1976 Vintage Glider Club Newsletter RAF BGA Ephemera Sutton Bank Rally UK

🔍 eBay Listing Spotlight

Item ID: 297218059976
eBay Seller ID: britishfareasttraders
eBay Store Link: View this item
Category: Collectables:Paper & Ephemera:Letters
Condition: In good condition. Please check our images.

1976 Vintage Glider Club Newsletter RAF BGA Ephemera Sutton Bank Rally UK

Original May 1976 aviation newsletter detailing glider rallies, rare aircraft, and pilot notes — a prized collectible for aviation historians and enthusiasts.

Print: approx. 8 1/8 x 13 inches

Texts: please see images

Condition: In decent condition. Please check our images.
Internal notes: QC passed

Step into a crisp spring weekend in 1976, as vintage gliders take to the skies above Sutton Bank. The hum of open-cockpit engines, the camaraderie of pilots gathered in caravans and campers, and the sight of Petrels, Weihe, and Eon Babies circling in thermals fill the air with purpose and pride. This original Vintage Glider Club of Great Britain newsletter brings that world vividly to life — capturing a moment in British aviation history that still resonates through every page.

Printed in May 1976, this detailed multi-page newsletter documents the Easter Rally at the Yorkshire Gliding Club, featuring thorough accounts of participating aircraft, pilot anecdotes, and club updates. Gliders like the Grunau Baby, Slingsby Sky, and Rhonbussard are featured, alongside their BGA numbers, restoration notes, flight logs, and event commentary. Highlights include a 5-hour duration flight, pilot reflections, vivid weather and flight descriptions, and a heartfelt tribute to the volunteers and staff who shaped these experiences.

The newsletter goes beyond event coverage, providing insight into aircraft sales, gliding tariffs, and club operations, such as winch launch pricing and aerotow rates. It also includes charming reports from the USA and Germany, along with personal letters and observations from members across Britain. There are mentions of RAF involvement, repairs, the British Gliding Association’s AGM, and news from the Shuttleworth Collection — all wrapped in the tone of a respectful, close-knit flying community.

This is more than a newsletter — it is a primary source document, rich in factual content, aviation vocabulary, and social history. For collectors of RAF or glider-related memorabilia, aviation researchers, or those documenting postwar British flight culture, this item offers rare, irreplaceable insight into vintage aircraft communities and their beloved machines.

To hold this document is to hold a glimpse of lived experience — handwritten joy, practical frustrations, and the noble spirit of those who flew not for glory but for the sky itself. As time presses forward, such documents become more than paper; they become a responsibility to preserve.