Strathaven Airfield, owned and operated by The Scottish Flying Club, is located just south of Glasgow and west of Prestwick, not far from East Kilbride. It is the oldest non-military airfield in west/central Scotland and has three grass runways, the longest of which is 09/27 at 530m.

The airfield is home to mostly microlights with training on both three-axis/fixed and weightshift/flexwing aircraft available through Microlight Scotland.

We also hold an annual fly in in conjunction with the Strathaven Balloon Festival.

The airfield is also used by a number of paramotor pilots, aeromodellers and the local Air Cadets.

The club house has been refurbished and planning permission granted for a new 9,000sq ft hanger. Reservations for spaces are being taken now, please call Colin on 0797 997 1301.


Strathaven is the third oldest operational airfield on the west of Scotland mainland - the other two being Prestwick and Glasgow Airports.

It was founded by The Scottish Flying Club in the early 1950s after a decade of searching for a site to replace their former base at Glasgow's Abbotsinsch Airport.

Gp Cpt George Pinkerton, chairman of the Scottish Flying Club when it bought Couplaw farm in the 1950s, was the pilot who shot down the first German aircraft over British soil in WW2.

He was still chairman in the 1970s when the airfield was given to the RAF Benevolent Fund so it "would continue to be used for flying". This is probably why many people think it is an ex-wartime airfield.

Flying clubs based at Strathaven over the years include the West of Scotland Flying Club, Glasgow and Strathclyde University Gliding Club, the Rutherglen Flying Group and the Strathclyde Gliding Club.

The airfield was sold by the RAF Benevolent Fund in 2005 to microlight aircraft instructor Colin MacKinnon, whose Microlight Scotland flying school had been based at Cumbernauld Airport.

The airfield is now back in the hands of the revived Scottish Flying Club and is being completely refurbished. And we are determined to keep that traditional grass runway flying club atmosphere.


* You can email Strathaven Airfield operations at:

* fly@microlightscotland.com

* Telephone the airfield on:

* 0797 997 1301 (mobile for Colin MacKinnon, Microlight Scotland)

* You can also write to:

* The Scottish Flying Club LP, Strathaven Airfield, Strathaven, ML10 6RW.

Strathaven Airfield is operated by The Scottish Flying Club LP, a limited parnership registered in Scotland. Full partners: Colin MacKinnon (chairman) and Sportflight Scotland Ltd. Limited partner: Dr H B MacKinnon.