NENE VALLEY Gliding Club is
a friendly club providing leisure, cross-country and
competitive flying to member solo pilots,
trainees and visitors in comparatively free
airspace. Current membership is around 62
with over 15 privately-owned gliders on site.
The club fleet includes two two-seater
gliders for training, a single-seat glider for
solo pilots, and a large number of privately
owned aircraft are also kept on-site. Nene
Valley (NVGC) operates from our airfield
at Upwood, Cambridgeshire, using one twin drum winch and one single drum winch for launching up to 2000ft. Members also have access to motor gliding facilities and aerotow launches provided by visiting tug aircraft.
The site includes a ¾ mile-long runway, hangar and workshop, trailer parking and a clubhouse. Our clubhouse offers a comfortable lecture room and main clubroom facilities, toilets and shower, kitchen and refreshments, and a club office.
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NVGC began life in 1968, using a field at Winwick, near Molesworth, and was duly registered as a member of the BGA.
In 1982, following friendly negotiations with the authorities at RAF Alconbury, and at the request of the RAF, the gliding club moved to RAF Upwood to avoid the Alconbury MATZ panhandle.
In 1995 the club was given notice by the Defence Land Agent to find a new home as RAF Upwood was mothballed and put up for sale. After a period of uncertainty, Marshal Papworth, a local farmer and glider pilot, offered the club a lease on land adjacent to RAF Upwood.
Planning permission was subsequently granted and members began construction of the new clubhouse and hangar.
The club moved to the new site in May 1997, but the site was renamed Marshal's Paddock following the tragic death of Marshal Papworth in March 2000.
Original by Simon Gent (PR member 07-08) |
The club fleet has been improved with the addition of a
Grob Twin Astir, K13s and a SZD Junior. Our two purpose-built winches have been continuously upgraded, offering excellent launch facilities on our 240°/060° grass runway.
Our priority is to keep NVGC
membership both affordable and accessible so the club is run on an entirely voluntary basis, including daily airfield tasks, maintenance, and
servicing of aircraft and equipment. All members are encouraged to support the club - no previous experience is necessary; our only requirement is a willingness to help.
The Club now operates a scholarship programme with Abbey College at Ramsey the link between the college and Nene Valley Gliding(NVGC) is thought to be the first of its kind in the country and give students tuition from flying instructors.
(Updated by Webmaster June 2022) |
