Thank You Shepherd Stubbs!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

The brief history of my journey to “The Gliding Centre” by John Olds.

It all started in 1996 when I moved to Bedford & was introduced to Sandra Shepherd by a friend who worked for her in Sandra’s recruitment agency in the town. Sandra’s company found me my first job in my new home-town. From that point on our paths have crossed several times from not only a job hunting point of view, but also from the angle of me recruiting for my own business. I have always found the agency to be helpful, friendly & professional – hence the repeat business.

More recent times – I was made redundant in July 2008 from one of the major banks (lucky escape) & made the decision to get back into the hospitality trade – I went through the process of registering with several agencies including Shepherd Stubbs Recuitment – This is when I first met Leah Westerby from Shepherd Stubbs in Kettering – Leah registered me and started her hunt for suitable employment – with the employment market getting tougher every day I was not hopeful! I started taking temporary & short-term contracts to keep me going. Then just before Christmas 2008 Leah called and asked if I would be interested in a manager’s role at a gliding centre (confused)!! However she explained that they wanted a non-flying person to manage & promote the club. I was hooked & in January 09 was selected for a first interview. I left the interview feeling really excited & started to prepare for a second interview – this process seemed to take forever, but finally in March 09 I got the call inviting me back for the 2nd interview (YESSS!!!).

I had to do a 30 min presentation to part of the committee (scary).  I gave it my all & then the painful part, waiting again. Six days later the call came – (I got IT!!!!)  What a journey – I was leaping around my kitchen with excitement when my wife arrived home with my 6 year old daughter, once they knew what was going on, all 3 of us were leaping around the whole house for most of that night.

So the start date was set for the 6th April 09 – I had given notice to my then current employer & was preparing for the new role. The day came & went so fast - but I went home feeling really good.  I have now been at the club for a little over 2 months & I am still loving every minute of my new job. I have thanked Leah for getting me in at The Gliding Centre & have sent her on her first trial flight – she looked a little apprehensive (her fingers had shrunk in length), but I know she loved it from the massive grin on her face as she climbed out of the glider at the end of her flight.– I had my first flight a few weeks ago – FANTASTIC!!!! Two more fruit loops at the club!!!!

So what does “The Gliding Centre” have to offer? Well we cater for all ages from 14 to 114+ & that’s just the gliding. We offer trial flights from as little as £45 to full training courses to take you to the  “Silver Badge” which is an internationally recognised qualification throughout the gliding world.

“The Gliding Centre” also has much-much more to offer as we have developed our clubhouse to cater for conferences & corporate entertainment events. With on-site catering & fully licensed bar we really do have a lot to offer. Our rates for meeting rooms start as low as £65 & special rates can be agreed for any regular

users of the facilities – so why not come and check out our venue for holding your next board meeting or corporate event.

Our facilities are suitable for a wide range of corporate events and we can tailor these to meet the needs of most companies. As well as offering your corporate customer the opportunity to experience the joy of silent flight, we can also offer adventure activities including clay pigeon shooting and off road driving in conjunction with our neighbour Avalanche Adventure. For companies wishing to launch a product our large club-house has a purpose built room that can be used for the product launch and presentations in the morning; then delegates can be treated to a flight in the afternoon. Experience has shown this is the ideal way to ensure your clients turn up on the day!  For larger numbers you can split the group into two, one group flying and one group listening to your presentation and then after lunch the groups swap over. You may be surprised how cost effective this is compared to the usual golf or driving days.  

Evening flying groups is a very popular idea for clubs, companies and just groups of friends. It is a fun way to experience a glider flight in the comfort of your own group. Held normally in the summer on Monday, Friday or Saturday evenings, even those who would perhaps not venture to try the experience find a relaxed environment and have some good fun when with familiar people. We offer discounts for these events and the costs depend on the numbers involved and the type and number of launches required. Please contact John or Sarah for details, or check out our website – www.theglidingcentre.co.uk 

The Gliding Centre is based just outside Husbands Bosworth village, a short distance from junction 20 of the M1 or junction 1 of the A14, making it very easy to reach and locate. We operate 7 days a week throughout the year (weather permitting) and trial flights are normally arranged by appointment but can, subject to a telephone call, be on the same day. Five-day courses are run from the beginning of April through to the end of October. Our own on-site catering and bunkroom accommodation supports the courses, but there are also a number of local Bed and Breakfast hostelries if preferred.

Visitors are most welcome at the clubhouse. Please do call in and watch the flying whilst having a drink or snack from our bar & servery, or call in to discuss flying options/packages with our helpful office staff. Gliding is suitable for all ages and the Club operates a very keen package of charges for young persons (14 to 21) giving reduced rates for both membership and flying charges whilst they are in full time education.
For launching the gliders, the club uses either our Supermunk aircraft or our powerful 4 drum winch and, with 10 gliders owned by the club and over 100 belonging to members based on site, we are one of the most active airfields in the country. A typical summer’s day will see over 100 launches taking place with pilots flying cross-country and covering up to 1000 kilometres in a flight. Our airfield is sited in the heart of the country and is ideally located for good soaring weather. Minimal local airspace restrictions make for a superb cross country site with many visiting pilots from other clubs in the UK and overseas joining our members during the summer months. Indeed, we normally hold 1 or 2 competitions each year for 50 to 60 pilots who compete against each other to become national or regional champions.

The club was formed in 1953 at Baginton Airfield and was called the ‘Coventry Gliding Club’, and this is still our ‘Company’ name as registered with Companies House. The club grew steadily at Baginton and acquired a number of gliders. Initially, all launches were by winch but a fleet of Tiger Moths accrued, allowing Aerotows to take place. Gliders at this time were of wooden manufacture, such as T21, Grunau Baby and Olympias. Baginton Airfield also continued to grow and it became clear that gliding would soon become restricted from the site, so in 1964 a number of members started to look for a new site. At this time the Air Ministry was disposing of a number of ex WW2 airfields, including Husbands Bosworth Airfield. After a meeting of the club members it was decided to attend the auction and attempt to buy sufficient land to enable the club to operate from it. The money for the auction was raised by purchase of ‘Life’ memberships and the sale of the Tiger Moths to a club member, who then leased them back to the club. Also, available grants were utilised and loans to the club were provided by some of the members. At the auction the land was purchased for the princely sum of £5400, and a deal with an adjoining landowner was struck, enabling the club to obtain the additional land required. The security of land ownership enabled the club to build its first hangar and workshop on the site. This was followed by construction of a clubhouse. Members also brought caravans to the site so that they could spend more time at the facility.

The membership continued to flourish and the glider fleet continued to grow. The first ‘Chipmunk’ tow plane was bought from an RAF auction, and that was followed by the purchase of 3 more with engine conversions to Lycoming units. This is the basis of our current aerotow capability. To accommodate the growing fleet further hangars have been built (giving now 4 in total), which now house all the club fleet in secure and sound conditions. Prudent management has enabled the club to continue updating the fleet and this provides for all aspects of the sport using modern fibreglass gliders.

The original clubhouse, which was made from ‘pre-fabricated’ design, was now showing its age and again the membership provided funds to commence a major rebuilding project (extended over 3 phases) and gave the club a facility that is ranked second to none in the country. All of this history now leaves The Gliding Centre as one of the foremost clubs in the country and, due to the international competitions held on site, is recognised as a wonderful place to experience the delights of gliding in Britain. Tie this to our current clubhouse facilities we really are well placed to cater for virtually any occasion, so call us today on 01858-880521.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey to “The Gliding Centre” and look forward to welcoming you to our great facility.

Many thanks
John
John F. Olds
Club Manager