Ten aircraft destroyed in suspected arson attack in Cornwall
Davidstow Flying Club say their future is in doubt following the incident last week
Last updated 17th Apr 2023
Ten aircraft - with an estimated value of around £300,000 - have been destroyed in a suspected arson attack in Cornwall.
The fire broke out at Davidstow Flying Club's main hangar on Tuesday night (11 April).
Their Chair, John Gardiner, tells Pirate FM that the ramifications go far beyond just aircraft loss:
"Some people have been affected more than others, for example our flying instructor lost his aircraft and as a result has lost his living. So he now no longer has a plane in which he can teach people to fly.
"There were also people queuing up who wanted to learn to fly and now they can't, or they have to go somewhere else.
"Then there's the individual members who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Not everyone's got lots of money, so people work very hard to save money to buy these aircraft. They're their pride and joy and of course they're completely gutted."
John tells us that members are determined to get back but there are a lot of obstacles to get over first:
"We lost around ten aircraft with a value approaching £250,000 - £300,000. That's without considering the building itself, which recently had a new roof installed and turned it into a useful dry hangar.
"We are on the old second world war airfield. The buildings are in really pretty poor condition and always have been, so basically they're uninsurable. So the only insurance we have would be for the actual aircraft, so hopefully people will get compensation.
"The problem is, we don't have a huge amount a money. What we have in the bank account, we're going struggle to rebuild the hangar with what we've got. So a lot of difficult decisions."
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the incident was left in the care of police.