No tarmac, no towers — just a windsock on the breeze, timber hangars, and a flying club with a deep fondness for the golden age of flight.
Ruritania Aerodrome sits on the north shore of Ruritania, tucked into the gentle sweep of pasture just below Foyle's Farm, where the hills rise green and rounded behind it. It's a grass airfield of the old school — no tarmac, no towers, just a windsock turning lazily on the breeze and a scatter of timber hangars and sheds strung along the field's edge.
The setting is quintessentially rural. Dry-stone walls and split-rail fencing divide the neighbouring meadows, sheep graze on the slopes above, and a still lake laps at the aerodrome's eastern boundary, mirroring the sky on calm mornings. It is part flying club, part country fair — and thoroughly unhurried.
The strip lies at the foot of the green, rounded hills of Foyle's Farm on Ruritania's north shore.
A row of wooden hangars and sheds shelters the club's collection along the field's edge.
A still lake meets the aerodrome to the east — and catches the odd sailplane that ditches short.
Dry-stone walls, split-rail fences and grazing sheep complete the picture of a rural country strip.
The field is home to a flourishing flying club whose hangars shelter a collection spanning the golden age of flight — from the earliest open-cockpit biplanes to the growl of a Merlin. This is what you'll find lined up on the grass.
Our blue and silver Skywagon is a four-seat floatplane from Hanscoque Avionics, flying from the lake at the aerodrome's eastern edge. She has the same live instrument panel as the Cub, plus opening doors, automatic flaps, a yoke for each front seat, spray and wake on the water, and a full set of engine sounds. Bring three friends and take off from the lake.
Our yellow Cub, SP-LCS, is a tandem two-seat trainer from Hanscoque Avionics with a fully live instrument panel, an animated yoke, a first-person cockpit view and simulated radio traffic. Climb aboard with a friend and hand control back and forth as you fly.
Visitors are warmly invited to fly. Our club sailplanes, operated under the familiar Tony's Sail Planes banner, are open for anyone to hop aboard — no membership, no fuss. On a fine day you'll find gliders being winched aloft to ride the thermals rising off Foyle's Farm.
Whether you misjudge a landing, clip a hedgerow, or ditch straight into the lake, there's no harm done. Should your sailplane run into difficulty, it will automatically return to the airfield — ready for your next attempt.
Just find a sailplane on the flightline, climb in, and take the winch.
Throughout the summer months the aerodrome comes alive, playing host to air shows and open days that draw crowds from across the region. The throaty snarl of a Merlin drifts across the valley as a Spitfire taxies out, and displays of aerobatics and classic flypasts fill the sky above.
On a fine day, sailplanes are winched aloft to ride the thermals rising off the warm slopes of Foyle's Farm.
Pre-war racing machines, hot rods and elegant sports cars line the grass alongside the aircraft, all polished for the occasion.
Visitors wander freely between the flightline and the paddock as classic flypasts and aerobatic displays fill the sky.
Ruritania Aerodrome lies on the north shore of the Ruritania region on OSGrid, at the foot of Foyle's Farm. Copy a hop-address into your viewer's map, or click to open it if your viewer handles hop:// links, and head for the windsock on the grass.
hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/Ruritania/600/787/22
hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/Ruritania/39/131/4885
Once in-world, make your way to the north shore, below Foyle's Farm — then hop aboard a sailplane and take to the skies.