Doncaster Airport, were you there?
 

Although PPrune.org is a predominantly commercial aviation website, I thought still, maybe i've give this topic a shot.
Doncaster Airport was the home of the South Yorkshire Flying Club from 1976 to 1992, operating generally Cessna 150s and 172s with a mix of gliders, parachutists and microlights.
It therefor would be in interesting when on Christmas Day Doncaster airport will have been closed for 10 years, maybe we could find some of the ex members of this fantastic aerodrome.
If you remember the airport, or were part of it maybe you could reply, or even send an email.

Visited sometime in the 80s in Chipmunk G-BCSL. It was next to the reacetrack, IIRC.

SSD

I flew into Doncaster on 20 Dec 92, its last day as an active airfield, in C172 GBBDH.

Our esteemed host, Danny Fyne, was there:

17/07/79 C152 G-BBCF Self P.1 Doncaster Liverpool

(from <a href="http://www.e-logbooks.co.uk" target="_blank">e-logbooks</a> (plug, plug)).

Steve R

[ 20 December 2001: Message edited by: SteveR ]</p>

I did my PPL there on a RAF FS in um er 1971.

Great place - stayed on site, friendly club members. Taught by the CFI, Jim ???, have to check my logbooks for his surname. Top bloke - ex RAF, died a few years later when he was teaching and flew into the winch cable of a glider launch - they used to use parallel runways.

If you were on the first slot, he used to take off in the direction of the horses that the gypsies used to leave to graze on the field. Fly at 1' over them, climb to 1000', and then dive bomb them. How the Condor's wings survived the pullout I will never know.

Happy days....

Learned to fly at Donny, was there the day it closed. Flew one of Doncaster Aeroclub's C152s (what was the other club you mentioned?) to Italy.

Its ex-members/instructors are everywhere: Sandtoft, Gamston, Derby that I know of. One was at Humberside.

If you want to organise a get-together, contact the lady in the Tower at Sandtoft. She probably knows where a lot of them are. Count me in, especially if it's a fly-in get-together! But Xmas Day's out.

Hi Skua - I was on a FS course in 71 on mighty Condors. Think it was the 1st course ever at the site, the sleeping qtrs were just about complete - the club had good night life and we drooled over the secretary in the twr. Seem to recall the 1st flt of the day (to clear the horses) also had to wait until the CFI had finished with the one arm bandit. Great times.

sounds like the same course! It was Easter 1971. I remember the secretary. CFI was Jim Watson, and there was also a handsome Aussie AFI called Greg Coniley, with an attractive Aussie girlfriend.

Very sad to fly over the town, and see the airfield cut up. Where do you fly from?

16/04/91 in C172 GMALK was my last visit before the council closed Donny. The sad bit was that, as I remember, it had just got a smartly refurbished Clubhouse/Flying club. There was a Sopwith triplane replica in one of the hangars. The surface was a bit rough cos it had been a wet old winter but it was a top place, sadly missed. Somehow I don't see Finningley having the same atmosphere!

Spiney

Yep Skua easter 71 You may recall that a certain student made a night landing using the lights of cars and fire engine. That was me !! These days I fly out of Liverpool - where are you ? It is a pity that such a superb and historical field was closed. I wonder where race people fly into now? <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

Bingoboy,
How could I forget the night landing? Did you book it as night flying in your logbook? !

I fly out of Rochester, but go up to Yorkshire every few months.

Happy Christmas

The lady you mention Rob_L doesn't work at Sandtoft anymore

If he was refering to Linda, who was in the tower at Doncaster pre-closure she still works at Sandtoft, extremely nice lady. I would be lead to beleive that she knows a lot of the old Doncaster faces. I've had a word with the old head flying instructor at Doncaster, now based at Gamston and think that the possibilities of a fly-in would possibly go down well. I doubt they would allow us to open finningley for a day though (you never know, they still land the Antanovs at night from france).

Nope linda left Sandtoft last month

100LL: Know where Lynda's gone? Was going to drop in and see her.

hey 100L, shame to here that linda left.

Do you fly from Sandtoft?

If so it would be great to get in contact with some more local pilots, e-mail me at [email protected]

It would be nice just to see where all those 'younger' pilots are nowadays that used to work on the ground & in the office during the last 10 years of the Aero Club, did all their hard work pay off??? I met some very memorable characters there during my time, nice to see others did. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">