London and Aviation

LONDON AND AVIATION Currently London is served by six international commercial airports, more airports than any other city in the world. If one included London Oxford Airport and London Ashford Airport then it would be eight. The first airdrome to serve London was established in 1908 by Claude Grahame-White, in Hendon. Now a huge housing development call Grahame Park and the home to The Royal Air Force Museum. All that was needed to create an aerodrome, was a large enough space for take-off and landing and space to store or hangar the planes when they were not being flown. The newly formed Royal Flying Core took over the Hendon Aerodrome, and started building new aerodromes all over the South East of the United Kingdom. After the war it was clear that planes were going to play a huge role in the future of the country. In fact some experts thought that the future of planes was going to go in the same direction that cars did – smaller and more affordable – and that everyone would be flying their own planes around. In 1931 there were even plans to build an aerodrome right in the centre of London, on the rooftop of Kings Cross Station. It would have had 6 runways facing in all directions with planes, taxiing around the outside, like an enormous wheel. The idea was that people could commute to central London by plane. Now the thought of it seems bizarre, but 30 years before that the mere thought of flying was extremely bizarre. What actually happened is that planes got bigger and were able to fly much longer distances. Civil Aviation was about to take off. As we shall see later in 1920 Beddington and Waddon Aerodromes transformed themselves in to Croydon International Airport, London’s first terminal for passengers. One no longer needed his own plane to fly. Croydon Airport hosted a terminal building, tarmac, control tower, and hotel. It was the delight of South London. Claude Grahame-White followed suit and transformed Hendon Aerodrome into a functioning airport, causing all the other aerodromes to do the same, Like Heston, Northolt, and Biggin Hill airports. London had an exciting new industry, and with the start of World War Two, things started to speed up. The Royal Flying Corps which is now known as the Royal Air Force, needed to build even more air bases to defend Britain from the Luftwaffe. Due to the war even more people would be able to fly, as planes were getting bigger, faster and cheaper. However with the development of airplanes, came louder engines. Croydon Airport’s runways were too short and too close to residential areas for the new noisy engines, so it was forced to shut down in 1959. It was the same problem for all of London’s airports, Heston closed in 1947, Northolt in 1954, Hendon in 1957and Biggin Hill in 1994. Smaller Open airports Airport/drome Established RAC/RAF Civilian North Weald 1916 1979 1979 Battle of Britain, general aviation aerodrome, home of North Weald Airfield Museum. Biggin Hill 1917 1917-1958 1959 Battle of Britain, Now Business & private flights only Denham 1917 1917, 1939 1917 Now flying school, Business & private flights, helicoptors Elstree 1930’s 1939-1945 1930’s Repaired Wellington Bombers during the war. Flying Club & School Fairoaks 1931 1936 1937 RAF base during WWll, now commercial general airport Redhill 1930’s 1940 1947 general aviation aerodrome, emphasis on helicopter Rochester 1933 1938 1933 general aviation aerodrome, Short Brothers factory 1934 - 1936 Stapleford 1933 1937 - 1948 1953 general aviation aerodrome, important part in the preparations for D Day London Heliport 1959 - 1959 London's only licensed heliport. It is somewhat confusing, particularly to visitors to The UK that two airports call themselves ‘London’ but are a considerable distance from the City. London Oxford Airport is 62 miles away and London Ashford Airport is 75 miles away. Croydon Airport Croydon Airport was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The terminal building and entrance lodge are now Grade II listed buildings. The aerodrome opened as the gateway for international flights to and from London on 29 March 1920 It was an amalgam of Beddington & Waddon Aerodromes. These were created for protection against Zeppelin raids during the First World War. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control. The airport became the operating base for Imperial Airways, the origins of British Airways, and is remembered in the road name Imperial Way on the site today. Croydon Airport Terminal Building In the 1920s, The new buildings included the first purpose-designed air terminal in the UK. The airport's terminal building and control tower were completed in 1928. Air Traffic Control was first developed here, as was the distress call ‘Mayday Mayday Mayday’. Amy Johnson took off from Croydon for her record-breaking flight to Australia and Charles Lindbergh arrived in Spirit of St. Louis, to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. When the Second World War started in September 1939, Croydon Airport was closed to civil aviation but played a vital role as a fighter station during the Battle of Britain. On 15 August 1940 Croydon Airport was attacked in the first major air raid on the London area. Following the end of the war it was realised that post-war airliners and cargo aircraft would be larger and air traffic would intensify. Urban spread of south London, and surrounding villages growing into towns, had enclosed Croydon Airport and left it no room for expansion. Heathrow was therefore designated as London's airport. Croydon returned to civil control in February 1946. Northolt opened to the airlines soon after that, cutting Croydon's traffic. In 1952 It was decided that the airport would eventually be closed. The last flight from Croydon departed on 30 September 1959. Today much of the site has been built over, but some of the terminal buildings are still visible. The former terminal building is called Airport House, and the former control tower houses a visitors' centre. A memorial to those lost in the Battle of Britain stands slightly to the south. The Aerodrome Hotel and the terminal building including its grand booking hall were built in the neo-classical geometrical design typical of the early 20th Century. AF Battle of Britain memorial Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was situated in Colindale and was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was known as a place of pioneering experiments including the first airmail, the first parachute descent from a powered aircraft, the first night flights, and the first aerial defence of a city. Henry Coxwell and James Glaisher were the first to fly from Hendon in a balloon called the Mammoth in 1862. The first powered flight from Hendon was in an 88-foot (27 m) long non-rigid airship. In 1906, before any powered flight had taken place in Britain, the Daily Mail newspaper had challenged aviators to fly from London to Manchester or vice versa, offering a prize of £10,000. The French aviator Louis Paulhan succeeded in the challenge during April 1910. He chose a field on the future Hendon Aerodrome site as his point of departure. This was the first true flight from the Hendon site. Claude Grahame-White who also took part in the Daily Mail competition, created the Grahame-White Aviation Company, He took control of more than 200 acres of Colindale and converting it into what could be recognised as a proper modern airfield. In September 1911, the first official UK airmail was flown between Hendon and Windsor as part of the celebrations of the coronation of King George V. In 1912, the first Aerial Derby started and ended at Hendon. These annual events became as important as the Ascot and Epsom races during the London Season. A number of flying schools were located at Hendon, including Grahame-White's. In November 1916, the War Office commandeered the flying schools, after which the aerodrome trained 490 pilots. Claude Grahame-White and other members of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) mounted a night defence of London in 1915, constituting the very first aerial defence of London. The first RAF "Pageant" was held at Hendon in 1922, and it soon became a regular event. The Aerodrome was briefly active during the Battle of Britain, but for most of World War II, the Aerodrome was mainly used for transport activities, and flying dignitaries to and from London. RAF Hendon had three crossed runways and were removed by 1969. Production of aeroplanes was one of the features of the aerodrome's activities under Grahame-White. During the First World War production increased rapidly. In 1922 the Air Ministry took the aerodrome over which led to a protracted and ugly legal action lasting until 1925, when Grahame-White left the site. Poster for RAF Display, Hendon, 1925, published in Flight Magazine, 2 July 1925 After the war the airfield was becoming increasingly unsuitable, particularly because the runways were too short, and the proximity of residential areas made matters worse. The last flying unit, the Metropolitan Communication Squadron, left Hendon in November 1957.[ Late in 1968, when two of the three runways had been removed, a Blackburn Beverley was flown in to be an exhibit at the new RAF Museum: this was the last aircraft to land in Hendon. The RAF station finally closed in 1987. GrahmeWhite watchtower & factory The site of the aerodrome is now occupied by the Grahame Park housing estate, Hendon Police College and the RAF Museum, which portrays the role of the Royal Air Force in the development of aviation and avionics in the United Kingdom.

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