HOUSE BAY:  Temporary Landing Ground     (Aka HOUSEBY & HOUSEBAY) 
Note: The spellings for HOUSE BAY vary, even on Ordnance Survey maps over a period of time.





Note:  The first three items were kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder. The fourth was obtained from Google Earth © by the author.












Location:  On the southern end of Stronsay, probably close to Housebay Farm

Period of operation: June 1948


NOTES:  After the Second World War regional services around Scotland were given over to BEA (British European Airways) in 1947 to operate. Mike Holder tells us that survey flights were made in 1948 to make sure the old airstrips were fit for use, or new sites found and developed. On the 1st June 1948 Captain David Barclay of BEA flew Fresson's old DH84 Dragon (G-ACIT) to Stronsay. He selected a field on the south end of the island and Mike reckons, looking at the topography that he would hazard a guess it was in the vicinity of Housebay Farm, on the west side of House Bay.

It is interesting that Barclay selected a DH Dragon for this survey, (and probably others too), because the Dragon was pretty much ideal for the purpose. In 1947 BEA acquired 39 DH89A Dragon Rapides, but good though it was, the Rapide was nowhere near as good for short and unprepared fields. Mike tells us that further surveys were carried out and it was finally decided to build an airfield by Huip Farm on the northern end of the island where the present airport is still situated.


AIR AMBULANCE OPERATIONS - A QUERY?
Although it seems clear that BEA staff in Scotland were very keen to continue with air ambulance services, the senior management at London had no interest in the subject, and indeed brought two DH114 Herons in 1950 for use on the feeder services to remoter airfields. A very fine aeroplane indeed, but once again not suited to rough short field operations.

It appears that the first BEA air ambulance services started in 1955, which by coincidence, is when the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer first flew. A better type for serving the most basic of airstrips cannot be imagined until the Britten-Norman Islander appeared in 1965. And yet for those ten intervening years, BEA showed no interest.