LEC Airfield ,
also known as Bognor Regis Airfield,
is an active airfield in
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...
, United Kingdom. It is operated by the Bognor Regis Gliding Club.
It was formerly owned by the
LEC Refrigeration company, and was located behind their factory. Flying may have begun here from a grass strip in 1943. From 1947 the company used
Auster
Auster may refer to:
Places
* Auster Glacier, located in East Antarctica
* Auster Islands, East Antarctica
* Auster Pass, located in East Antarctica
* Auster Point, located in West Antarctica
Other uses
* Auster Aircraft, a former British air ...
and
Miles Gemini
The Miles M.65 Gemini was a British twin-engined four-seat touring aircraft designed and built by Miles Aircraft at Woodley Aerodrome. It was the last Miles aircraft to be produced in quantity.
Development of the Gemini was conducted at a rapi ...
aircraft to visit its overseas buyers. In the 1970s the company used Cessna aircraft to visit their factories in Londonderry and Calais. A hard tarmac runway was created in 1984.
British racing driver and aerobatic pilot
David Purley
David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco in 1973.
Purley is best known for h ...
's
Pitts Special
The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatics, aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes domina ...
was also hangared there, in which Purley died while practicing aerobatics in 1985.
LEC Refrigeration was sold to
Sime Darby
Sime Darby Berhad, referred to as Sime, is a Malaysian trading conglomerate. Its core businesses operate and serve in the industrial equipment and automotive sectors.
Background
The modern Sime Darby Berhad corporation was created in 2007 t ...
in 1994. In 2016 Sime Darby sold the 45-acre airfield to a local glider pilot and businessman, Julian Hitchcock, through his company BR Aviation Limited.
The Bognor Regis Gliding Club was consequently established at the airfield, with operations officially commencing in October 2016.
The runway is paved for 610m, but a grass extension brings the total length up to 850m.
LEC Airfield is not to be confused with
RAF Bognor
Royal Air Force Bognor or more simply RAF Bognor (also known as ''Bognor Advanced Landing Ground (A.L.G.)'') is a former Royal Air Force advanced landing ground north of Bognor, West Sussex, England.
History
Survey work on the site was und ...
, which was located several miles away.
Bognor Regis Gliding Club
Since 2016 the airfield has been home to the Bognor Regis Gliding Club (BRGC). The club conducts aero-tow, winch, and motorised self-launches. The club’s fleet has included a DG Flugzeugbau DG1000M two-seat self-launching glider and at least two Schleicher K21 training gliders for dual instruction.
With a mix of professional and volunteer instructors, BRGC provides training and trial flights year-round on LEC Airfield’s 610 m tarmac runway and adjacent grass extension. The club operates as a members’ organization open to novices and experienced pilots alike, and it conducts regular training sorties as well as outreach events such as open days to grow local participation in gliding.
References
{{reflist
External links
Bognor Regis Gliding ClubBritish Gliding Association
Airports in West Sussex
Gliding in England