Bristol Aero Club flies out to its new home near Cirencester after Filton Airfield closure
A FLYING club formed almost 20 years ago so employees at Filton Airfield could take to the skies has moved to a new home.
Bristol Aero Club, formed in 1994 and run by volunteers, has moved 30 miles north east to Cotswold Airport in Cirencester since the closure of the Filton Airfield in December.
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John Pearce qualified age 17
On December 21, employees and club members witnessed for the last time aircraft taking off from the historic airfield. Among the last to depart were two – G-BBXW and G-BASJ – operated by Bristol Aero Club.
At its peak the club had 130 members and three aircraft which operated seven days a week.
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One success story to come out of the club was in 1997 when teenage waiter John Pearce became one of the youngest qualified pilots in Britain.
The 17-year-old from Sea Mills trained in Piper Cherokees and other single-engined planes.
As well as training Filton Airfield employees the club expanded its membership by accepting Associate Members and is affiliated to BAWA (Bristol Aerospace Welfare Association). It also accepts students awarded with flying scholarships by Airbus and those awarded by Flying Scholarships for Disabled People.
The decision to close the airfield at weekends hindered the club's progress before the news of the airfield's closure came as the final body blow.
Membership Secretary John Ferguson, from Henleaze, worked at Filton Airfield for 45 years and was a founding member of the club.
He said: "On that final day there was about 30 of us and it was very sad. We had several planes coming in because people wanted to fly in to Filton on the last day it was operational.
"Quite a few of us were in tears to be honest – it was a big body blow."
Now the club has moved to Cirencester Mr Ferguson said it was inevitable members would be lost but it was hoped new ones would join.
"For some of our members it will be too far and we will definitely lose some who are local to Filton but we hope we will gain some new members from the new area," he said.
"We hope to retain around 60 per cent and will of course be still taking members from Airbus and Rolls Royce. Although it has been a dreadful body blow losing Filton, one of the advantages of Cirencester is that it is open seven days a week."
The club offers members the chance to learn to fly and hire aircraft on a non-profit basis. Visit www.bristolaeroclub.co.uk.
Comments
by Brizz_Tony
Saturday, March 02 2013, 12:07AM
“I learned to fly with BAC, and flew my first solo in G-BBXW. I flew my last flight (so far - I haven't ruled out a return to the skies) in G-BASJ, with my wife and son as passengers. I am indebted to the club, and to John Ferguson in particular, for allowing me to indulge a boyhood dream, and to build up so many happy memories - plus one or two slightly scary ones.
A small club like BAC has the disadvantage of having only two aircraft, meaning lessons and other bookings can be cancelled at short notice. A commercial school has a little in-built spare capacity. That disadvantage is far outweighed by the passion for flying shown by the members, by the pride they take in their aircraft, by the social side of the club, and by their rigid adherence to maintenance regimes.
Filton was a wonderful place to learn to fly, with all manner of surprises for the novice hobby pilot. I got used to messages on the radio like "After the arriving Spitfire, line up and wait", or "You are two to the landing 747", or "After the departing A380 / Harrier / etc". I landed at Kemble a couple of times, once with someone in her 40s, on her maiden flight, having asked me to take her with me because she was due to go on holiday with family, and didn't want to appear nervous. She loved it. I asked her afterwards how the holiday had gone. She told me they had an overhead join to the circuit at Limassol, something which will make sense to another pilot.
The closure of Filton Airport was a travesty, and will come back to haunt us in years to come, as aviation work disperses to other sites, and housing adds to the problems with transport. To the grave, I shall remember the radio traffic:
"Golf Xray Whiskey, ready for departure, runway 27"
"Golf Xray Whiskey, after departure turn right, not above 3000 feet, VFR"
"Golf Xray Whiskey, after departure turn right, not above 3000 feet, VFR"
"Golf Xray Whiskey,read back correct, after departure turn right, not above 3000 feet, VFR. Clear for take-off"
"Clear for take-off 27, Golf Xray Whiskey. Many thanks, bye-bye"”