Fairwood Common
FAIRWOOD COMMON: Used for civil purposes in the 1930s. In WW2 becoming a military aerodrome known as RAF FAIRWOOD COMMON.
From 1949 known as FAIRWOOD COMMON AIRFIELD. From 1957 to the late 1980s (?) SWANSEA AIRPORT & later still SWANSEA AERODROME
Note: This picture (2016) was obtained from Google Earth ©
(Today in the ‘County’ of SWANSEA)
Military users: WW2: RAF Fighter Command 10 Group
79, 317 (Polish) & 615 Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
264 Sqdn (de Havilland DH.98 Mosquitos)
302 (Polish) & 616 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
307 (Polish) Sqdn (Bristol Beaufighters later DH Mosquitos)
401 (RCAF), 412 (RCAF) & 421 (RCAF) Sqdns (Spitfires)
Note: Short detachment for 401 Squadron Mk.IX Spitfires from the 8th to 18th April 1944. (But why?). In a similar set of circumstances 412 Squadron sent a detachment of their Spitfire Mk.IX from the 29th March to the 7th April 1944. What exactly was this meant to achieve to aid the war effort?
600 Sqdn (Beaufighters)
11 & 18 APC (Miles Masters, Westland Lysanders and Miles Martinets)
FLYING CIRCUS VENUE
Operated by: 1930s: Alan Cobham’s National Aviation Day UK 1934 Display Tour
Cobham’s 1935 No.2 Tour with the address given as; Vennaway Lane, Fairwood Common with shows on the 28th August 1934 and the 26th September 1935
Military from 1941 to 1949 (RAF)
1949 to 1955 (Possibly 1957?): Swansea & District Flying Club
1957 to 1969: Cambrian Airways on behalf of County Borough of Swansea
1980s: Swansea City Council
2000: Swansea Aviation Ltd
British airline users: Post 1945: Air Anglia, Air Wales, Autair, Cambrian Airways, Dan Air, Derby Airways, Morton Air Services, Skyways
Charter/air taxi: Airswift (Wales), Bardock Aviation
Flying Club: 1949 to 1955 (Possibly 1957?): Swansea & District Flying Club
Note: In the 1957 The Aeroplane directory, the Swansea and District Flying School and Club were operating: One Auster J/1 Autocrat and one de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth.
2000s: Horizon Aviation
Gliding: 1970s only?
Helicopter ops: 1990s & 2000s: Heli-Air
Location: Just W of the A4118, S of the B4271, SW of Upper Killay, about 5nm WSW of Swansea city centre
Period of operation: 1930s to present day
Runways: WW2: 05/23 1509x46 hard 11/29 1234x46 hard 15/33 1234x46 hard
2000: 04/22 1472x46 hard 10/28 1037x46 hard 15/33 1037x46 hard
NOTES: Opened as RAF FAIRWOOD COMMON on the 15th June 1941. Still a fighter base in 1944 this was a major site with 2074 RAF personnel including 417 WAAFs. It is claimed that from 1941 to 1947 this airfield was used by at least sixty-six different squadrons and flights.
BANGING ON
In this ‘Guide’ I have often banged on about why so many RAF squadrons were endlessly moved around? Especially in WW2. Surely such disruption was deliberately counter-productive to both the squadrons operational efficiency and the overall war effort? Take for example 264 Squadron flying Mosquitos who spent a period here, and also at, (in no particular order which I have discovered so far); COLERNE (WILTSHIRE), FORD (SUSSEX), BRADWELL BAY and CASTLE CAMPS (ESSEX), COLTISHALL (NORFOLK), WEST MALLING (KENT), EXETER (DEVON), COLEBY GRANGE (LINCOLNSHIRE), PREDANNACK (CORNWALL), HUNSDON (HERTFORDSHIRE), HARTFORD BRIDGE (HAMPSHIRE) and CHURCH FENTON (YORKSHIRE).
Can anybody please explain any sort of perceived benefit for all these moves?
A NEW BEGINNING
After the airfield was decommissioned from military use in 1949 the Swansea & District Flying Club operated the site until 1955 and possibly until 1957. During this time they organised air shows, air races and motor sports events. In 1957 the County Borough of Swansea handed the site over to Cambrian Airways who commenced services to JERSEY and GUERNSEY in the CHANNEL ISLANDS. It appears Morton Air Services also had regular services to GATWICK (SUSSEX) and these continued until 1969.
SETTLING DOWN
It seems that from 1970 gliding activities took place although the ‘airport’ was still used for ad hoc charter flights until the late 1980s. In 2014 I was interested to learn from a friend that she had been taught to drive on the airfield during this period whilst at university in Swansea as it was deserted and very run down. Or so she thought! I expect the then airfield owner/operator quite probably welcomed such activity as it helped with security, deterring others with criminal intent perhaps? Possibly the same applied to nocturnal visitors in search of a peaceful place to indulge in some hanky-panky? Can anybody expand on this?
For example I received some of my earliest driving lessons on the disused airfield of HOLMSLEY SOUTH (HAMPSHIRE) in the New Forest. No opportunities arose for hanky-panky unfortunately, not a girl to be seen.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER?
In 1975 listed as being used by club and private aircraft, a situation which I believe has, (by and large), been maintained since? Speaking very frankly I do believe it is a disgrace that we do not exploit our many quite capable aerodrome/airport sites such as SWANSEA for use as regional airports in much the same way as many if not most of the European nations do. In the early 21st century, the “age of the computer”, surely the increased use of regional airports makes much more sense?
One company, Air Wales, was trying hard to promote this, but commercial operations ceased in October 2004. To be commercially viable 1000 passengers per week were needed, but only around 200 turned up to buy tickets.
Helen Hopkins Lewis
This comment was written on: 2021-01-25 15:03:10Swansea& District Flying School & Club Ltd., operated from 1949 until 1994 when its last CFI/Examiner died at 74. In its early days it operated a Tiger Moth- G.APBI, and an Auster, G.AJIT. The only aircraft in use when Victor Hopkins died, was a Cherokee 140- G.AVLC. At the time I obtained my PPL in 1972, we also used ( and I trained on) a Rallye MS880B- G.AXGC. The Flying Club building was the old Wartime Armoury, last resident stewards left in 1969, and I and my late first husband Vic took over running the club to keep things going. Sadly, some time after he died on 15/1/1994, the building was raised to the ground. I still have pilots’ log books and tankards.
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