On 30th March 2026, a new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued affecting flying around Sandhill Farm and the wider area. (NOTAMs are alerts and mandatory changes to airspace, and typically warn of activities such as low-flying or new obstacles, as well as activating or deactivating existing danger zones; for example, when military parachute jumping is taking place,. It can also impose temporary new airspace limitations)
This specific NOTAM imposed a new Transponder Mandatory Zone (TMZ) in a radius around RAF Fairford, to coincide with its use by American heavy bombers involved in the conflict between the USA and Iran. The UK authorities agreed to impose this TMZ starting at the end of March, and running initially to 23rd June 2026. The NOTAM may well be renewed for a further period shortly.
Because gliders rarely carry transponders (these are typically carried by commercial and military aircraft only), we are effectively prevented from flying within the TMZ – the area shown above, with a small exception around the airfield at Sandhill Farm.
What does this mean for operations at the gliding club and residents in the local area? Well, instead of our traditional aerotow routes in various directions, including towards South Marston, or Highworth, we are forced to aerotow within the cut-out sector around the airfield, which unfortunately means more time spent over Shrivenham and Watchfield. There is a route away from the TMZ to the south and east, but we often can’t tow gliders in that direction: they must remain within safe gliding range of the airfield during the tow, and be able to return safely to the airfield once off tow.
So, if you live in the local area, in or around Shrivenham and Watchfield, you may have noticed more aerotow noise than usual. We’d like to apologise for any additional noise nuisance this might have caused. We always aim to minimise noise over built-up areas from aerotowing, but the current restrictions limit what we can do. As soon as the Civil Aviation Authority remove the NOTAM restriction, we will once again minimise aerotowing over built-up areas to the maximum of our ability.