Eshott
ESHOTT: Military aerodrome later private airfield (also known as BOCKENFIELD and FELTON)
Military users: WW2: RAF Fighter Command 12 Group
57 OTU (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
Civil operator: 1980s & 1990s: Mr J P Bell later Eshott Airfield Ltd
Civil activities: 1990s: GA private, training and mainly microlight
Flying schools: 2014: Northumbria Microlights, Purple Aviation
Location: Just E of the A1, 7.5nm NNW of Ashington, 7nm N of Morpeth
Period of operation: Military 1942 to 1945. Civil from (?) to present day ? In 1985 listed as disused
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014
Runways: WW2: 08/26 1737x46 hard 14/32 1152x46 hard
02/20 1143x46 hard
1990/ 2000: 01/19 610x46 hard 01/19 555x25 grass
08/26 490x40 hard 14/32 600x43 hard
2014: 01/19 610 hard 01/19 550 grass
08/26 550 hard
NOTES: For some reason during my research ESHOTT has been rarely mentioned regarding military activity. It appears that military activity was restricted to WW2 and 57 OTU who operated here from the 10th November 1942 until August 1944 when the OTU was moved to nearby RAF BOULMER.
After delivering an X-Air with my truck, collected from Dunkeswell in Devon, I was very kindly flown from here as a passenger on the 22nd November 2002 in the T.600M microlight G-MZHW by Ms P Turnbull. The activity at ESHOTT at that time was mainly by microlight aircraft of which a great many were based.
Even so GA types did visit from time to time but during the working week and office hours the air nearby and overhead is often full of fast, low and heavy military metal who don’t always stick to their promulgated operating times. I can bear witness to this!
According to Wikipedia in 2014/15 Northumbria Microlights were operating a Medway SLA-80, the only SLA-80 used for flight training in the UK. Purple Aviation were operating two Evektor Eurostar EV-97s and a flexwing Pegasus Quik GT450. It seems that around forty aircraft were base.d here and the facilities included a clubhouse and three hangars.
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