Sherburn 2006
Sherburn has been the scene of flying since 1908 and is one of the few airfields to have seen action in both world wars. Sherburn was the home of the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club which formed in 1909, but did not have a suitable airfield until it was established here on the 10th of January 1926. Sherburn Aero Club, as it is now, is the largest flying club in the North of England, with over 700 members and a continuous throughput of students. The club was opened in its present form in 1964 by a handful of enthusiasts whose aim was to bring flying within the reach of people from all walks of life. This policy has been maintained by running the club on a non-profit basis enabling flying costs to be kept to a minimum. Our flying fees are therefore low and are usually amongst the lowest in the country. In 2002, a new tarmac runway was constructed: parallel to, and to the south of the existing grass runway 11/29. The new runway is 830m long, with a displaced threshold at one end, and is equipped with runway lighting, and APAPI approach indicators. Extract from Sherburn Aero Club History
The Show
And so to the day, we arrived at around 12.30 just in time for some lunch and a drink before taking a look around the show.
The main clubhouse is undergoing major changes at this time but they did not cause any disruption to the folk eating their chip butties! Looking out from “The String Bag” this is the catering area, you get a wonderful view across the airfield. Better still if you go outside where picnic tables reside, this enclosed area allows more intimate and close up views of the aircraft based here.
So to the show, and immediately on entry we came across Air supply aviation store this is run by Ken Cothlith, along with a nice selection of DVD’s and literature to purchase, they had the latest in aircraft spotters equipment including logs and logging software which was on display. For more information on Air Supply
Moving along we met with Bob Sidwick of RC Simulations, Bob has always been a supporter of these smaller events and still runs is own show in Bristol. Bob had brought along his small flight sim set up and gave us a demonstration of the new TrackIR 4 Pro this was used in conjunction with “Dodosim” advanced 206 helicopter add-on. He stated this was probably the only truly realistic helicopter add-on for flight simulation.
Fly UK the virtual airline was present recruiting new members. There main hub is the Leeds Bradford airport but they also operate out of Gatwick and Glasgow. The growth of this VA has grown so much that they now also offer a base in Geneva, Switzerland. The operational side of the set up was displayed with much to interest the novice simmer as well as the veteran. Online flying is taking the flight sim community by storm and continues to grow, with now hundreds of VA’s worldwide. For more information on Fly UK
Down at the end of the clubhouse were numerous flight sim set ups, the “Yorkshire Flight Sim User Group” were on hand demonstrating and answering questions regarding the flights and the simulation in general. As you moved back into the main hall to the left we came across the heliadventure stand. This was a very unusual but exciting type of flying adventure. The team Hields Aviation who are based at Sherburn airfield arrange adventure days with a helicopter being your mode of transport. They will take you to any destination of your choice plus heligifts being the ultimate for family and friends. You can even have a heliwedding!
The Cyberseat was on display, we have seen this before in action and again it does not fail to impress, a selection of either helicopter or plane was offered to visitors for what is known as the largest USB device in the world! Left, right, up, down all are possible in this ultimate control piece of hardware.
We came back around to be met the raffle table where two free tickets were handed our way for the chance to win a trip in a R44 helicopter, we of course purchased a further two tickets to try and secure the victory! Draw was made at 2.00pm and unfortunately we did not win but we were only 4 numbers off the prize. Tears were shed but they soon turned to smiles again as we set eyes on the impressive stand being used by Alpine Systems.
Alpine have been building PC’s specific to flight simulation for a number of years now. Paul Fryer was on hand to discuss and demonstrate the power used on today's system to produce the best flight simulation experience for the user. Along with set up of your PC they even offer to load all your flight sim software and make sure it runs to perfection. Quality and performance being a must for the serious simmer.
So with that we came to the end of the day, the whole show was very enjoyable and the people who ventured out there all seemed to be having a good time and learning just that little bit more about the fantastic hobby we have called flight simulation.
John Crossland the organiser of the event made the whole day very intimate and brought together the right blend and balance to provide all with a very entertaining show.
