Windrushers Gliding Club

Windrushers Gliding Club (also known as Bicester Gliding Club or simply "Bicester" within gliding circles) was a gliding club flying from Bicester Airfield in Oxfordshire until late June 2020 after the owners of the airfield, Bicester Heritage, offered a new lease with significant operational changes and restrictions.

Windrushers originally started at operations at Little Rissington before moving to Bicester in 1956, later merging with the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association. In July 2004 [1] the club was reformed as a separate entity after the RAFGSA moved to RAF Halton. The following year it hosted the UK Junior National Championship and its own Regional championship. It also later achieved the British Gliding Association's accreditation as a Junior Gliding Centre.[2]

The club also hosted Oxford University Gliding Club at their site until Windrusher's closure, where OUGC then relocated to Oxford Gliding Club. During their tenancy, the gliding Varsity match between Oxford University Gliding Club and Cambridge University Gliding Club was held at Bicester Airfield every other year, the other years it was held at Gransden Lodge Airfield.[3][4] The future site of these competitions is not currently clear.

At its peak, the club had approximately 50 private gliders on site at their Bicester airfield, with a substantial club fleet. As of July 2020, most of the club fleet has been put into hibernation should the club restart within the near future. The motorglider has been transferred to Banbury Gliding Club, as has the skylaunch winch, though this is purely in a storage capacity due to limitations at the airfield. The club operated seven days a week year-round with a few paid roles. The club also paid host to a significant number of British Gliding Association staff and functions including the BGA shop.[5]

During their operation, Windrushers hosted the following competitions;