The Club's History

OGC is one of the oldest clubs in the country, with the first meeting of its earliest elements in 1937. Follow the timeline below to learn a bit more about our historic club. Click on any of the photos to view them in a larger format.

December

1937

The "Oxford University and City Gliding Club" had its inaugural meeting at Christchurch college in Oxford on 2nd December 1937

Spring

1938

Flying begins at the Cumnor meadow site, which now lies at the bottom of the Farmoor reservoir. An access road, bridge over a ditch and basic hanger is built. Two "Dagling" primaries make up the fleet, one with a steamline nacelle and the other without.

June

1938

Robert Kronfeld (the first person to glide across the English channel (1931)) becomes the CFI and 'manager' of the club. He's seen in the photo on the left as the gentleman on the right, with Captain Rattray, who was the temporary CFI prior to Kronfeld's appointment.

Summer

1938

Club pilots and gliders take place in a public air show at RAF Upper Heyford. The photo is of the club's first secretary, Margaret "Peggy" Thring, flying at Dunstable, home of the London Gliding Club at about the same time.

13th May

1938

The Oxford Gliding Company ltd. forms, though club operations continue as the Oxford University and City Gliding Club.

Winter

1938

Club operations move to the Chiltern ridge at Aston Rowant (now where the M40 cuts through towards London) for the 1939 season. At the outbreak of WW2, all recreational flying ceased.

1951

The efforts of Lawrence Wingfield, Prof. George Varley, Marcus Goodall, Ray Stafford Allen and Mrs Margaret Kronfeld (Robert Kronfeld's widow) lead to the reformation of Oxford Gliding Club at Kidlington Airport (now London Oxford Airport).

1956

An increase in powered aircraft activity lead the club to move to its current home of RAF Weston-on-the-Green airfield. Click here to learn more about our airfield.

Our first K13 (CCE, but initially known as "Elfin") is donated to the club by Professor Malcolm Laurie, and is still in use to this day at a different gliding club.

1967