Aberdeen
ABERDEEN see also ABERDEEN ROYAL INFIRMARY
ABERDEEN: Civil airport, military during WW2 (Previously known as DYCE)
Note: This picture (2018) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: All other pictures by the author unless specified.
Civil regional airport, later military aerodrome (WW2 to ?). Then becoming a major civil regional airport. (Previously known as DYCE)
ICAO code: EGPD IATA code: ABZ
Operated by: Pre 1940: Aberdeen Airways
1975: Department of Trade & Industry
1990 to 2000: Aberdeen Airport Ltd
Military users: WW2: RAF Coastal Command 18 Group
235 Sqdn (Bristol Beaufighters)
248 & 254 Sqdns (Bristol Blenheims)
603 Sqdn (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
612 (County of Aberdeen) Sqdn (Avro Ansons)
106 (PR) Group 8 OTU (De Havilland Mosquitos & Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
1509 BAT Flt (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires & Vickers Wellingtons)
POST WW2
1975: Aberdeen UAS (DHC.1 Chipmunks)
Activities: Post 1945: Airline, air freight, charter, GA business, private and training. North Sea oil industry supply services
A MIKE CHARLTON GALLERY
Note: These four pictures, from postcards, have been kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection: See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
The first picture, of the BEA (British European Airways), DC-3 was presumably taken in the early 1950s?
Third picture: This colour scheme was applied from the late 1950s through to the late 1960s. It looks like a 800 Series Viscount.
British airline users: Pre 194O: Aberdeen Airways, North Eastern Airways, Scottish Airways
Post 1945: Air 2000, Air Anglia, Airtours International, Alidair, Air Southwest, Allied Airways, British Air Ferries, British Airways (BA), BEA (British European Airways), British World Airlines, Brymon Airways, Business Air, City Airline, Dan Air, Easyjet, Flightline, Flybe, Gill Aviation, Globalflyer, Monarch Airlines, Skyways, Thomson-fly
Foreign airline users: Post 1945: Aer Arran, Air Europa, European Air Transport (Eurotrans), Futura, Ryanair
Charter, air taxi: Post 1945: Air Bridge Carriers, Air Charter (Scotland), Airgo, Assistair, British Midland Airways, Brooklands Aviation, Casair Aviation Services, Macedonian Aviation
Flying school/club: 1934 to 1939: Aberdeen Flying School
Note: It appears that when the school opened, owned by Eric Gander-Dower, who also owned Aberdeen Airways, they operated the British Klemm L25c Swallow G-ACXE for about a year. But why just a year? In 2020 this aeroplane was in the final stages of being restored to flying condition.
Post 1945: Aberdeen Flying School
Gliding: Used as a gliding site in the 1970s only?
HELICOPTER OPERATIONS
Helicopter ops: Bond Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters, British International Helicopters, Caledonian Helicopters
Note: I may well be mistaken but I do think that, at ABERDEEN, North Sea helicopter operations have been busier here than at any other location in the UK.
A GRAEME SIMPSON GALLERY
Notes: These really interesting pictures were kindly sent by Graeme Simpson in January 2018. The first picture was taken by the Luftwaffe on the 21st September 1940. Graeme reckons that the 950m runway is probably H05/H23 today.
Second picture: This picture, taken by Graeme, shows the Douglas DC-3C G-AMPY on the then eastern apron at DYCE. It is still flying today (2018) as the RAF Dakota KK116 with Flying Legends and registered to RVL Aviation at EAST MIDLANDS.
It appears that after appearing on the civil register it was initially registered to a private individual in Liverpool before serving with Starways at SPEKE (Liverpool) from May 1958 until December 1963. I may well have seen it landing at LAP (HEATHROW). From January 1964 to August 1968 it was registered to Aviation Overhauls at SPEKE. It then appears to have gone to the U.S.A. Or, more likely perhaps (?), just put on the U.S. register. At some point it also bore the Irish registration EI-BKJ.
From the 5th of November 1970 to the 23rd January 1980 it was registered to The New Guarantee Trust of Jersey, and this was when it served with Intra Airways. Typical of so many C-47s and DC-3s which survived for many years after WW2, this 'Dak' has had a long and varied career. Once serving with Air Atlantique at COVENTRY for example.
The third picture is a fragment on an aerial picture taken, presumably by the RAF this time, which included DYCE. Note the numerous aircraft parked on one of the runways.
The fourth evocative picture, taken by Graeme from the Intra Airways DC-3 G-AMPY, shows a U.S. Navy Douglas R4D, (a later DC-3 variant), for the EDZELL 'Base Support Flight'. By this time EDZELL was a non-flying establishment and had become a radio station. Arriving from somewhere much further south it is being loaded or unloaded with cargo.
The fifth picture of a U.S. Navy Grumman C-1 Trader on the then east apron at DYCE/ABERDEEN, is I would think, now quite a rare picture. Being a transport version of the S-2 Tracker, only 87 were built and these were mostly intended for use in the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet it appears. So to find one at DYCE is quite a treat. Graeme thinks this was probably also delivering supplies to EDZELL.
The ninth picture: It appears that British Airways were operating their Tridents into Aberdeen in the early 1980s at least.
Tenth picture: What a lovely evocative evening picture.
Graeme Simpson tells me that at peak periods British Airways often employed a Tri-Star to ABERDEEN in the early 1980s. But, it was parked on a taxiway rather than at the terminal. Perhaps there were two reasons for this? Possibly the terminal parking apron couldn't cope with an aircraft this large, and/or, they didn't have a tug powerful enough to push it back?
Location: W of the A947, 5nm NW of Aberdeen
Period of operation: 1934 to present day? Some say 1925 when the 612 Auxilliary Air Force “County of Aberdeen” squadron was formed here?
Runways: Previous runways: Originally ‘all over’ grass airfield (?)
WW2: 01/19 1216x46 hard 06/24 1125x46 hard 15/33 1216x46 hard
Runways: 1952 - 16/34 1829x46 hard 06/24 1129x46 hard
1965: 17/35 1830x46 hard 06/24 1129x46 hard
Helicopters only : 1990: 01/19 260x46 hard 05/23 577x46 hard
15/33 720x46 hard
Note: These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
2000: 18/36 260x23 hard 05/23 577x46 hard 14/32 660x23 hard
By 2001 the Helistrip runway 18/36 appears confined to 36 use only
This map was supplied by Dr.Anne Tarver, Nottinghamshire County Archive Service.
NOTES:
Aberdeen Airways established this airport in 1934. The first services were flown in May 1935 with a De Havilland DH.84 Dragon to Orkney via Wick and Thurso. Or so I once thought. According to Neville Doyle in his excellent book The Triple Alliance Aberdeen Airways first service was to Glasgow (Presumably RENFREW?) on the 10th September 1934 using the Short Scion G-ACUV.
In 1939 the UK government decreed that all scheduled airline services had to be licensed. Also, once WW2 was declared, all the aircraft had to have their passenger windows blanked out. It appears that Allied Airways (Gandar Dower), which was previously Aberdeen Airways, had the following routes licensed. For example:
ABERDEEN - WICK - THURSO - KIRKWALL*
ABERDEEN - THURSO - SOUTH RONALDSWAY - KIRKWALL*
*Similar permutations were operated, including a service to the Shetland Islands. What we don't appear to know is if they still used the QUANTERNESS airfield, or if services were permitted to land at RN GRIMSETTER which later become the KIRKWALL airport.
Venue (30th August 1936) for the British Empire Air Display Tour of the UK.
In 1975 still known as DYCE.
ARRIVING AT ABERDEEN IN A CESSNA 172
For our joint double book project in 1992, (one book each for Austin J Brown and myself), the publishers Ian Allan, decided to award us the contract in the autumn - rather than in the summer which we would have much preferred. This turned out to be one of the worst weather sceneriaros throughout most of the UK on record. Aberdeen was as far north as we could get, although we had planned to reach the Orkney Isles and Shetlands. The inbound flight was something I will never forget, as our clearance to fly north from Stonehaven was, "Over the sea and not above 500 feet." Which actually did us a favour as we flew through torrential rain, snow flurries and severe turbulence - but remained below the cloud base which was, south of Aberdeen virtually on the deck inland. Aussie had recently retired from his airline flying career and sat back seemingly amused as I sawed back and forth on the controls, often using full control deflections, in a vain attempt to keep our aircraft roughly flying straight and level.
The opinion of the weather expert in the Met office at Aberdeen was: "Unless you two are determined to kill yourselves - and you want to fly further north - come back in the spring next year." Having taken our pictures and information, we eventually spotted a possibility to fly south through the seemingly never ending series of storm fronts. Oddly enough the passage under the front wasn't too bad, but once clear the turbulence struck - in a manner I have never encountered before or since. It consisted of short sharp severe 'shocks' and really did make me wonder how the aircraft stayed in one piece. Once again Aussie suggested I should fly the route, presumably because he thought it would be 'character building'. Despite having the belts as tight as possible my head struck the cabin roof of the Cessna 172 several times. Thank heavens we were flying this type of aeroplane, and one in a series of light aircraft which remain the strongest ever built.
A FURTHER VISIT - AUGUST 2023
Picture One is of the DAT (Danish Air Transport) ATR 72-600 (OY-RUV). Picture Two is of the assembly area for the boarding gates.Picture Three is of the entrance to the Baggage Reclaim for domestic flights. Picture Four is the British Airways Check-In for Club Europe passengers. After Heathrow it is always such a pleasure to visit a much smaller regional airport - so quick and convenient.
Picture Five is the general facilities area. Picture Six is the Check In part of the terminal. Picture Seven is another view of OY-RUV. Picture Eight is an aerial view of the airport from Google Earth © in 2023.
NOTES: The original plan was to arrive early for the return flight to LHR and take more pictures of the aprons etc. It was not to be. On the 28th August the Air Traffic Services for the U.K. suffered a catastrophic complete failure, and on the 29th British Airways informed us that our flight had been cancelled. The next flight being in the evening of the 30th. As we all had other arrangements on the 30th we arranged to return our hire car to Heathrow late at night. Deep joy - driving nearly all day!
Sandy Mitchell
This comment was written on: 2021-02-23 10:07:03The Turbulent is pictured outside the original hangar at Aboyne, still there today. The airstrip of demise may have been Netherley
Dick Flute
This comment was written on: 2021-02-23 19:32:09Hi Sandy, Many thanks. The picture has now been moved to Aboyne. Best regards, Dick
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