Project Phoenix re-visited

Who are we 

 The Norfolk Gliding Club, owns and maintains the historic WW2 airfield at Tibenham Norfolk Uk. As a Community Amateur Sports Club, we run with volunteer labour from the members. We have  continued to support the local community with our Open days, group flying for organisations such as the W.I. and provide  free flight training by way of a youth scheme which  sent on his 14th Birthday the world's youngest pilot on his first solo flight, now 2 years later along with another sixteen year old,  joined  NGC's active instructors in providing training to future glider pilots.

What we spent the funds raised last time on 

Thanks to the generosity of those who contributed to the last successful project Phoenix, the Norfolk Gliding Club has managed to purchase the equipment needed and repaired a large sections of our runways. Since that time we have  put considerable effort and funds  keeping  all our runways fit for purpose.  However there are now two large areas on runway 15/33 that are beyond our amateur capability and we need to employ a contractor which is going to cost in the region of £10,000. 

Why are we crowdfunding again

In these tough economic times, we’ve had to prioritise our spending to ensure the survival of our Club. Without the income generated from the crowd funding campaign, we wouldn’t be able to invest in essential maintenance of our runways,  and with disuse they degrade even faster.

Our historic site needs constant loving care 

After the end of WW2, East Anglia was dotted with airfields left over from the conflict, most of them over the years have been ripped up and returned to agriculture. One of the few surviving airfields Is the former USAF base of Tibenham. During WW2 it was the home of the 445th Bomber group. Between 13 December 1943 and 25 April 1945 the 445th flew 280 missions, lost 108 aircraft in action and 554 aircrew lost their lives.

Tibenham itself survived the onslaught of the concrete crushers and although in that period we lost many of the buildings: the hangars, the control tower, nearly all of the hard-stands, the perimeter track and the end of one runway, in 1987 the gliding club managed to raise funds to buy enough of the remaining runways to continue to operate. Three years later, with help from some Americans, club members and grant aid, the club acquired the remainder, thus protecting Tibenham from the fate of so many airfields in East Anglia, that of being ripped up and  forgotten.

 From 1943 until July 1944 Tibenham was the wartime base of famous Hollywood Actor Jimmy Stewart, who served there as 703rd Squadron commander. He, and many other veterans, and the families, have visited their old war-time haunt, and to this day we extend a warm welcome to those interested in the history of the base.

We have also now managed to create a display of artefacts recovered from aircraft shot down on the the Kassel Raid, The Largest Loss by USAAF Group on any Mission in WWII

Our greatest assets are the three large runways – but this brings with it a cost. The asphalt is mainly more than 79 years old and it’s starting to show its age, weeds abound on the areas that are little used and potholes appear regularly. Whilst we do what we can with our limited resources and volunteer labour, funds are desperately needed to prevent further deterioration, not only to keep the gliding club viable and continuing in its mission to train new glider pilots, but as a living memorial to those 554 airmen who took off from them more than 75 years ago – but never landed on them.

Community impact

We provide an opportunity for local groups to experience the thrill of flight in a glider,  for example jam ,cakes and a glider flight  for the W.I.

We also hold local community days, where we provide a chance to fly our neighbours  at a discounted price 

Do a guided tour and a power point presentation on the history of  the airfield for groups, and a chance to see the artifacts and data on Tibenham's history

How you can help 

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!