Apse Manor
APSE MANOR: Civil aerodrome/airport (Aka SHANKLIN)
Note: This picture of the ten-seater Westland Wessex, G-ABVB, is from a postcard and taken at APSE MANOR. It was registered to Portsmouth, Southern & Isle of Wight Aviation from 05.04.32 until 08.06.36 when it was written-off.
British airline users: Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation
Pleasure flights: Inland Flying Services later to change to Wight Aviation and later still to Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation. Also Shanklin Flying Services
NOTE: These pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See; www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
Note: Without too much doubt (?), this first picture from a postcard sent by Mike Charlton was when G-ABAZ was being operated here from 1930 to 1934? First registered on the 26th June 1930, on the 11th December 1935 it registered to the Isle of Wight Flying Club at LEA airport (SANDOWN) until the 1st December 1946. Therefore indicating that it had avoided being impressed during WW2. It was registered as being an 'Acrobatic' type.
Third picture: This must be a rare picture of G-AAAG? First registered on the 22nd August 1928, it served here with Wight Aviation possibly until being transferred to Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation, based at PORTSMOUTH airport from the 15th January 1930. Perhaps they still based it on the Isle of Wight? It appears it crashed in the sea off Spithead on the 1st November 1934.
Location: Presumably now or near Apse Heath approx 1.5nm NW of Shanklin
Period of operation: 1929 to 1934
Runways: Landing area - roughly 457x412 grass
NOTES: Inland Flying Services started up in Romford ESSEX in 1929 (probably at MAYLANDS?) before moving to APSE MANOR in May 1930. After changing their name to Wight Aviation Ltd from 1930 to 1932 the company decided to then become Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation Ltd, and moved their base to PORTSMOUTH municipal airport; this also taking place in 1932. (The SOUTHSEA situation has still to be resolved although I now suspect there was never an aerodrome in Southsea?)
RYDE OPENS
What does appear to be the case is that after moving their operation to PORTSMOUTH in 1932 PSIOW opened another aerodrome at RYDE, this becoming operational in 1933.
Trying to determine the exact operating dates of the three aerodromes in the Shanklin and Sandown area during the 1930s has been a major headache. For example in his excellent book The Triple Alliance Neville Doyle states. “The one at Shanklin dated back to the days of Inland Flying Services who had rented land at Apse Manor Farm from Mr and Mrs Fisk. Here, in 1932, a Boulton & Paul hangar was erected for the renamed PSIOW Aviation, a car park was laid out, and refreshments were provided.”
SHANKLIN FLYING SERVICES
However, he later goes on to say regarding the history of Shanklin Flying Services which was owned by Charles “Brickie” Coombes who ran a motor-coach business in Shanklin; “Coombes had bought Simmonds Spartan G-AAHA in June 1929 and based it at Apse.”
It then appears that “Brickie” Coombes sold G-AAHA and acquired the Spartan Arrow G-AAWY and the scarlet Spartan Three-seater G-ABAZ. 'Island Queen 2'. The latter was leased to Inland Flying Services, until they bought their own machine, G-ABLJ. Neville Doyle then explains: “In the spring of 1934, Shanklin Flying Services was purchased by Mr and Mrs Ernest Byrne with the two Spartans. The Byrnes then bought Lea Farm, about one mile to the north and made that into an airfield in time for the 1935 season. In February 1935 they formed Sandown & Shanklin Flying Services Ltd, a private company which absorbed Shanklin Flying Services.”
Neville Doyle also tells this story about William Andrews who joined Sandown & Shanklin Flying Services as a director in 1935 and probably did most of the flying. The story probably relates to the time after he became a demonstration pilot for Spartan in 1930. “After one crash in a Spartan single-engined machine he was diagnosed as having scarlet fever and was put in isolation although it turned out that he had been soaked in red-dyed petrol!”
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The second item was published in Flight magazine on the 22nd August 1930. The fourth item was published in Flight on the 23rd August 1932.
Note: The fifth item was published in Flight magazine on the 22nd August 1930. I have added the Google Earth © area view.
A BONUS ITEM
Note: Mike Holder later found these two aerial pictures of a Meeting held here on the 12th June 1930. They were published in Flight magazine on the 20th June 1930.
It might be wondered why the aircraft are so haphazardly parked? The reason is because most of these aircraft could not be taxied easily and accurately in a confined space. Indeed, most of them would not have been equipped with brakes, relying instead on the tail skid to provide any braking action through the grass.
The engine would usually be shut-down when close enough, then the aircraft would be man-handled into its parking spot. Indeed, with most light two-seater types at least, like a DH60 Moth, a reasonably fit and strong pilot could hoist the tail onto a shoulder and park the aircraft on their own, although of course there was nearly always others around to assist.
FLYING CIRCUS VENUES
Venue (18th August 1933) for Alan Cobham’s 1933 No.1 Tour of the UK.
Venue given as APSE AERODROME Shanklin (9th July 1934) for Cobham’s UK Tour.
john cassford
This comment was written on: 2021-03-20 13:13:35I am sure I have seen a photo of a tri-motor Wessex aircraft possibly at Apse Manor .
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