County Londonderry flying sites
Note: This map simply shows the location of the town within the UK.
LONDONDERRY see also EGLINTON (CITY OF DERRY AIRPORT)
LONDONDERRY: Civil aerodrome/airport
Operated by: Northern Air Lines
Location: Not known? Not necessarily the later EGLINGTON/CITY of DERRY site?
Period of operation: 1925 to 1932 only?
NOTES: Really just a fairly small grass airfield with minimal facilities it would seem.
LONDONDERRY: Temporary landing site
NOTES: It would seem that on the 25th May, (some sources say the 21st May), 1932 Amelia Earheart, (by then Mrs Putnam), arrived near here, (Very roughly? Some sources say the site is in/near Culmore), in her Lockheed Vega 5 having crossed the north Atlantic in 13.5 hours (some sources say 14 hours 54 minutes – the first solo flight across the Atlantic ocean by a woman. It was not her first trans-Atlantic flight however, as she had previously been "a passenger" in the Fokker F.VIIb/3m flown by Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon in June 1928. They landed at BURRY PORT in CARMARTHENSHIRE, near Llanelli.
WHY LAND HERE?
But why did she land here? It is said she was so tired and relieved to see land after a very hazardous flight she just wanted to land safely and sort herself out later. Having landed on an open field she asked a local where she was. It appears the local said, “Gallagher’s field, (some say he said, “Gallagher’s pasture”) - have you come far?” It seems Amelia answered, “Just from America.”
Maybe she did say “…from America” but in fact it seems she had departed from Harbour Grace in Newfoundland, Canada and the distance flown is said to have been 2,026 miles. But - how could anybody arrive at such a specific figure? It is reported that the Vega type was a tricky aircraft to fly, (and difficult to land), also having very limited visibility especially forwards when in flight and no forward visibility when landing. But it was fast for the time with a cruise speed of 165mph. Amelia would of course have been cruising at the most economical airspeed and with almost guaranteed tailwinds much of the way an average ground speed, (assuming the distance is correct?), would have been about 150mph. If the longer time of nearly 15 hours is correct this would reduce to 135mph.
LONDONDERRY: Seaplane Alighting Area
Location: Presumably in Loch Foyle?
NOTES: A reference is made to Admiralty chart 2499 in the 1930s regarding this location.
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