Cotswold Airport (previously known as ‘Kemble’)
Cotswold Airport – still refered to by pilots as ‘Kemble’ - was opened for civilian flying in 1995 by David Young (Kemble Flying Club’s Chief Flying Instructor) and David has been closely involved with its subsequent development – including helping to secure a High Court victory over its planning status. This has meant there are zero planning restrictions so we can fly dawn to dusk 7 days a week. For microlight pilots we fly VFR (Visual Flight Rules) daylight which is half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Cotswold Airport sits in a great location for flying training surrounded by open countryside and with access to airspace up to 10,000ft!
The outstanding facility has a hard 2009m long runway (the length end-to-end), 45m wide, which is just fantastic for early training. It makes the flying all weather - only ice and snow on the runway stops us flying. Due to its length we can fly low-level all the way along it to enhance pitch skills and even land and take-off twice in a circuit. As it is 45m wide, if you are off line you can still get that landing practice in, working on the pitch control, and next circuit try and improve the directional control.
Then there is a 550m grass strip to tune students up for strip flying - practicing short field in a real environment.
All these benefits add up in saving a considerable time in training because of the airfield.
As well as the airport itself, flying from Kemble is a delight in many other ways - the views will amaze as the spectacle over the Cotswolds is unique – wide open vistas, hills and valleys. Look down into the Roman amphitheatre at Cirencester, across the 100 lakes that make up the Cotswold Water Park and swoop around Malmesbury where over 1,000 years ago Eilmer the flying monk made this country’s first ever manned flight with wings he had attached to himself!
Whatever your flight duration you will most days see the River Severn and the Brecon Beacons to the west, the Malvern hills to the north, views across the Cotswolds way into Oxfordshire to the east and the Marlborough Downs and the edge of Salisbury Plain to the south. We will cover the ground at between 70 and 90 mph and yet float majestically as the world moves slowly beneath. We will usually climb to an altitude higher than our mountains and you will see the World is indeed a small place – there is no need to go into Space for that!