The historic little field at Haddenham, home to the Upward Bound gliding trust has been closed with immediate effect
”Just back from the British Gliding Association conference where the Upward Bound Trust won the award for most student pilots produced per instructor from all UK gliding clubs. The BGA CEO told me the landowner has planted a row of trees across the runway to stop the club operating. Whilst this notice and actions are in breach of the Landlord and Tennant Act in the long term they will be able to evict the club.” John Brady- Facebook
So sad, and utterly depressing that recreational flying is under relentless assault in so many ways (threatened airspace loss, airfield destruction, insane licencing regime) and in so many locations. Haddenham and Halton are just a few miles apart, both charming grass airfields, and both seemingly with no future for aviation. Henlow too is under thread………. then again, where isn’t ?
By: Arabella-Cox - 27th February 2018 at 09:52
Green space and Green Belt – no longer sacrosanct. Money talks!
Anon.
By: Flying_Pencil - 26th February 2018 at 23:03
Disappearing “green” space.
Meigs Field comes to mind for me.
By: Arabella-Cox - 20th February 2018 at 19:31
I think there has been quite a bit of nostalgic thread drift here. I hope that isn’t an unspoken acknowledgement that the cause is lost.
Regarding the trees; If they are planted illegally just go and cut them down. OK, landlord’s trees and property, etc but this will be done for reasons of flight safety. safety trumps everything. Any legal challenge to the trees’ removal will be thrown out due to the fact that the original act of planting them was in breach of the L&T Act.
Anon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 20th February 2018 at 18:41
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‘Haddenham gave the Hotspur some problems.’
No one was seriously injured in this prang.
By: avion ancien - 20th February 2018 at 18:31
Some years ago I came across http://www.haddenhamairfieldhistory.co.uk/ and was totally absorbed by it for some time. If you want to know more about the airfield and its history, I commend that website. Oh and looking at my logbook, I see that I flew a T.21B there on 9 October 1977!
By: TonyT - 20th February 2018 at 18:15
Shame they get a preservation order on the place. What they need to do is find some rare lesser spotted horny toad or similar.
By: G-ASEA - 20th February 2018 at 17:57
Slingsby Kirby Kite 1’s at RAF Thame 1941.
Dave
By: Tango Charlie - 20th February 2018 at 17:21
Shame if it does go but nothing surprises me. Has to be a prime development site and over spill for Thame. The airfield was one of the first I intended to visit in Proctor LZ791 based here and White Waltham 1943 to 1945
A low pass will probably be the closest 791 gets back to her home from over 70 years ago.
By: Arabella-Cox - 20th February 2018 at 14:10
A description of GTS operations at Haddenham can be found in Lawrence Wright’s book “The Wooden Sword” including a description of why the airfield was far from ideal for Hotspur operations.
By: DaveF68 - 20th February 2018 at 13:56
Propstrike – it would be nice if someone could find a photo of those, someday!
By: Propstrike - 20th February 2018 at 12:49
Haddenham was also used by Avro 504’s…………….in 1941 !
By: David Burke - 20th February 2018 at 11:19
It was the former Irish example thankfully saved and at Yeovilton
By: scotavia - 20th February 2018 at 09:54
Also in my mind as an early Wrecks and Relics entry as being the location of a Walrus.
By: Buster The Bear - 20th February 2018 at 00:10
As a Luton radar controller, my first ever “MAYDAY” occurred over Aylesbury, a Cessna on a general handling flight. Engine failure and they made a perfect landing at Thame. This was in the days before mobile phones. I got a Cabair AA5 to circle above and they confirmed the two occupants were waving at them. Instructor then phoned me from a call box outside the airfield to say that thre were no injuries. Since then, Thame is an airfield that I will always remember, but sadly being a brownfield site, is destined to become forgotten, but not by me, or the many that used it.
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February 19, 2018 at 10:16 pm