Just a few miles from the capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester, lies Cotswold Airport. Formerly RAF Kemble, concentrating on training and maintenance, at the end of 1939 there were well over 600 aircraft on the airfield and its No 5 Maintenance Unit eventually became the RAF’s oldest MU. Hawker Typhoons were also manufactured here and the airfield was home to the famous Red Arrows display team from 1968-1983. In 2009 Kemble changed its name to Cotswold Airport.
This is a busy airport so you will always see lots of aircraft taking off and landing, you could easily see the Delta Jets, F1 Teams testing up and down the runway (see our Williams F1 video), aircraft display practices and all sorts of aircraft and helicopters coming and going.
What a fitting launch site therefore for one of the oldest forms of aviation, a hot air balloon. Once airborne from your basket depending on the direction of the wind you might fly over Cotswold Waterpark, Britain’s largest water park consisting of over 150 lakes covering over 40 square miles which is 50% bigger than the Norfolk Broads and about the same size as the island of Jersey!
Look out too for the Fosse Way, the remarkable 182 mile former Roman road running from Exeter to Lincoln via Ilchester, Bath, Cirencester and Leicester.
Whichever direction your balloon ride takes you from Cotswold Airport you can be sure there will never be a dull moment or a shortage of spectacular opportunities to exercise your camera lens and capture some truly unforgettable moments.directionsCirencester (Kemble Airfield) Launch site:- Cotswold Airport
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 6BA Follow the signs to Kemble Airfield from the A433 Cirencester to Tetbury road. This will lead you to the North Gate.
Do not enter the Airfield through the Business Park off the A429 Malmesbury road since you will be on the wrong side of the runway and unable to get to the balloon.
From the North Gate follow the signs through the airfield to the Control Tower and AV8 Restaurant.
Please park in the car park behind the restaurant where the balloon team will meet you.
If you arrive at the North Gate and find it closed, please park sensibly and wait for the balloon team to arrive and unlock the gate. flight information linePlease call 0844 576 7531 to confirm the status of your flight. |
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