2093
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
Yorkshire Gliding Club
Thirsk Sutton Bank
Location within North Yorkshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02-20 1,000 grass
06-24 500 grass

The club's location, on top of Roulston Scar and Sutton Bank over the White Horse of Kilburn, and the sheer drop away of the cliff, has made it a notable aircraft launching point.[5] It is the most popular gliding club in the north of England.

History

Sutton Bank had been in use as a glider launching site for 25 years before the YGC was formed and had also been used by Slingsby Sailplanes to test their aircraft.[6][note 2][3] The first official recorded use of the site was in 1911 when Erik Addyman launched his self-built glider off the edge of Sutton Bank.[7] The Yorkshire Gliding Club was formed in April 1934 as an amalgamation of the Bradford Gliding Club with the Ilkley and District Gliding Club by Phil Wills, Fred Slingsby and Norman Sharpe.[8][note 3][9] The club moved to Sutton Bank in the second half of 1934 when they negotiated a lease on the site from the land owners (it was owned by the Church of England)[10] with the site being perceived as second only to one at Dunstable in the development of British gliding.[11] However, in the early days of gliding the airspace at Sutton Bank was deemed of far greater value as its launch site was 600 feet (180 m) above the ground level at the bottom of the cliff compared to Dunstable's 200 feet (61 m) clearance.[12]

The YGC airfield sits atop an escarpment on the southern edge of Sutton Bank, 920 feet (280 m) above sea level,[13][14][note 4][15] that used to be an Iron Age hill fort, and as such, the site is registered as a scheduled monument (excluding for the YGC buildings).[16][17] Due to the topography of the site, which has a steep west facing escarpment, air is forced upwards against the cliff face providing natural lift with an aerial tow or winch assisting the gliders in getting airborne.[18] A third form of lift exists in what is known as a Mountain Wave which allows for flying at advanced heights, with the club record standing at 33,000 feet (10,000 m).[19]

In August 1935, despite being only just over one year old, the Yorkshire Gliding Club and their airfield at Sutton Bank were deemed to be the premier location for the August to September National Gliding Competition. The editorial of the August edition of the Sailplane and Gliding Journal stated

...it is safe to say that there is no other site in the country at present nearly as well suited to the efficient running of the Competitions [sic].[20]

The launch site at Sutton Bank was recognised nationally as the best place in the United Kingdom for high-efficiency soaring and gliding.[21] Hangars and ancillary buildings were erected in 1934 for the National Gliding Championships. In 1936, a brick hangar was built which is still extant today.[22]

During the early days of gliding, men would haul ropes and "run like hell" to catapult the glider into the air, which used the natural up-draughts from the edge of the cliffs to keep the gliders aloft.[23] A mechanical system was installed when the YGC bought a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and converted the engine to work a winch to get the gliders airborne.[24] This involved removing the wheels, installing 2,625 feet (800 m) of steel cable and engaging the drive function to get the aircraft off the ground. When the glider was safely airborne, the gear on the car would be changed to neutral and the aircraft released.[25] Due to the relative simple design of the gliders that YGC used at that time, the grassed areas were sufficient as they were and needed relatively low maintenance. Rabbits were introduced to keep the grass trim but they also supplied rabbit meat to local butchers, a lucrative sideline for the club.[22]

Gliding off Roulston Crag; here the towing plane has cleared the crag and has already dipped below its level. The attached glider is just getting airborne

Glider training for Royal Air Force cadets was undertaken at the site during 1939, with No. 28 Glider School using the site sporadically up until their disbandment in 1950.[26][27] The airstrip was not used for any flying purposes during the Second World War, but may have been left as a decoy airfield to attract enemy bombers (though certain groups such as English Heritage state there is no evidence of this). Another decoy airfield was sited on the racecourse on the opposite side of the A170, 1.2 miles (2 km) north of the airfield. This was furnished with replica Whitley bombers and became a relief landing ground for RAF Dishforth.[28][29] At least one Royal Air Force aircraft is recorded to have landed at Sutton Bank when all other airstrips in the Vale of York were fogbound.[24] As the site was familiar to many German glider pilots, defensive ditches were dug out of the airfield by the British Army during the 1940s, as it was perceived as a Nazi invasion site. The Germans were world leaders in the sport of gliding and many had travelled to Britain to train British pilots during the 1930s. One had even spent two years at Sutton Bank in the late 1930s training other glider pilots. As the German use of parachutists and gliders was seen to good effect when they invaded the Low Countries, Sutton Bank was perceived as a risk and so plans were made to fortify the area and cover over the White Horse to prevent identifying the location from the air.[28] The digging damaged the Iron Age fortifications.[30]

In 1959, the circular clubhouse was built; this is still used today as the YGCs cafe and main meeting point; due to its circular nature, it offers panoramic views across the surrounding countryside.[22] A new hangar was built in 2014 to accommodate the increase in members and storage of aircraft.[31]

The grassed strip is also available for powered aircraft such as small propeller driven planes which tow the gliders into the air, and other types such as gyrocopters.[32] The YGC is open seven days a week and deploys aircraft each day weather permitting,[33] but they also have an on-site simulator, which can be used in the event of a non-flying day. The simulator cost £17,000 and was installed in 2008.[34] Since 2011, the YGC and the training element from RAF Linton-on-Ouse have had cross-training days to make the two entities aware of each other in the sky. As both the YGC and the RAF pilots under training use the crowded airspace of the Vale of York, a programme was developed where all pilots going through Basic Flying Training (BFT) with the RAF are given hands-on experience with gliders.[35][36]

In July 2013, the YGC had 50 aircraft registered with the BICR[note 5][37] and has a complement of just under 200 members;[38] it is often described as being the most popular gliding club in the north of England.[39] The site has two grassed runways which are 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and 1,600 feet (500 m) in length,[40] with the footprint of the site covering over 100 acres (40 ha).[23] The longer airstrip was created in 1955 with the cooperation of the Forestry Commission,[41] and was extended further in mid-1960s with a second aircraft hangar being constructed in late 1969.[42]

The Cleveland Way walk traverses the extreme western end of the site where it drops away to the cliffs below. The Yorkshire Gliding Club cafe is open to non-flying personnel and walkers are welcome to sample what is on offer.[43] Gliding courses are also available to non-members.[19][44]

Incidents

The safety record at YGC (and of the wider UK gliding fraternity) is good.[45][46] Across all of the gliding clubs in the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1995, they were 76 fatalities in comparison to over 8 million glider launches across the UK. All of these fatalities were glider pilots (or passengers) and no deaths occurred to people on the ground.[47] The British Gliding Association points out that

Gliding is an adventurous air sport and as such is not as safe as travelling on a commercial airliner. If you are looking for a totally risk free sport, gliding may not be right for you. The BGA gives priority to continuing to reduce the fatal accident rate and to not harming any third parties. In the latest 10 year period [2007–2016], the trainee glider pilot serious injury rate was 0.4 per 100,000 flights with zero fatalities. For all glider pilots in the same period, the serious injury rate was 1.9 per 100,000 flights with a fatal injury rate of 0.7 per 100,000 flights.[45]

Due to the location of the YGC airfield over Sutton Bank and the A170 road, coupled with the crowded airspace in the Vale of York, there have been some notable incidents at Sutton Bank or in the vicinity. It is worth noting that the airspace around the airfield is designated as Class-G, which means that the principle method of preventing accidents (moreover mid-air collisions) is a "see and avoid" system.[48][49] Also, microlights, gyrocopters and gliders have different airworthiness codes and different licensing standards for their pilots in comparison to those of heavier commercial, military and passenger carrying aircraft.[50]

Date Incident YGC club member Ref
16 August 1937 A 25-year old pilot was killed when his glider plunged to the ground immediately after take-off. Unknown [51]
15 December 2004 A gyrocopter crashed into woodland near to the airfield site, at the bottom of the cliff. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. Yes [52]
30 August 2006 A glider crashed when it came in to land at Sutton Bank. The pilot was taken to hospital but died later. The coroner ruled that his death was down to pilot error. No [53][54]
2 October 2006 A mid-air collision between two gliders killed one pilot, who it is thought was trapped in his glider by G-forces. Debris was dropped over the A170, which had to be closed as a result. The other pilot suffered minimal injuries and parachuted to safety. No [55]

Notable members

Notes
  1. Sutton Bank was mentioned in the House of Lords in the year 2000 as being an aerodrome as this would restrict open access to the site on the grounds that the flying activity on the site presented a health and safety risk.
  2. The Slingsby factory is still in Kirkbymoorside, some 12 miles (20 km) east of the Sutton Bank site
  3. The Bradford club had absorbed the Leeds Gliding Club and had its premises at Apperley Bridge. They often trialled their gliders on Baildon Moor, but this proved to be too small for them when they amalgamated with the Ilkley Club, and so a new site was needed.
  4. The main part of the airfield is at 920 feet (280 m) but the highest part of the Roulston Scar Promontory rises to 938 feet (286 m)
  5. British Isles Civil Aircraft Register

References
  1. "Lords Hansard text for 27 Sept 2000 (200927-33)". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  2. Cumming 1966, p. 15.
  3. "OL26" (Map). North York Moors - Western area. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 9780319242650.
  4. "Pilots reach for the sky in gliding championship". The Yorkshire Post. 27 July 2006. ProQuest 335366424.
  5. "Glider pilot fighting for life after crash". Yorkshire Evening Post. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  6. "A quick reference guide to wooden sailplanes built by Slingsbys Kirbymoorside[sic]" (PDF). glidingheritage.org.uk/. p. 3. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  7. Lewis, Stephen (14 April 2014). "A really big year for gliding". York Press. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  8. "Celebrating 75 years of silent flight above the North Yorkshire landscape". Darlington and Stockton Times. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  9. Priestley, Mike (30 September 2006). "Papers take to the air". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  10. Bradney, Glen (January 2015). "A HISTORY OF BRITISH GLIDING PART 1 – THE BEGINNINGS TO THE END OF WORLD WAR 2" (PDF). glidingheritage.org.uk. p. 55. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  11. "A HISTORY OF BRITISH GLIDING PART 1 – THE BEGINNINGS TO THE END OF WORLD WAR 2" (PDF). glidingheritage.org.uk. p. 39. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  12. Bryce-Smith, Gillian, ed. (October–November 1992). "A report from the past; National Gliding School, site secured in Yorkshire". Sailplane and Gliding. Leicester: British Gliding Association. 43 (5): 295. ISSN 0036-7230.
  13. Southgate, Sam (3 October 2006). "Mid-air collision kills glider pilot at Sutton Bank". York Press. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  14. "Yorkshire Gliding Club president Moyra Johnson taking flight at 93". York Press. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  15. Oswald & Pearson 2001, p. 3.
  16. Foster, Mark (2 November 2001). "Where Iron Age man kept a look-out". The Northern Echo. ProQuest 328962606.
  17. Historic England. "Promontory fort at Roulston Scar, Kilburn High and Low (1015502)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  18. Cumming 1966, p. 23.
  19. Clark, Matt (20 May 2014). "Gliding all over Yorkshire". York Press. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  20. Slater, Alan E, ed. (August 1935). "Sutton Bank 1935". The Sailplane and Glider. Victoria St, London: British Glider Association. 6 (8): 115. ISSN 0036-7230.
  21. Cumming 1966, p. 65.
  22. Oswald & Pearson 2001, p. 5.
  23. Hastings, Sheena (19 July 2011). "Gliding still makes Moyra's spirits soar 76 years after first reaching for the sky". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  24. Dooks, Brian (21 April 2009). "After three quarters of a century, there's a new white horse on the horizon". The Yorkshire Post. ProQuest 335574730.
  25. "Lift Off | Living North". www.livingnorth.com. July 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  26. "On this day in Yorkshire 1939". The Yorkshire Post. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  27. "Sutton Bank - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK". www.abct.org.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  28. Oswald & Pearson 2001, p. 30.
  29. Casci, Mark (7 February 2011). "Farm of the Week: Renaissance for farm in tourist trap". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  30. Wainwright, Martin (2 November 2001). "Iron Age fort reveals itself". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  31. "North York Moors National Park Authority Planning Committee 24 July 2014 Miscellaneous Items" (PDF). northyorkmoors.org.uk. July 2014. p. 8. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  32. "Loose seat attachment may have caused fatal gyroplane crash". The Yorkshire Post. 9 September 2005. ProQuest 335248594.
  33. Jennings, Lindsay (11 May 2006). "The day I found my wings". The Northern Echo. ProQuest 329155984.
  34. "Grounded glider pilots can still soar over moors". The Yorkshire Post. 30 May 2008. ProQuest 335281913.
  35. "August–September 2011". sailplaneandgliding.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  36. "Jet pilots get gliding tips at RAF Linton-on-Ouse". York Press. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  37. The LAAS British Airfields Guide. LAAS Data. August 2013. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-85075-316-5.
  38. Minting, Stuart (13 May 2016). "Flying high is a matter of balancing thrills with skills". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  39. Minting, Stuart (17 July 2016). "Gliders and light aircraft in near-miss near Sutton Bank". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  40. "Airfield Cards : Thirsk (Sutton Bank)". airfieldcards.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  41. Slater, Alan, ed. (1955). "Clubs & Associations; Yorkshire Gliding Club". Gliding. London: Sailflying Press. 6 (1): 46. OCLC 6549098.
  42. Oswald & Pearson 2001, p. 11.
  43. "New Cleveland Way walk provides stunning views | News from the Cleveland Way | National Trails". National Trail. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  44. Bagshaw, Mike (2010). Go slow Yorkshire dales & moors : local, characterful guides to Britain's special places. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-84162-323-8.
  45. "Safety". members.gliding.co.uk/. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  46. Walker, Andy (21 July 2008). "Gliders fill the skies over Thirsk". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  47. "House of Commons - Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs - Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence - Fourteenth Report; GLIDING SAFETY IN 1999". publications.parliament.uk. 26 February 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  48. "AIRPROX REPORT No 2012006" (PDF). airproxboard.org.uk. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  49. "Visiting pilots". ygc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  50. Review of general aviation fatal accidents : 1985-1994. Gatwick Airport: Civil Aviation Authority. 2002. p. 1. ISBN 0-86039-695-9.
  51. Ranter, Harro. "Accident Slingsby Kirby Cadet , 16 Aug 1937". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  52. "Pilot is killed in gyrocopter crash". York Press. 16 December 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  53. "Glider death crash victim named". BBC News. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  54. "Pilot lost control of glider". York Press. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  55. "Pilot dies in second glider crash tragedy". The North Yorkshire News. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  56. Kahn, Walter (June–July 2011). "Nicholas Goodhart obituary". Sailplane & Gliding. Leicester: British Gliding Association. 61 (3): 70. ISSN 0036-7230.

Sources
  • Cumming, Michael (1966). The powerless ones: gliding in peace & war. London: Frederick Muller. OCLC 877337535.
  • Oswald, Alastair; Pearson, Trevor (2001). An Iron Age promontory fort at Roulston Scar, North Yorkshire. York: English Heritage. ISSN 1478-7008.
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