Gillrudding Grange
GILLRUDDING GRANGE: Private airstrip
Note: All four of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
The third picture shows that model flying takes place here.
Location: Roughly halfway between Escrick and Naburn, E of the A19 and roughly 5nm SSE of York city centre
Period of operation: ? 1990s to -
Runways: 2002: 09/27 390 grass 18/36 300 grass
2007: 09/27 510 grass 18/36 300 grass
2018: 09/27 510 grass (18/36 appears disused)
NOTES: The evidence I have discovered concerning the existence of this airstrip is minimal, until I looked at Google Earth in 2019. And what a revelation this was. Without any doubt whatsoever, since I started research for this project, the internet has been an absolute boon in so many ways. But, this said, it needs to be approached with an open and questioning mind.
There appears to be evidence of a hangar at the SW corner of the main site.
Some people I have met really can’t understand why on earth I would even wish to record for posterity the existence of a short, (perhaps not even regularly mown), grass strip on private land used only occasionally by one aircraft. I can certainly see their point of view; at face value it’s hardly as interesting a site as GATWICK or a major WW2 bomber base.
My answer is always very simple. It is an unique aviation heritage we British alone appear to have. There are, and have been, per square mile, more private airstrips than any other country in the world.
By and large fuelled by enthusiasm for the PFA, (Popular Flying Association), later to become the LAA (Light Aircraft Associaton). This concept of private flying in the UK is now supplemented with the very popular micro-light brigade supported by the BMAA. Throughout the rest of Europe nothing comes close, and in fact, in ‘West’ Germany for example until the end of the ‘Cold War’ private strips were strictly forbidden.
It can now also be argued that building your own aircraft, in this aspect of GA, is very significant in the UK, and probably no other country matches it, including the USA, if you consider the density of sites per head of population, per square mile etc. It is generally thought that for several decades, that around 550 private airstrips have existed each year. Many of course exist for a limited period, whereas others have been in existence for up to forty years or more.
Regarding the existence of private airstrips, even in France, the true birthplace of fixed-wing aviation in Europe, they cannot boast of a similar achievement. Why this has happened I can’t explain, it is a mystery it seems and the subject is often shrouded in secrecy. This can partly be explained by some odd planning regulations - like the 28 day rule. If I understand this correctly, if you only intend to fly from a strip for no more than twenty eight days a year, (and then only once per allotted day?), you are free of planning regulations. Others claim you can fly as often as you want, but only no more than 28 days a year.
In other words anybody else visiting by air, dropping in without prior permission or even with, automatically deprives the site owner of a flying opportunity! No wonder then that these people hope to keep their strip secret. This said this planning regulation also stifles basic circuit practise, a key aspect in safe flying practise. So here is the question I would like answered by so called planning people, “Why have you invented a system to allow private
flying from private sites and then sought to make it inherently unsafe?” If the 28 day rule only applied to ‘land away’ flights I could pretty much understand it - if not wholly agree with it. Just why a very occasional visitor should effect a penalty on the site operator eludes me completely.
Having flown into many such strips I’m at a loss to explain the perceived problem. Usually the strip operator applies many restrictions; do not overfly this village, this farm or house etc, etc. And this applies even if the 28 day rule doesn't apply.
I don’t have any problem with this as such, it is being a good neighbour policy of course. So what exactly is the rationale behind the 28 day rule? And, why do local planners consider they know far much more about safe flying practice than pilots? Being allowed to practice PFLs (Practice Forced Landings) for example should be part and parcel of every private pilots responsibility, and where better to do this than on a small private airstrip?
When I was still flying, having flown many times from private airstrips, I had often been congratulated by instructors for performing an excellent practice PFL. For me it was usually quite easy even when flying a 'new' and unfamiliar type - I just replicated a glide approach into a small private airstrip, the usual way to arrive.
Mind you, when I first had the opportunity to try this for real, cutting the power from above or downwind, from different heights and actually landing - I made a right hash of it. Which really does prove that having the opportunity to practise time and time again is invaluable. Generally speaking this is not feasible at a busy licensed aerodome. Small wonder then, that so many hapless pilots, faced with a real emergency, fail to succeed. Usually resulting in considerable damage to the aircraft, sometimes with injuries, and, it has to be said - some fatal results.
I did make a plea, which was published in an article, that with so many large disused runways dotted around, that some should be marked with a short narrow strip in the centre, so that practise forced landings, with the engine stopped, (which I never did), could be used time and time again until the pilot was fully confident in their ability to do this time and time again. As far as I know, the idea has not been taken up.
Obviously, initially at least, this is best done under the supervision of a suitably qualified instructor, and affordable courses could be staged at intervals throughout the year. One last point - in the early days of powered aviation, including WW1 and beyond, an engine failure could be expected at any time, and they were certainly frequent. Once a pilot got the hang of it they invariably landed without damage or injury. As aircraft have got faster and heavier, this is one aspect of aviation that, if not exactly ignored, has certainly failed to make any progress.
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
