Bedfordshire

The London Gliding Club was officially inaugurated on February 20th 1930. When the club started using nearby Ivinghoe Beacon as a launch site the spectacle attracted so much public attention that the club were evicted for "spoiling it's peaceful enjoyment by the public". The club (and the crowds) then moved to our current home at Dunstable Downs.

Before the war pilots flying along the hill had instructions relayed to them by flag signals for "too fast" and "too slow"! The glider repair man of the time was said to be able to produce an estimate based purely on the sound of the crash! However prangs were balanced with successes. In 1939 Geoffrey Stephenson was the first to glide across the Channel when he flew all the way from Dunstable to France!

During the war the London Gliding Club was used as a prisoner of war camp. Some evidence of this is still visible as a row of posts near the south-west launch point.

Since the war London Gliding Club has steadily grown. New types of gliders have become available, and now fibreglass is more common than wood. But traditions are maintained by a vigourous Vintage glider group!London Sailplanes Ltd, Trading as the London Gliding Club.
Tring Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2JP.
Office 01582 663 419

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