Norfolk Gliding Club fears for future as new pylons planned near runway
A new National Grid project would see hundreds of kilometers of pylons built across the East
Last updated 6th Jun 2022
A flying club based at an historic airfield at which Hollywood star James Stewart was once stationed is under threat, because of proposals to build a string of electricity pylons at the end of one of its runways.
The Norfolk Gliding Club, which operates from Tibenham Airfield, in south Norfolk, says it faces an uncertain future, if the scheme goes ahead, because it may be too dangerous to fly near the structures.
Eric Ratcliffe, the club chairman, said: “It’s ridiculous. It’s a flight hazard, anything coming in from the west would have these pylons to contend with.”
Tibenham Airfield was developed in the Second World War, when US airmen – including the actor James Steward, who served as a pilot during the conflict – were based there.
The proposed electricity pylon route – which would stretch from Dunston, near Norwich, to Tilbury, in Essex – would pass just a few hundred metres from the runway.
National Grid is currently consulting on the Green Energy Enablement (GREEN) project, with energy bosses saying it is needed to cope with the amount of energy generated by wind power in the future.
A line of pylons already runs near the site, but further away than the proposed new ones and in a direction that is not frequently used by flyers.
John Roche-Kelly, the club’s chief flying instructor, said: “When the notion of a super grid for gas was proposed it all went underground. Why are we still thinking of putting powerlines above ground now?
“We can’t go round them. Gliders don’t have engines so we can’t go up. At the end of the day when all the thermals have gone, we have to look at the airfield and we aim to make it back. This is putting a curtain in front of the ideal route.
“It will make decision-making more difficult and could lead to more accidents or even fatalities.”
If the pylon scheme went ahead, the club believes it will have to close four of its six runways.
The structures’ proximity would also mean that the club would have to stop holding competitions.
Currently, it rents out hangers to powered aircraft, whose owners might also be deterred from flying by the pylons. Without their rent, the club may be unable to survive.
Club director Paul Woodcock said: “After Covid, we are just about hanging on in there, something like this can mean that clubs like ours will really struggle.
“It will be a danger to fly and it is a danger to the club, this will have serious impacts.”
The club has 127 members, ranging in age from 13 to almost 90.
It is not the only flying club in the area, with Priory Farm Airfield located nearby. Its owner, Bob Sage, has similar fears for his own site.
“We have about 50 fliers here, this will make it much more dangerous and we may have to change the circuit route.
“The pylons will be right next door to us.”
National Grid were contacted for comment.
THE TALE OF TIBENHAM
The Royal Flying Corps first used the site during the First World War.
It was then extensively developed during the Second World War, to allow it to be used by heavy bombers.
It become home to the 445th Bombardment Group from the United States Army Airforce (USAAF), which carried out daylight raids over occupied Europe.
Among the Americans based at the site was movie star James Stewart, perhaps best known for his roles in It’s a Wonderful Life and Vertigo.
Pilots from Tibenham saw the greatest single-say loss of any USAAF group on in the war, when a raid on the north Germany city of Kassel went wrong.
In total, 118 American and 18 German aircrew lost their lives, while a further 121 men were taken prisoner.
Following the war, the airfield was taken over by the Royal Air Force and in 1952 parts were sold off to local landowners.
It finally closed as an RAF base in 1959, but the Norfolk Gliding Club moved in and kept it in use for aviation.
In 1987, the club bought 54 acres of the site from a local farmer, with much of the funds coming from the local authority and US veterans who had been based there.