For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!
Legend of Goodwood's golden racing era and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori once famously said "give me Goodwood on a summer's day and you can forget the rest".
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
One Summer, King Edward VII turned his back on the traditional morning suit, and donned a linen suit and Panama hat. Thus the Glorious Goodwood trend was born.
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
The first thing ever dropped at Goodwood was a cuddly elephant which landed in 1932 just as the 9th Duke of Richmonds passion for flying was taking off.
The exquisite mirror in the Ballroom of Goodwood House it so big they had to raise the ceiling to get it inside!
Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!
Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill
Every single item from plates to pictures has its own home within the Lodge, with our butler (James) has his own "bible" to reference exactly what is out of place.
Easy boy! The charismatic Farnham Flyer loved to celebrate every win with a pint of beer. His Boxer dog, Grogger, did too and had a tendancy to steal sips straight from the glass.
Festival of Speed is our longest-standing Motorsport event, starting in 1993 when it opened to 25,00 people. We were expecting 2000!
Legend of Goodwood's golden racing era and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori once famously said "give me Goodwood on a summer's day and you can forget the rest".
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
Our replica of the famous motor show showcases the "cars of the future" in true Revival style
The first thing ever dropped at Goodwood was a cuddly elephant which landed in 1932 just as the 9th Duke of Richmonds passion for flying was taking off.
For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill
The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection
The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season
The bricks lining the Festival of Speed startline are 100 years old and a gift from the Indianapolis Speedway "Brickyard" in 2011 to mark their centenary event!
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).
Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).
Ensure you take a little time out together to pause and take in the celebration of all the hard work you put in will be a treasured memory.
One Summer, King Edward VII turned his back on the traditional morning suit, and donned a linen suit and Panama hat. Thus the Glorious Goodwood trend was born.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!
Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!
We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The oldest existing rules for the game were drawn up for a match between the 2nd Duke and a neighbour
"En la rose je fleurie" or "Like the rose, I flourish" is part of the Richmond coat of Arms and motto
Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill
Goodwood’s pigs are a mix of two rare breeds (Gloucester Old Spots and Saddlebacks) plus the Large White Boar.
Easy boy! The charismatic Farnham Flyer loved to celebrate every win with a pint of beer. His Boxer dog, Grogger, did too and had a tendancy to steal sips straight from the glass.
On the 4th of August 1986, a 16-year-old named Rob Wildeboer began his career in aviation at the Goodwood Aerodrome. Thirty years later Rob is still in the job and, most importantly, still passionate about what he does.
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flying school
Rob started at Goodwood straight from school as an apprentice aircraft engineer, cycling five miles to and from his Fishbourne home each day as he was too young to drive. His love of aviation had been a constant through his childhood, as he explains. “I have been interested in aeroplanes since I was a kid – I was always building Airfix models, building radio controlled models, going to airshows,” he says. “My parents supported me with it and though I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, when this opening came up I jumped at it. I guess I haven’t really looked back from there!”
It is safe to say that from the very start, Rob enjoyed his work. “For the first two years I didn’t take any leave because I didn’t want to miss anything and I was enjoying it too much – they had to force me to take holiday!” he laughs. His dedication was quickly rewarded with career progression and opportunities to get behind the controls. In 1990 he learned to fly and then he self-studied to become a licensed aircraft engineer. Test flying aeroplanes gave him the chance to pilot a lot of different machines and he would regularly take to the sky when a new part had been fitted.
“I think flying makes you a better engineer and being an engineer makes you a better pilot,”
Rob Wildeboer
He enjoyed a short stint as a chief inspector before becoming the chief engineer. He took on the general manager job for six years, did his flying instructor rating and then his aerobatic rating to be more involved with the resident Harvard. Bringing that aircraft to a point where it could be offered for flight experiences for customers was a project that Rob oversaw.
But the Harvard project is just one of many projects Rob has been at the forefront of and in his 30 years it is fair to say that he has witnessed a great deal of change. He explains; “When I first started here we had a few of the buildings and it was quite busy but in a sleepy way! We looked after about 40 aircraft and we’re now up to around 90. Lord March put so much investment into the site, especially to get it fit to host the first Revival in 1998. Just as an example, there were 75,000 trees and bushes planted and big spectator banks were put in to help the acoustics. To see the site benefit from that amount of investment has been the biggest change for me. The events have given us the springboard to increase our own creativity.
Further changes during Rob’s tenure have been the hosting of a Spitfire academy (Boultbee) and aerobatic flights company (Ultimate High) as permanent residents of the aerodrome. The diversity among the hangers is impressive, with planes, helicopters, motorised gliders and autogyros all using Goodwood as a base.
Anybody with an aviation itch can come and scratch it here
Rob Wildeboer
At the end of the day in which we spoke, Rob had flown Goodwood’s Cessna, Harvard and Piper Supercub, proving that his job is all about variety.
This year will be the 10th Freddie March Spirit of Aviation Exhibition and Rob has been pivotal in its creation and development. It stands as one of the highlights of his year, and he is keen to point out that it is unique. “To be able to share vintage aviation with the public is just fantastic. It is the only place that I know of where people can come and get right up close to live aircraft,” he says.
Goodwood recognises the Aerodrome as a really important part of the organisation. “There is a core team who are passionate about making the business work. We all feed off each other and we’re driven by a passion for aviation – I’m surrounded by people who want to be around aeroplanes for the rights reasons,” he says. But in 30 years of the same job, Rob has also seen many people come and go. “I have worked with a lot of different chief engineers, general managers, directors and more – some of them I miss greatly, some of them I don’t miss so much!” he laughs.
There has also been a number of highlights – too many to list – but Rob counts two very special occasions as ones he will never forget. “To see Ray Hanna fly along the start line at the first ever Revival, where he piloted the Spitfire lower than the grandstands, is up there with the best moments of my time here. And having Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, judge at the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation Exhibition – that was pretty cool!” he says.
But for Rob, his motivation is the future, not the past. He says; “One of the great things is not knowing what is around the corner. Where are we going to go from here? Are we going to end up with electric trainers that are carbon neutral? Are we going to have more gliders? Will we get more kids involved? There is such a lot still to be done and with aviation it’s very humbling as there is always a huge amount to learn.
“The history here is indelible and I’m proud of that, but I am as excited about the future. My 30 years has gone in a blink and the minute I have my spirit for what I do dampened is the minute to go and do something else. But at the moment there are endless possibilities here and every day is like a new day.”
Rob Wildeboer has achieved a lot in his 30 years at Goodwood Aerodrome, but the question is; what can he achieve in the next 30? The sky is very much the limit.
duxford
flying school