Denham
DENHAM: Apparently a WW1 Training aerodrome in WW1, a Civil Landing Ground in the 1930s, a military aerodrome (RLG) in WW2 and later a GA aerodrome
PICTURES OF DENHAM IN 2015
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified
Military users: WW1: Training aerodrome
WW2: RAF Training Command 50 Group
EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School)
Note: This picture from a postcard was kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
I wonder if anybody can put a date on this? If so the advice will be much appreciated. My guess is possibly the 1980s?
Operated by: 1930s: Mr J Myles Bickerton
Post 1945: 1950s to 2000 at least: Bickerton’s Aerodromes Ltd
Charter/air taxi: Post 1945: Air Gregory (aka: Gregory Air Service), Airways Individual Reservations
Flying schools: Post 1945: Airways Aero Club*, Bucks Flying Club, Cabair Flying Schools, Denham Flying Club, Denham Flying Training School, Denham School of Flying, Rotax Flying Club,The Pilot Centre, Vintage Aeroplane Club
Note: In the 1957 The Aeroplane directory, Denham Flying Club were listed as operating three Miles Hawk Trainer 3s, one Auster J/1 Autocrat and one Taylorcraft.
Also listed was the Rotax Flying Club, affiliated to the East Bucks Flying Group. See below.
Flying groups: Post 1945: Ariel Flying Group (run for BBC employees), East Bucks Flying Group, Home Counties Flying Group, Lapwing Flying Group, Spartan Flying Group
Note: In the 1957 The Aeroplane directory the East Bucks Flying Group (Nightscale Aircraft Services) were listed as operating two Taylorcrafts, one DH82A Tiger Moth and one Miles Hawk-Trainer 3.
Helicopter ops: Post 1945: Cabair Flying Schools
Maintenance: Post 1945: Denham Aviation
Location: W of A412, 1nm WNW of Denham, 2nm NW of Uxbridge, 8nm N of HEATHROW
Period of operation: From 1917 to - (possibly not continuous?)
Note. These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: Originally ‘all over’ grass airfield in WW1?
Max. landing run 1933: 732 grass
WW2: N/S 960 grass NE/SW 786 grass E/W 1262 grass
NW/SE 786 grass
1965: SE/NW 549 grass N/S 640 grass E/W 640 grass NE/SW 823 grass
1990: 06/24 779x18 hard 12/30 564x18 grass
2000: 06/24 779x18 hard 12/30 540x18 grass
NOTES: DENHAM is not normally listed as a WW1 aerodrome and in fact the only proof I have that it was comes from an account from Florence Parrott quoted by Joshua Levine in his excellent book Fighter Heroes of WW1. “I went along to Oxford Street, to the Connaught Club, and went in and joined the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps. I was interviewed by several officers, who asked me what I’d been doing, and when I said wine waitress, they said they didn’t have anything like that, but they put me down as a cook. And they sent me to Denham, to the Royal Flying Corps, where the boys were training to be pilots.”
An A.A. APPROVED LANDING GROUND
The AA (Automobile Association) in the 1930s listed DENHAM amongst their approved Landing Grounds and it was quite unusual in having both fuel and a telephone available on site. Transport (typically a taxi service) was available from the Denham Service Station and nearby hotels were the Bull Hotel, Gerrard’s Cross plus the Chalfont Park Hotel and Falcon Hotel in Denham. But, it appears only one hangar was on the aerodrome, (or Landing Ground), and it was not indicated if this would be available to visitors flying in.
*AIRWAYS AERO CLUB
It certainly came as a surprise to me that Airways Aero Club had operated from here; but it had, only not for long. It was formed in 1948 as a joint enterprise flying a fleet of Miles Magisters by BEA (British European Airways), BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) and BSAA (British South American Airways). They operated from HURN (HAMPSHIRE), WHITCHURCH (SOMERSET) and here. In the early 1950s the operation was centred at CROYDON. When CROYDON closed in September 1959 it transferred to WHITE WALTHAM (BERKSHIRE) before moving to BOOKER, (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE) which was later renamed WYCOMBE AIR PARK.
MORE INFO
In the early 1950s at least the Bucks Flying Club operated a fleet including two Taylorcraft Ds, a Tiger Moth, (What, only one!), another DH type being a DH.60G Moth Major, a Miles Magister and a Percival Proctor.
In the post-war years the Vintage Aeroplane Club operated from Denham and flew the last remaining Avro 338 Club Cadet G-ACHP. This unique, (in terms of surviving), aeroplane was stalled into the trees surrounding DENHAM on New Year’s Day in 1956 or thereabouts and the remains transported to the Denham “cemetery” where types like the Bücker Bestmann G-AKAX met it’s ignoble end as did a trio of American built Aeronca C-3s “stored for destruction” in WW.2. A sad fate that befell many rare and even unique light aircraft in WW2 subjected to the methods used by belligerent, ignorant, unthinking, uncaring, ill-informed and essentially stupid people. Or to use just one word, “military” people.
As you can see I have little respect for their flimsy excuse that they had a World War to fight and this consideration came in front of preserving light aircraft of little interest to most people. I exaggerate for effect of course but it is something we need to take into account today. Thank heavens our military regimes later learnt to respect a sense of history, and have learnt that the preservation of “articles of war” teaches those that follow about the utter folly and total waste any war results in.
A MEMORY
In the early 1960s a rumour quickly spread like wildfire amongst the “LAP spotters” that a very rare, (in both senses as in England at least both the type and the possibility of spotting an Italian registered light aircraft was rare), aeroplane was at DENHAM. It was a Lockheed LASA-60, (only built under license in Argentina, Italy and Mexico it seems, but never in the USA?), and we leapt on our bikes eager not to miss it. We would have missed it too if the engine hadn’t failed shortly after take-off, but we were delighted to discover the wreckage stuck in a tree and getting the “reg”. Spotters can be heartless creatures. It was all rather a long time ago but my faltering memory, (it was never up to much even when new), chucks up the information that the pilot survived, (relatively unscathed?), and the cause of the accident was due to having uploaded contaminated fuel at PANSHANGER. Can anybody confirm this?
ANOTHER MEMORY
In October 2021 I was kindly contacted by Mr Barry Brandon, who has this to tell us:
"As a keen teenager I used to 'help out' at Denham between 1959 & '61 by kind courtesy of CFI Derek 'Wilbur' Wright. (I owe Derek a lot - I think having Denham on my application got me my apprenticeship with BEA)."
"The Denham Flying Club fleet was Auster Alpha G-AGVJ, Maggies G-AFBS & G-AJDR. 'FBS was an original pre-war Hawk Trainer, the only survivor I think. We also had the use of Airways Aero Aiglet 'MTD & Chipmunk 'PPM. Instructors were Ginger Bedggood & B Wilson."
"Ref Don Bennett, he flew his Proctor into his field much to Derek's annoyance, although he did admire Bennetts airmanship, the Proctor being relatively 'hot'."
"Ref the Lockheed 60 accident. The pilot was Ginger Bedggood & he by then had moved on from instructing & I think was demonstrating the -60 (AeroMacchi?). He had only minor injuries luckily. Visited him in Harefield Hospital."
"By 1961 the tail draggers were being replaced with Piper Colts etc & I moved on to BEA at Heathrow."
As an aside, I and my spotter mates made serious efforts to 'spot' every new Piper PA-22, (Colt, Carribean and Tri-Pacer) after they had been shoe-horned out of Pan Am freighters onto the freight facillty on the north side of LAP (London Airport) as it was then known. They were kept outside in open storage, and, if I remember correctly, a few had American registrations. In those days of course, prize 'captures' for a teenage reggie spotter. Which, although we could not appreciate it at the time, creeping furtively around the crates etc to find an aeroplane in one, just goes to show how relaxed security was in those far off days.
A PERSONAL MEMORY
In May 2000 I was given the job of moving the Robin HR200-100 Club G-BFBE from DENHAM to the Robin factory in Dijon, central France. It had been beautifully stowed on a large wheeled 'skate' and I cannot recall a better job for transportation of all the light aircraft I have moved. But, in fairness, most of the types moved did not require such preparation, as they stood on their own undercarriage.
BENNETT'S FIELD
Another facet of DENHAM history was discovered in 2009. It appears that Don Bennett, (Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett), during his attempts to promote and build the Fairtravel Linnet, (a license built Piel Emeraude), moved from BLACKBUSHE to a hangar situated in a field next to DENHAM, which he took-off and landed on. I remember seeing that ‘dead’ hangar of the 'Blister' type as a lad and wondering why it was there. This field is just over the road on the east side of DENHAM airfield and in those days we assumed that it was once part of DENHAM aerodrome, but that the road had since cut it off.
Note: This chart is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
ANOTHER ASPECT
It has occurred to me that for many people, not familiar with aviation, may well be interested to see how procedures at many airfields are organised. There are no signposts, lines or walls and fences in the air of course, but pilots have to be very much aware of their 'virtual' existence. This chart and the comments listed below goes to show just how demanding and regulated a GA airfield, operating within a larger CTR, such as the HEATHROW and NORTHOLT zones in this case, can be.
lawrence hole
This comment was written on: 2015-10-03 10:08:28I am giving a PowerPoint presentation to RAeS Heathrow about the history of the Airways Aero Association 1947-2012 in January 2016 if interested....
Reply from Dick Flute:
Please e-mail me with more details as I would indeed be interested. Regards, Dick
Paul Holubowicz
This comment was written on: 2015-11-13 14:40:05A propos Don Bennett. When I kept an aeroplane there in the late 1980s, the story was that Bennett would whenever it suited him call the tower and just say "Bennett here. I'm taking off." And woe betide anyone who got in his way. He was reputed to take off in any direction that suited him (more or less into wind) hopping low walls and hard runway lips et cetera. From his property just the east side of the aerodrome proper.
Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Paul, Many thanks for adding this. Regards, Dick
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-05-29 18:01:19From the Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette – Friday 05 May 1933 – Sir Alan Cobham, with his famous air circus visited Holy Bush Farm – 51 34 12”N 000 31 34”W – Denham on 03 May 1933, and an afternoon and an evening performance
Roger E Haddock
This comment was written on: 2021-06-20 08:06:17You dont mention the BIPLANE CLUB based in the grounds of Hailings House (Ex MOD) just behind the hangers. The club was run by Tony Cheshire and we had 2 tiger moths. I lived near the airfield and was involved for nearly 40 yrs. One our our members was Brian Lecomber who along with Phil Meeson became the top stunt pilots.Denham was also home to the Met Police flying club for a few years,and is the nightime home of HEMS the london air ambulance. I personally new the owner Wing Cmdr JM Bickerton who was our club president. Very happy memories of doing my Radio licences with Air Gregory and Cabair.
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