Perranporth
PERRANPORTH: Military aerodrome later civil aerodrome and gliding site (also known as TREVELLAS)
Note: These pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. All other pictures by the author unless specified.
Military users: WW2: 1941 to 1944 RAF Fighter Command
19, 66, 130, 234 & 610 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
183 Sqdn (+ 453?) (Hawker Typhoons)
329, 340 & 341 (French) Sqdns (Spitfires)
302 & 317 (Polish) Sqdns (Spitfires)
412 (RCAF) Sqdn (Spitfires)
1944 Coastal Command
FAA [Fleet Air Arm] 849 & 850 Sqdns (Grumman Avengers)
816 Sqdn (Fairey Swordfish)
1945 RAF Transport Command 46 Group
1944/5 US First Army ‘V’ Corps 29th Infantry
1945 to 1946 (RAF?) 95 Gliding School
Operated by: (1975?) 1984/1990: Cornish Gliding & Flying Club
2000: Perranporth Airfield Ltd
British airline users: 1950 & 1951 Fingland, Murray Chown Aviation
Flying Club: 2003: Perranporth Flying School
Gliding: 1957 Cornish Gliding Club to -
Note: This heavily degraded picture from a postcard was kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
I imagine this postcard might well be quite a rarity today, and certainly gives many clues worthy of note. Not least, in the top right, a picture of an aero-tow behind a DH82A Tiger Moth. If anybody can kindly offer more advice, this will be most welcome.
Location: SE of Hanover Cove, SW of Perranporth, 6nm SW of Newquay, 6nm NW of Truro
Period of operation: Military: 1941 to April 1946. Reopened briefly in 1950 to 1951 for civil airline use then closed until 1957 for gliding which in 2007 had almost died off? On/off GA operations started in 197(?) to 1990 but during the later 1990s (?) GA activity started up again and is now thriving.
Note: This map is reproduced by the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: 01/19 1006x46 hard 05/23 1280x46 hard
10/28 1006x46 hard
1990: 01/19 990x46 hard 05/23 1350x46 hard
09/27 1020x46 hard
2000: 01/19 650x23 hard 05/23 940x23 hard 09/27 750x23 hard
2001: 01/19 600x27 hard 05/23 860x18 hard 09/27 618x46 hard
To give some idea what pilots have to deal with in 2001 the TORA for 05 was 940, the LDA 799. For 09 the TORA was 750 and LDA was 750
NOTES: During 1944/5 the US Army based two Piper L-4 Grasshoppers here for liaison duties.
A most interesting development came about in 1950/1 when commercial air services used PERRANPORTH. The Murray Chown concern operated a Proctor on a regular summer STAVERTON- “NEWQUAY”- GUERSEY service and Fingland operated a MANCHESTER (RINGWAY) – “NEWQUAY” service.
GLIDING AND OTHER NOTES
In 1957 the Cornish Gliding Club started and was an instant success.
In 1958 it is said the amount of movements were second only to LASHAM.
The GA picture here in 1977 seemed pretty bleak with just Bensen Gyro-Copter G-ARZL, (airworthy?) and Beagle A.109 Airedale G-AVKP of St. Pirans Flying Group seeming to be the only GA residents, plus the gliders of course.
In 1990 looking at a pilots Flight Guide it was pretty obvious that light aircraft were only accepted according to several limitations, but today they are welcome. It’s nice to see an aerodrome expanding and succeeding with both GA and gliding coping well together. In 1990 it was stated that the Landing Fee for GA types was “Donations much appreciated” whereas in 2001 according to one pilots Flight Guide the minimum was “£6.00 thereafter £0.009p/kg gross weight + VAT less discount with fuel purchase”. A tad complicated perhaps but even without taking on fuel the landing fee would still be much less than many UK aerodromes charge, and who could begrudge paying a fee for landing at such a delightful aerodrome?
A PERSONAL MEMORY
I well remember my first and regrettably to date only arrival by air at PERRANPORTH when flying up from LANDS END on the 1st May 2000. The wind was from the east so I set up over the sea for an approach to runway 09. The main feature is, just before the threshold, huge cliffs. How high are they? Four hundred feet, perhaps 500ft? It is one of the most formidable looking approaches I have ever done. I decided to keep very high and make a glide approach and land long. A decision applauded by the man in the tower when ‘booking in’ which certainly made me feel much better. After landing my wife told me that if she’d known about this beforehand she would have refused point blank to fly with me from LANDS END!
In 2003/4 this aerodrome once again became a licensed civil aerodrome.
ANOTHER PERSONAL MEMORY
In January 2008 I was given the job of moving the Jabiru SPL-450 G-BZST from HEADCORN in KENT to PERRANPORTH. This picture shows the Jabiru being delivered on a very dull and cold morning. I had slept in my cab on the side of the airfield, but, being centrally heated I was as snug as a bug in a rug - until getting out to start work!
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