A very friendly airfield, who offer a warm welcome to LAA/GA aeroplanes. Please PPR before leaving on 01568-708369. The airfield café serves a large menu, with the famous Shobdon roast on a Sunday lunchtime. 6NM West of Leominster in the Welsh Marches, a short walk to the lovely village church and The Arches is good for stretching the legs. AVGAS and Jet A1. Open 7 days a week . Radio 123.500
Shobdon started as a British Army camp. Out of range of long range German Luftwaffe bombers, it acted as a reception point for casualties received from Southampton distributed to existing local hospitals. With a depot railway station developed on the Leominster and Kington Railway, its first casualties arrived after the Battle of Dunkirk.
The camp was developed further by the United States Army from 1943, to act as a distribution point for two locally developed general hospitals. They also added a runway in cooperation with the Royal Air Force, but due to the marshy land only one runway was developed.
In 1943, RAF No.1 Glider Training School moved from RAF Thame to Shobdon, enabling an increase in training of glider pilots in preparation for Normandy and Arnhem landings.
The RAF Gliding School closed in 1953, when the site was handed to Herefordshire County Council.
Shobdon Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P779) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Herefordshire Aero Club Limited). It is frequently used by air taxi services to Europe.
Spectators are welcome. There is a visitors car park and catering facilities. An air race or open day may take place in the summer months. The RAF occasionally perform low passes over the airfield.
It operated by Herefordshire Aero Club who provide light aircraft flight training together with aircraft storage and maintenance services, and is the home of the local LAA Strut.
