Wycombe Air Centre was born forty years ago in 1967 by Tony Gyslenyck as a family owned and operated flying training and aircraft hire company. The quality of training provided earned the company a national reputation for being an efficient, friendly and professional organization.

The expansion of the company continued and in 1999 a management buyout changed the ownership of the company to the four long-serving management team. In September 2006 the majority shareholding was acquired by Cabair holdings. The partnership with Cabair is opening new opportunities for Wycombe Air Centre, while it retains its individuality.

The company’s prime objective has always been to provide honest high quality of service. A friendly and professional atmosphere is always in evidence.

Wycombe Air Centre provides flight training for individuals from trial flights through Private Pilot Licence training, associated ratings and up to commercial training and instrument ratings. It also has a contract to provide training for the National Air Traffic Service’s trainee air traffic control cadets as an inter-agency cooperation exercise.

We also provide training for two separate University courses. Buckinghamshire New University has a course in airline management that encompasses flight training and Wycombe Air Centre has been delighted to begin a group of students on their first flight hours and looks forward to their return in 2008 when they will be completing their commercial training with us. Also, Brunel University in Uxbridge has sent us nearly thirty students on their Aviation Engineering course to complete NPPLs and our instructors have turned university lecturers to deliver the groundschool element for them at the university campus.

Wycombe Air Centre prides itself on a friendly and professional atmosphere with a flexible
attitude to all flight training.

We hope you like our website. Happy Flying!

A brief early history of Wycombe Air Park
by Barry Abraham

In July 1939 plans were approved by the local authority to build an aerodrome (airfield was then North American terminology) on high ground to the south west of High Wycombe. With thoughts of an impending war already to the fore, the intention was for the airfield to be used for Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve training and there is no record of any pre-war civilian use. The RAF had decided back in 1934 that its own flying training schools would concentrate on advanced training and that elementary training of pupil pilots would be carried out by civilian schools. Number 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School was operated at Hatfield aerodrome by the De Havilland Aircraft Company. Among a number of other similar schools was Number 50 ERFTS, operated at Booker by Wetton Aviation Limited flying Tiger Moths, Hawker Audax and Hawker Hinds.

On the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, the Booker school, in common with all civilian operated schools, was closed down. At this stage Booker was simply a grass aerodrome with little in the way of facilities, and it lay dormant until it was decided to open Number 21 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) there in June 1941, operated by Airwork and flying Tiger Moths (72 were flown in) and Miles Magisters. The four Bellman hangers were built. Designed by a Mr N S Bellman in 1936 they were intended to be temporary, although those at Booker are only now being replaced, more than 50 years later.

Number 21 EFTS opened with 120 pupils on a seven week course - this was later extended to 11 weeks. In May 1942 training started for the Glider Pilot Regiment, (after the war Number 21 EFTS also took over responsibility for Army Glider Pilot and Air Observation Post elementary training). In July 1943 alone, 5576 hours were flown of which 442 were at night. Inevitably there were quite a few crashes and some fatalities.

By 1955 the four wartime grass runways (north/south 3300 feet, north east/south west 3600 feet, east/west 2610 feet and south east/north west 2400 feet) had been joined by a 90 foot wide pierced steel planking hard runway 07/25 (2700 feet). There was also a VDF homer, Eureka (an early form of DME), approach and tower radio on 130.86 MHz. All lighting was portable. In August 1953 the University of London Air Squadron had resumed flying - at Booker, and the airfield also hosted the Manchester and Liverpool University Air Squadrons during 1954. The RAF continued to use the airfield for some time - Bomber Command Communications Flight was based at Booker until 1963. In 1965 Airways Aero Associations - the forerunner of the British Airways Flying Club - was formed with membership initially restricted to the then BEA and BOAC personnel and in 1967 Tony Gyselynck opened Wycombe Air Centre operating Condors, and later, Cessna 150s and 172s. Today British Airways operates the airfield under lease from Wycombe District Council and, through its subsidiary, Airways Aero Associations, provides the facilities such as ATC, rescue and fire fighting services, fuel, ground handling and lighting.

Barry Abraham is an aviation historian and chairman of the Airfield Research Group. This article first appeared in Centreline, newsletter of Wycombe Air Centre. Copyright © Booker GC 2006