Boyles Farm
BOYLES FARM: Gliding site
Note: News of this gliding site opening was published in the Sussex Daily News in October 1935. The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
Location: Roughly 1.25nm SSE of East Grinstead town centre. About 8nm ESE of GATWICK.
Period of operation: Unknown, but from 1935
NOTES: We have Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for discovering this little known gliding site.
We do not know exactly which field, or fields, were being used. Also, although the technique of towing gliders up behind a car was known at this time, I rather suspect that the usual method of having a team of members running downhill dragging the glider aloft with a long bungee chord may well have been the technique used here?
It was quite common in those days for gliders, especially with inexperienced pilots, to just make a straight flight of a couple of hundred metres or so. The attraction being of course to become airborne, even if only briefly. In some cases, more capable pilots, given a fairly stiff wind to provide enough lift, did manage to do some soaring, but usually only in the local area.
Another factor was that most of these gliding clubs could not afford to avail themselves of the most advanced gliders available. This said, we have no idea about the circumstances relating to this club. If anybody can kindly offer advice and information, this will be much appreciated.
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