Home Visitors Have a go Learn to fly Weather Flights About the club Gallery Support us Members Area
About the Club - History Bowland Forest Gliding Club evolved from the Blackpool and Fylde Gliding Club which was formed in 1950, at Blackpool Airport, (Squires Gate). The club remained there until 1965, by which time, the airport was becoming very busy with power flying and gliding was considered incompatible.  Luckily, British Aerospace provided a solution and the club moved to Samlesbury. The gliders were kept there in trailers and had to be de-rigged at the end of each day, unless permission was given to keep them in a hangar, usually alongside a Canberra, over Saturday night. Although the arrangement at Samlesbury allowed the club to continue flying, members wanted to be able to guarantee the security and continued development of the club and it was important that we should have our own airfield.  Club officials knew that the Bowland fells would provide good soaring and they set out to find a site within gliding range of the hills. Eventually, the club found a retiring farmer with a farm that gave access to South, East and Westerly hill faces - a rare opportunity! Trial flights were made from 1967, using a portable winch and scaffolding poles to guide the winch cable over hedges. Planning Permission was eventually obtained and in 1971 the site was purchased with the help of interest-free loans from members. The work then started. The depressions that can still be seen on the field today, used to be hedges which were removed and the ditches which were drained and filled by members who travelled over from Samlesbury in working parties. The club has progressed immeasurably since then but owes a lot to the elder members of the club who provided the foundations on which to build a first-rate gliding club. Paul Myers personal history of the club, 44 Years and Counting, helps tell the story.  The club changed its name to Bowland Forest Gliding Club in 1993 to reflect its geographic location and continues to thrive. The next step in our evolution will be the purchase of a DG1001 glider which is due to arrive in May 2024. We believe this will be the first club DG1001 in the country.
Top
Home Visitors Have a go Learn Flights About Gallery Members
About the Club - History Bowland Forest Gliding Club evolved from the Blackpool and Fylde Gliding Club which was formed in 1950, at Blackpool Airport, (Squires Gate). The club remained there until 1965, by which time, the airport was becoming very busy with power flying and gliding was considered incompatible.  Luckily, British Aerospace provided a solution and the club moved to Samlesbury. The gliders were kept there in trailers and had to be de-rigged at the end of each day, unless permission was given to keep them in a hangar, usually alongside a Canberra, over Saturday night. Although the arrangement at Samlesbury allowed the club to continue flying, members wanted to be able to guarantee the security and continued development of the club and it was important that we should have our own airfield.  Club officials knew that the Bowland fells would provide good soaring and they set out to find a site within gliding range of the hills. Eventually, the club found a retiring farmer with a farm that gave access to South, East and Westerly hill faces - a rare opportunity! Trial flights were made from 1967, using a portable winch and scaffolding poles to guide the winch cable over hedges. Planning Permission was eventually obtained and in 1971 the site was purchased with the help of interest-free loans from members. The work then started. The depressions that can still be seen on the field today, used to be hedges which were removed and the ditches which were drained and filled by members who travelled over from Samlesbury in working parties. The club has progressed immeasurably since then but owes a lot to the elder members of the club who provided the foundations on which to build a first-rate gliding club. Paul Myers personal history of the club, 44 Years and Counting, helps tell the story.  The club changed its name to Bowland Forest Gliding Club in 1993 to reflect its geographic location and continues to thrive. The next step in our evolution will be the purchase of a DG1001 glider which is due to arrive in May 2024. We believe this will be the first club DG1001 in the country.
Top