Shenington Gliding Club, Funeral Saturday

[mary meagher]

Paul Gibbs the farmer who owned Enstone Airfield, passed away suddenly last week. He was a father to every Shenington pilot, he tolerated and encouraged us and became an instructor himself, and CFI, before being grounded with Parkinsons. However, he turned up every day, kept an eye on us, told us off if we did a low circuit....

We will miss him dreadfully. Flying at Shenington will be suspended from 1 pm on Saturday, 16 October, and the funeral will be in the Shenington Parish Church at 2.

When he was undergoing training at Dunstable (London Gliding Club), all the pilots were sitting around comparing their equipment....gliders, I mean. One said "I have a Duo-Discus". Another one boasted that he owned an Ash 25.
Paul said "I own an airfield!" and that was that!

[OpenCirrus619]

Excuse the "bump" - would hate anyone who knew Paul to miss the notice.

OC619

[mary meagher]

Thanks, Mick, for pointing out silly mistake. Not Enstone, EDGEHILL.

Paul Gibbs owned the farm that included the former EDGEHILL airfield, where the Whittle Jet was tested and flown past the Castle Pub, and where Wellington Bombers were flown, and often crashed; as a hill site it has peculiar air currents on a strong wind day.

BUT Paul insisted that as the actual village of Edgehill is at least five miles away down the ridge, that we named the gliding club and the Airfield for Shenington, the village that has been home to his family for generations. We were happy to respect his wishes.

Thanks, Open Cirrus, for the "bump". I'm making beef barley soup for lunch at the Gliding Club tomorrow, from 11 am, visitors welcome....PPR only, and flying suspended from 1 pm.