Eastbach Spence
EASTBACH ‘SPENCE’ AIRFIELD: Private airfield
Note: This picture (2013) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified.
Operated by: 1980s: Knight Flying Group
2000: ‘Spence Airfield’ Associates
2001: Mr B Morgan & Ms W Durrad
Location: I hope it might be of interest to read my early notes, as I found this site really quite difficult to track down: One source says it is 4nm S of Ross-on-Wye, (6nm from another source), and 6nm NE of Monmouth. None of this makes any sense. If it is 4nm S of Ross-on-Wye it’s probably somewhere E of Ruardean, and if 6nm probably E of Edge End. If however it really is 6nm NE of Monmouth this would place it near Kerne Bridge, probably E of Goodrich and SSE of Walford. So, where the hell is it exactly?
I had to wait three years to get a reasonable answer and this was from an airfield guide published in the 1980s. This says, (and I think I trust it because it makes sense), that “the strip is just SE of Coleford, E of the B4228”, which would make it roughly 5nm ESE of Monmouth and 9nm SSW of Ross-on-Wye. In an airfield guide published in 2001 the location is given as 6nm S of Ross-on-Wye so confusion still reigns which really does astonish me.
Period of operation: From 1980s
Runways: 1990: NW/SE 400 grass
2001: 01/19 350x7 grass 06/24 250x7 grass
NOTES: I drove here in my truck to collect an aeroplane, the Corben Baby Ace G-BUAA (probably in 2005?), but my floppy disc containing these records self-destructed. I did however discover the existence of other nearby airstrips. These being it seems BIG SMEADS, COLEFORD, TUMP FARM, and EASTBACH FARM - very confusing. If anybody can provide any information on the first three sites I will much appreciate it.
In February 2018 I was kindly contacted by Jeff Jones who suggests that these sources are very useful;
http://www.taylorcraft.org.uk/Spence2006.htm
http://www.spenceairfield.co.uk/
https://www.sungreen.co.uk/Lydbrook/Eastbach-airfield.htm
https://www.sungreen.co.uk/EnglishBicknor/AusterJ1.html
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=17944
Dave Statham
This comment was written on: 2018-08-04 09:49:40Eastbach airfield is very near to Lydbrook.
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