Chilworth
CHILWORTH: Civil Landing Ground (Aka AYLESBURY AIRPORT and WHEATLEY)
Note: All four of these maps were kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder
Operated by: Mr A B Scribbans, Lower Chilworth Farm
Commercial operator: Flying Hire Ltd and Oxford Flying Services (See note below)
Flying Club: Chilworth Flying Club
Location: 4nm E of Wheatley, 4.5nm SW of Thame. Just N of A40
Period of operation: 1930s only?
Runways: Max landing run: 503 grass
NOTES: The initial info source was mainly from the ‘AA Landing Grounds’ publications in the 1930s and the Airfield Research Group list of Civil Aerodromes 1933. It does seem that this was an AA (Automobile Association) approved Landing Ground.
FLYING HIRE Ltd
In July 2017 whilst looking into the possible existence of an airfield at Sticker near St Austell in Cornwall, and especialy the history of the Avro 504K G-AAAF, I found that in August 1938 it was registered to: 'Flying Hire Ltd, The Aerodrome, Chilworth, Wheatly, Oxon'. This pretty obviously indicates that this was not just a private kind of Landing Ground, but with some kind of commercial activity.
If anybody can kindly offer advice, this will be most welcome.
In response in June 2020 I had this fabulous answer from Mr Colin Taylor:
"Fuel: Pigeon Pie Filling Station. Transport: Tiddington Garage. Hotel: Brimpton Grange Hotel. Telephone: At transport cafe. (My note, this cafe was almost certainly in the Pigeon Pie Filling Station. Came across pictures of it when visiting the area some years ago.)"
"Chilworth seems to have become quite a busy place as two new companies were established here in 1935, as recorded in the issue of 'Flight' from the 11th July."
Note: In October 2022, Mike Holder tracked down the Notice in Flight magazine.
Several aircraft operating from CHILWORTH have also been identified :
G-AAAF Avro 504K Registered to H.V.K. Atkinson, later Flying Hire Ltd
G-AABE Blackburn L.1B 'Bluebird III' Registered to G.H. Charlton
G-AADL Avro 594 Avian IV Registered to Aylesbury Airport Ltd
G-AAHN Avro 594 Avian IV Also first registered G.H. Charlton, then J.E. Coxon t/as Chilworth Flying Club, then Aylesbury Airport Ltd
G-AAPK Desoutter 1 Registered to J.E. Coxon t/as Chilworth Flying Club, then Aylesbury Airport Ltd
G-ABVS General Aircraft Monospar ST-4 Registered to Flying Hire Ltd
G-ABWR Spartan Arrow Registered to Flying Hire Ltd
Colin Taylor has also tracked down a letterhead from 1936 stating that J.E. Coxon and G.H. Charlton were joint owners of CHILWORTH aerodrome. He has also found that J.E. Coxon had grand plans to set up an airport at Aylesbury, but these plans failed to come to fruition. Didn't seem to prevent him from using this grandiose title for his aerodrome though.
AN ASTONISHING STORY
Colin Taylor also tells us this tale: "There was a fatal crash at Chilworth on 16th August 1936 when a DH.60 Moth stalled on take-off. The plane's occupants were fellow employees at the Fairey Aircraft factory at Hayes and had borrowed it from nearby Hanworth aerodrome. Despite reportedly indulging in some stunt flying on the flight over, it was learnt at the inquest that the pilot, Malcolm Freeman, did not possess a pilot's licence. Both he and his passenger, Albert Donnelly, were in their late 20s."
Later, in October 2022, Mike Holder unearthed these two newspaper articles:
Note: The first article was published in the Bradford Observer on the 17th August 1936. Note that Freeman had survived the crash. The second article was published in the Ballymena Weekly Telegraph on the 5th September 1936. The aircraft in question was the de Havilland DH60X Moth G-AAPJ, registered to Mr Ralph H Henderson and based at HANWORTH AIR PARK in southwest London.
It might well be asked how Malcolm Freeman managed to hire or borrow this aircraft without having to show his pilots licence? In all the years I was flying I cannot recall ever being asked to show my licence - despite often being checked out for local flights as P.1. (Pilot in Command). Sometimes people were interested in seeing my logbook, but of course this is no proof that I actually had a licence. Indeed, I was once allowed to take an aircraft for a local flight in South Wales without even being checked out! On the basis of my experience, (not a lot at the time as it happened but all recent), being quite enough proof that I wouldn't have forgotten how to fly.
SLIGHTLY DODGY TO VERY DODGY
Here again we have Mike Holder to thank for unearthing these stories.
Note: The first article was published in the Aberdeen Press and Journal on the 14th August 1935. The second article was also published on the 14th August 1935, but this time in the Gloucester Citizen. Interesting is it not, that such a minor matter was considered of interest in northern Scotland.
But, the issue is very important. As we are always exhorted to do by countless experts, whose job it is, as often as not, to spend hours reading such details, to "read the small print!" When I was flying each aeroplane had a document case. Did I ever spend the time to peruse these before taking-off? No, not ever. I had to trust those in legal charge of the aeroplane the provide the correct documentation. Apart from anything else, as the pilot I was ill-equipped to judge their authenticity, and, if I did take the trouble, it would probably be well into the night before I'd finished reading it all.
Note: This article was published in the Ballymena Weekly Telegraph on the 26th December 1936. It appears that Mr Hayter was employed as a pilot at CHILWORTH.
The subject of smuggling using light aircraft has always, since after WW1, been something of a major concern for H M Customs & Excise, and to a much lesser extent the police. I have no idea just how big the actual problem is, but strongly suspect it is minimal. Lets face it, just how much contraband can you stuff into a light aircraft? I have only twice been inspected by Customs & Excise after coming in from abroad: Once having landed twice at other aerodromes since entering the country. And never at a Customs approved aerodrome. Which obviously poses the question about their strategy in more recent times.
In this case, in the 1930s, they were clearly up to the task? Or was it just a chance encounter?
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