Shalbourne Gliding is a not-for-profit Members’ Club, run by its members for its members. As a Community Amateur Sports Club, we are keen to make gliding available to everyone and we are always pleased to welcome visitors and introduce them to our wonderful sport.
About our site
Rivar Hill is an all grass airfield near the village of Shalbourne in Wiltshire. Sitting on top of the downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the site enjoys excellent soaring from thermals and our North-facing ridge. At almost one mile in length, Rivar Hill is a large, safe site and ideally placed for good local soaring and cross-country flights.
Information for Pilots
For detailed information relevant to visiting pilots and club members, please follow this link.
Rivar Hill is a winch launch only site and cleared to launch to 3,000 feet (QFE). It should be noted that there is NO aerotow option at Rivar Hill. Powered aircraft and self launching gliders are strictly prohibited.
Flying Days
We fly at the weekend and midweek, which is usually on a Wednesday. We also fly on Bank Holidays, with the exception of Christmas and New Year. Before you come, please call the Launch Point to confirm that we are flying on that day.
We usually have at least one soaring/task week each year, and members sometimes arrange extra flying days if the forecast is particularly good; see the Events Calendar for up to date information.
Follow these links for information about Trial Lessons and bookings and vouchers.
Catering Facilities
There are no catering facilities on the airfield but there is a small shop in the village of Shalbourne. There is also an excellent pub in Shalbourne village, although alcohol must not be consumed before flying.
Telephone Number and Postal Address
For telephone contact details and postal address, see our contact us page
Information for visitors
Detailed safety information for visitors
Information for pilots
Detailed briefing for pilots visiting Rivar Hill
Aircraft and Equipment
| Aircraft | Type |
|---|---|
2 x Puchacz |
Two Seat |
1 x ASK13 |
Two Seat |
1 x Sport Vega |
Solo |
| 1 x K8b
Glider picture credits http://somersetcider.deviantart.com/ |
Solo |
| Winch | Type |
|---|---|
| 1 x Skylaunch/Tost | Powered by an Oldsmobile V8 455 cubic inch (7.5 Litre) engine, running on LPG |
| 1 x Tost 04 mounted on a custom chassis | Powered by a Pontiac V8 400 cubic inch (6.5 Litre) engine, running on LPG |
Committee:
| Post | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman: | Jonathan Garner | chair |
| CFI: | Phil Morgan | cfi |
| Treasurer: | Jeremy Knight | treasurer |
| Secretary:
Deputy CFI: |
Pete Smith | secretary |
| Publicity Officer: | Stephen Ottner | publicity |
| Aircraft Officer: | Jim Clarke | aircraft |
| Equipment Officer: | Rowland Pantling | equipment |
| Airfield Officer: | Colin Baines | airfield |
| Safety Officer: | safety | |
| (at)shalbournegliding.co.uk |
Shalbourne Gliding is a Community Amateur Sports Club supported by Sport England.
Shalbourne Gliding is registered as Shalbourne Soaring Society Ltd, a company Limited by Guarantee. Company No. 03471588.