Lasham Airfield

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Lasham Airfield

IATA: QLA - ICAO: EGHL
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Lasham Gliding Society
Serves		Basingstoke
Elevation AMSL		618 ft (188 m)
Coordinates		51°11′14″N, 01°02′01″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
09/27	5,896	1,797	Asphalt

Lasham Airfield (IATA: QLA, ICAO: EGHL) is located 6 miles south-south-east of Basingstoke in Hampshire near the village of Lasham. The airfield frequency is 131.025 MHz.

Power pilots visiting the airfield require prior permission and a briefing on its hazards. The hazards are: dense concentrations of thermalling gliders - up to 100 gliders can be in the vicinity at once, cables up to 3000 feet above the ground and occasional movements of large jet airliners. Do not fly over the airfield below 3618 feet altitude. Visiting glider pilots should also be aware of these hazards.

[edit] History

It was constructed in 1942. Several different types of aircraft were based at Lasham during World War II: Hawker Typhoon, De Havilland Mosquito, B-25 Mitchell and Supermarine Spitfire. The squadrons based at Lasham during the war (apart from one- or two-night stays) were:

No. 107 Squadron RAF Mosquito VI, arr 1 Feb 1944; dep 23 Oct 1944
No. 181 Squadron RAF Typhoon IB, arr 5 Apr 1943; dep 6 Jun 1943
No. 182 Squadron RAF Typhoon IB, arr 3 May 1943; dep 2 Jun 1943
No. 183 Squadron RAF Typhoon IB, arr 3 May 1943; dep 30 May 1943
No. 305 (Polish) Squadron RAF Mitchell II & Mosquito VI, arr 18 Nov 1943, dep 30 Jan 1945?
No. 320 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF Mitchell II, arr 30 Aug 1943; dep 18 Feb 1944
No. 412 Squadron RCAF, Spitfire VB, arr 7 Mar 1944; dep 8 Apr 1943
No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAF Spitfire VB, arr 14 Apr 1943; dep 29 Apr 1943
No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAF, Mosquito, arr 12 Oct 1943; dep 30 Oct 1944

One of the most famous operations was by 613 Squadron. On 14 April 1944 six Mosquitos led by Wing Commander Bateson bombed the Central Records Registry of the Gestapo in the Hague from a height of 50 feet. The accuracy was such that there were few civilian casualties nearby.

The airfield ceased to be an operational RAF station in 1948, though General Aircraft Ltd continued testing military gliders. A memorial at the entrance was dedicated on 14 September 2006 to those served at Lasham between 1942 and 1948.

In 1950 the Army Gliding Club was re-established by Major Tony Deane-Drummond, then an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. It operated at Odiham Airfield but after two accidents, the Commandant of Sandhurst ordered it to suspend operations. In early 1951 he ordered Major Deane-Drummond to restart the club at Lasham. In the meantime the Surrey Gliding Club and Imperial College Gliding Club were both seeking a new home because Redhill airfield had many other users. The Surrey club and Imperial College therefore moved to Lasham in August 1951. Lasham Gliding Society was established in 1959 to unify operations and it later signed a long lease on the airfield from the Ministry of Defence. The airfield's boundaries were reduced but it still occupies over 500 acres. The Defence Research Establishment later maintained a satellite station at Lasham but the dishes, one enclosed in a large white dome, have now been removed. Most of the buildings from the World War II have now been demolished. Derek Piggott was Chief Flying Instructor at Lasham during much of the period from 1953 to 1989. In 1999 the Society bought the freehold of the airfield from the Ministry of Defence, making the final payment in 2001.

[edit] Present day

One of LGS's K13 gliders while landing

The airfield is home to one of the world's largest gliding clubs, Lasham Gliding Society, and over 220 gliders are based there. The airfield is in constant use throughout the year and regularly hosts national and regional gliding championships.

In 1954 Dan-Air established a subsidiary, Dan-Air Engineering, at Lasham Airfield to service its own fleet and aircraft belonging to other operators. Dan-Air ceased trading in 1992, and after a period of operation by FLS Aerospace, the facility has now been let by the Society to another aircraft maintenance company (ATC Lasham). This company uses the main runway several times a week to bring in Boeing airliners for overhauls and is the largest employer in the area.

Glider launching occurs by two methods. Firstly there is winching in which a wire is attached to a release mechanism on the underside of the glider. The wire is also attached to one of two powerful winches each mounted on a truck. These winches can launch gliders to over 2000 ft above the ground. The second method of launching is aerotow and uses a fleet of eight tug aircraft.

LGS's 110 instructors train new pilots at all stages from ab initio through to competitive cross-country flying. The training fleet consists of the following types:

ASK 13 (nine basic trainers)
ASK 21 (glass fibre trainer)
Duo Discus (advanced trainer)
DG-1000 (two advanced trainers - one a turbo)
Scheibe SF-25 Falke motor-glider

There are also eight single-seater club aircraft, previously operated by the Surrey & Hants Club. However many other gliders at the airfield are operated by affiliated gliding clubs: Imperial College Gliding Club, Surrey University Gliding Club, The Crown Service Gliding Club and the IBM Gliding Club. There are also 230 privately owned gliders, many syndicated. Trial membership including an air-experience flight is available to people who are interested in gliding. Groups can book evening flights.