Herefordshire Aeroclub Industry News 16th February 2026
16th February 2026
Welcome to the Herefordshire Aeroclub Industry News Hub, your regular roundup of key news and updates from the UK General Aviation scene. Read on to find out more…
Industry
End of an Era: General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) to Close After 60 Years
After more than six decades of service to the UK's General Aviation community, the General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) has announced its decision to wind up operations. The council's board cited an inability to secure a sustainable long-term funding base as the primary reason for the closure. Founded in 1964, GASCo has been a cornerstone of UK aviation safety, promoting education, sharing information, and fostering good airmanship across all sectors of GA.
The organisation has played a unique role in bringing together different parts of the GA community to share safety knowledge and experience. Over the years, its work has included organising hundreds of safety evenings, delivering Military-Civil Air Safety Days, and more recently, supporting the CAA's 'Just Culture' initiative through the delivery of the Airspace Infringement Awareness Course. The board has stressed that the organisation remains solvent, and work is underway with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and other partners to ensure that key activities, particularly the infringement course, can continue under new arrangements.
UK Aviation Set for Continued Growth in 2026, CAA Reports
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has released new data indicating that the aviation sector is poised for another year of growth in 2026. The report suggests that nearly a third of consumers (31%) plan to fly more this year than last, with demand being particularly strong among younger travellers aged 18-34. Overall satisfaction with air travel has reached its highest level since the survey began in 2016, with 88% of passengers reporting they are satisfied with their experience.
While the outlook is positive, the report also highlights that certain groups, including passengers with disabilities and those facing financial or digital barriers, report lower satisfaction levels. The CAA has encouraged the industry to focus on addressing these disparities and to continue improving the handling of passenger complaints, which has seen a notable 10% increase in satisfaction over the past year. Read more.
Airfields Under Pressure: Tollerton Faces Judicial Review
The security of several UK airfields remains a significant concern for the GA community. A group named 'Save Nottingham City Airfield Group' (SNAG) has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a Judicial Review into the local council's plans for Tollerton Airport (Nottingham City Airport). This is part of a wider trend of airfields, including Popham, Coventry, and Gloucester, facing uncertain futures, a topic recently highlighted by FLYER Magazine as a potential "Airfield Armageddon". These developments pose a potential threat to the UK's GA infrastructure, which is vital for training, business, and recreational flying. Read more.
Regulation & Safety
CAA Launches Consultation on Pilot Medical Declaration (PMD)
The CAA has opened a new public consultation on proposed changes to the Pilot Medical Declaration (PMD). The consultation, which runs until 9 March 2026, is of significant importance to all pilots flying on a PMD, as well as Flight Instructors and Class Rating Instructors. You are encouraged to review the proposals and contribute your feedback to the CAA to ensure the voice of the GA community is heard. Read more.
Next Weather Webinar for MAVIS is Tomorrow (17th Feb 2026)!
If you remember in our last industry news blog, we shared MAVIS - the new integrated aviation weather platform being introduced by the Met Office Aeronautical Visualisation Service. This new service will replace legacy systems from March 24, 2026.
The first webinar is tomorrow.Click here to sign up and get more information.
AAIB Month Bulletin for February is live
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch, or AAIB, published its monthly bulletin on February 12th. This bulletin included findings on several general aviation incidents that occurred in 2025. Reports detailed
a loss of control incident during takeoff involving a Sonaca 200 aircraft at Blackbushe Airport, and
an engine failure involving a Replica Percival Mew Gull near Great Massingham Airfield.
The AAIB also confirmed that on February 3rd, a team was sent to Rochdale, Greater Manchester, to begin an investigation into a recent light aircraft accident.
On the leadership front, Robert Balls was appointed as the new Chief Inspector of Air Accidents on February 11th.
You can read the report here.
Shobdon News
While Others Retreat, Shobdon Advances
It's no secret that UK General Aviation is under pressure. Airfields across the country face uncertain futures — from Tollerton's Judicial Review to threats at Popham, Coventry, and Gloucester. The phrase "Airfield Armageddon" has entered the vocabulary, and for good reason. The infrastructure that underpins GA training, recreation, and community is being eroded, one planning decision at a time.
At Herefordshire Aeroclub, we believe the best response to that pressure isn't to hunker down, but it's to invest forward. That's why 2026 sees us launching two flagship initiatives designed to secure our club's future while honouring what made it worth saving in the first place.
Club Roots starts from a simple observation: somewhere along the way, flying clubs stopped being clubs. They became service providers. Book a slot, fly, leave. The social connective tissue that once made aeroclub membership meaningful - the shared meals after a dodgy crosswind landing, the Friday evening hangar talk, the sense that you belonged to something - quietly eroded. Club Roots is our deliberate effort to reverse that. Not through nostalgia, but by rebuilding the conditions in which community actually forms: shared experiences, open doors, reasons to stay after you've put the aircraft away. We believe that a club people genuinely want to be part of is a club that survives.
HAC 2.0 tackles the other half of the equation. If Club Roots asks "why do people stay?", HAC 2.0 asks "what stops people from coming in the first place?" Too often in GA, the answer is friction - outdated processes, opaque training pathways, admin that belongs in the last century. HAC 2.0 is our commitment to modernising the systems that sit behind the flying, so that the experience of learning, visiting, and operating at Shobdon matches the ambition of the club itself. Less time wrestling with paperwork, more time doing the thing we're all here for.
The two initiatives share a conviction: that the future of General Aviation in this country depends on clubs willing to modernise without losing their soul. Shobdon has been a home for aviators in the Herefordshire countryside for decades. We intend to keep it that way - not by standing still, but by building something worth flying to.
If you want to find out more - come and visit, talk to the Duty Pilots, enjoy a meal at Megs Cafe, take advantage of the events we have planned this year. We’ll be really happy to see you!
February Flyout and Quiz Night Reminder
February 27th - Our bi-monthly community quiz night starts at 6:30pm at Meg’s Cafe. It is £10 per team with a ‘winner takes all’ prize pot - including the ultimate prize…. OF PRIDE! Read more
February 28th - After our earlier fly-out wash-out, we are crossing our fingers and preying to the weather gods that our fly-out to Turweston is blessed! If you are a Herefordshire Aeroclub member and are part of one of the many aircraft syndicates, be sure to reserve your aircraft - and if you are not, then be sure to join the Shobdon Pilots Whatsapp group for more information / book a seat with someone. Read more
Join the Shobdon Pilots Group
Do you fly from Shobdon? Are you learning to fly at Shobdon? Join the Shobdon Pilots WhatsApp group to take part in discussions ranging from the weather to Mach Loop achievements.
If you have aviation news you would like to share, or you would like your aircraft featured on the Industry News header, please email us at events@shobdonairfield.co.uk
