Smarthawke mentions in post #3 a connection between the Airedale and the RAFGSA Centre at Bicester.
What might be worth mentioning is that Dick Stratton used one of the Airedales to do a lot of test flying using Mogas and was successful in proving to the CAA that Mogas could indeed be approved for use within certain limits.
Who was Dick Stratton?
At the time, apart from being a very experienced gliding instructor within the RAFGSA, he was at the time the Engineering Director for CSE at Kidlington.
Perhaps his most famous post was being the test flight engineer on the Saro Princess flying boat. (For those of you who are too young to remember, Google is your friend).