Husbands Bosworth flying sites
HUSBANDS BOSWORTH see also COTE HILL
HUSBANDS BOSWORTH: Military aerodrome now civil gliding site and nearby Air Ambulance helicopter base
Note: All four of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: Pictures by the author.
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber Command
3 Group & 92 Group
85 OTU [Operational Training Unit] (Vickers Wellingtons)
USAAF 313th Troop Carrier Group
USAAF 1st Army glider operations & US Army Air Force (Liaison?)
Civil users: Post 1945: Coventry Gliding Club later renamed The Soaring Centre in 1992. Now known as 'The Gliding Centre'.
Police and Air Ambulance helipad: East Midlands Air Support Unit from 1994
(Located about 500m S of the gliding site/aerodrome: See seperate entry )
Location: E of A50, 1nm S of Husbands Bosworth, 6nm WSW of Market Harborough
Period of operation: Military 1943 to 1945.
Closed until reopened for gliding in 1964 to present day. Some records state that this aerodrome closed for military use in 1956
Runways: WW2: 04/22 1280x46 hard 16/34 1280x46 hard
09/27 1829x46 hard
2001: 10/28 1200x90 grass
Police helipad: Concrete pad
NOTES: Handed to 92 Group, Bomber Command as an OTU in August 1942 - but it took a year to become operational.
1943: Satellite for No.14 & No.85 OTUs based at MARKET HARBOROUGH using Vickers Wellingtons.
It appears the US Army used eight Piper L-4 Grasshoppers based here, four assigned to the 319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalions and the 376th and 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalions of the 82nd Airborne.
Note: These pictures from a postcard were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
THE GLIDING HERITAGE
In 1964 the Coventry Gliding Club took over the site and it is still used for gliding using winch and aero-tow. Late in 2003 I discovered, according to ‘The New Oxford Dictionary of English’ that a glider is not an aeroplane. I’m bloody glad I didn’t know that when being sat in one previously at several thousand feet! Being serious it does of course serve well to illustrate some of the myriad difficulties I have had compiling this 'Guide' when it comes to definitions. This said, some gliders have ‘pop-out’ engines so what do the learned scholars in Oxford make of these? Plus of course, for a long time many manufacturers have been designing and constructing motor-gliders.
Then again, it is probably wise not to let serious academics out on their own in public.
GA TYPES
Although mainly known as being a gliding site in latter years, I noticed for example, that in 1977 the following GA types were based here: DH.82A Tiger Moth G-ALBD (airworthy?), Beagle A.61 Terrier G-ARSL, D.62C Condor G-AYFG and, belonging to the Coventry Gliding Club, the Scheibe SF-28A G-BBGA. Plus three Chipmunks; The DHC.1 Chipmunk T.10 (reg ?) and two Chipmunk 22s, G-BDCC and G-BDID.
COTE HILL
With the 1930s COTE HILL location also being a gliding site, and only a mile or so away, there is obvously much room to create some confusion. However, I am now pretty much convinced these really are in fact two entirely different locations.
HUSBANDS BOSWORTH: Private airstrips
Note: Picture by the author taken in May 2007.
This picture of the Wilga, shows it on the runway in front of the Air Ambulance hangar.
NOTES: In the AAIB report EW/C2005/08/02 mention is made of “two additional landing strips” - “both privately owned and are solely for the use of light aircraft operated by the respective strip owners.” Perhaps these can be identified?
See also the seperate listing for SULBY.
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