About the Club

The Sherwood Flying Club is a private, member’s only flying club based at Nottingham Airport.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to providing our members with a combination of highly maintained aircraft, low cost flying and highly knowledgeable instructors to make their flights as safe, affordable and as enjoyable as possible. The club is run by members for members so you know you’ll always be getting the best of what is available for a low cost. Our instructors are highly trained and have decades of invaluable flying experience to share with each student. They are very dedicated to the cause of instructing new pilots and have been with us for many years, some many decades.

Instructing

Instructing is available on Saturday’s, Sunday’s and Thursday’s but our aircraft are available any day of the week to members with a PPL. We own a fleet of three highly maintained aircraft, two Piper Tomahawks and One Piper Warrior. You can find more out about these aircraft on “The Fleet” section.

Club History

The Sherwood Flying Club started up in 1956 with a few local enthusiasts, including ex-service instructors, and a Tiger Moth aircraft. It expanded by acquiring more members and a Taylorcraft aircraft and became incorporated as a limited liability company on 8th July 1957. In those days the Club was the only entity on the airfield at Tollerton and effectively operated it on behalf of its owner, Nottingham City Council. Truman Aviation later became the airfield operators, the Sherwood flying Club remaining as a “guest” flying club.

During the 1960s, the Club expanded further with students joining to learn to fly; it also began to train its own instructors. It bought two Chipmunk aircraft, which gave it aerobatic capability, and later two Piper Cherokee four seaters, both to train pilots and for use as touring aircraft. The Club’s membership grew steadily to over a hundred in the first 10 to 15 years and, as well as ab intio , aerobatic and instrument flying training were on the menu.

This pattern of operation has remained broadly similar until the present time. Over the years, membership rose to well over 200 in the 1990s, with the fleet settling down to its present strength of two Piper Tomahawks and a Piper Warrior. During this time, flying training has become subject to greater regulation, and the Club has embraced the introduction of radio navigation (including GPS), the IMC rating, JAR-FCL requirements and the National Private Pilots Licence.

The Sherwood Flying Club has always been a voluntary organisation, most of the work involved (including instructing) being done without payment and, because it’s members come from a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life, it can draw on many skills to help to keep it going. It is owned by the members themselves and governed by an elected Council.

On July 8th 2007, the Club celebrated its 50th (formal) Anniversary with a tea party at its Clubhouse at Tollerton; entertainment included a formation fly-past of the Club’s aircraft, an aerobatic display by a former instructor and a visit by a Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. This was hailed as an appropriate tribute to all the Club member’s efforts over the previous 50 years.