Hull flying sites
Note: This map gives only the location of the city within the UK.
HULL see also BEVERLEY FLYING SITES
HULL see also BROUGH
HULL see also GODDARD AVENUE IN HULL
HULL see also HESSLEWOOD HALL
HULL see also HULL ROYAL INFIRMARY
HULL see also HUMBLETON
HULL see also MOUNT AIREY
HULL see also PAULL
HULL see also ROWLEY MANOR HOTEL
HULL see also SPROATLEY GRANGE
HULL see also SUNK ISLAND
HULL: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Berkshire Aviation Co
Location: ?
Period of operation: 23rd July to 6th August 1921
NOTES: ‘Flying circus’ venue. If anybody can kindly offer advice on the location of this venue, this will be very welcome.
HULL: This was the 26th venue for Sir Alan Cobham’s 1929 Municipal Aerodrome Campaign. The Tour started in May and ended in October with one hundred and seven towns and cities visited. Mostly in England but with two venues in Wales and eight in Scotland.
Notes: Some time ago I posed this question: "Is it known where this venue was? HEDON and/or BROUGH seem the obvious choices? But, experience has taught me to be very wary of jumping to such conclusions. This Tour, in 1929, was conducted by Cobham using the DH61 'Giant Moth' G-AAEV named 'Youth of Britain'. This Tour was of course before the now famous Cobham 'Flying Circus' Tours which commenced in 1932."
In February 2021, Mr Michael T Holder, who is a great friend of this 'Guide' came up with the answer. This article was published in the Daily Mail on the 8th July 1929. So now we know - it was BROUGH - and he flew the local notables to inspect, from the air, the potential new aerodrome site at HEDON.
FLYING CIRCUS TOURS
We should remember that the idea of 'Flying Circus' Tours commenced several years before, and indeed, in 1931, Aviation Tours Ltd, the North British Aviation Co Ltd, and CD Barnard Air Tours conducted 'Tours'. However, when Cobham became involved he took the concept to another level entirely, with a huge amount of extra venues. And, in 1932 and 1933, he took his entourage to South Africa during the British winter.
As a general rule the 'Flying Circus' operators, especially the Sir Alan Cobham Tours (?), avoided using established aerodromes. I have discovered examples where they used a field across the road from an established aerodrome. In those days there were no ATZs (Aerodrome Traffic Zones) etc and Cobham certainly wanted to be in total command of each and every operation.
HULL: Civil airport (Aka HEDON)
NOTES: I hope the following should amuse you and it comes from my earliest notes when starting this research roughly in around 2000 and clearly shows my frustration in being unable to pinpoint where “HULL” airport was:
Civil airport (Was this HEDON or BROUGH perhaps?)
British airline users: 1919 North Sea Aerial & General Transport
Notes: Part of the NSA service between Scarborough-Hull-Harrogate started in April 1919. In August 1919 a Hull-Leeds-London (Hounslow) service was started.
RESEARCH CONCLUDED?
I now like to think (in 2015) that I have this more-or-less sorted? North Sea Aerial & General Transport operated from BROUGH. “In Oct 1932 National Flying Services commenced a HULL to GRIMSBY service flying a Desoutter type.” This would have operated from HEDON.
“In 1936 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines commenced a service to HULL.” This was also from HEDON but short-lived.
I then penned this plaintive note: “The search for where the ‘HULL AIRPORT’ was in the 1920s and 1930s has proved a fruitless exercise so far. It seems that nowhere else in the UK has offered less precise information to date, despite masses of general information. Where exactly did the KLM or Provincial Airways service to HULL operate from for example?” This does bring up a pretty serious point in that this is all fairly recent history and you’d think it would be easy to access such information. Without any doubt whatsoever the continued emergence of the web to assist in such matters has been a boon. And, so many people including several significant aviation historians, have helped and encouraged me to go ahead with this ‘Guide’ and offered a great deal of help and advice. Sadly, quite of few of those most generous people are no longer with us. However, in many ways if this 'Guide' proves to be worthwhile, it stands as a memorial to their belief that such an endeavour needed to be encouraged.
Note: This advert was sent to me in June 2015 by my very good friend Maurice J Wickstead.
So, to accurately answer the second part of my question posed many years ago; Provincial Airways operated into HEDON. The full extent of my research of HEDON, so far is listed below.
HEDON: Civil aerodrome/airport and military Landing Ground in WW1 (Also known as HULL)
Note: This great picture was kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder, and was dated August 1931.
Military user: RFC (Royal Flying Corps)
33 [Home Defence] Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 & B.E.12)
76 [Home Defence] Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 & B.E.12)
Operated by: 1930s: National Flying Services on behalf of Hull Corporation
British airline users: Pre 1940: Crilly Airways, Hillman’s Airways, Provincial Airways
Foreign airline users: Pre 1940: KLM
Flying club/school: Pre 1939: Hull Aero Club**
1959 ‘snapshot’. East Yorkshire Aero Club
Manufacturing: Mr H N Camsell and The Civilian Aircraft Co.*
Location: 6nm E of Hull city centre
Period of operation: Military: 1916 to 1919 Civil: 1929 to early 1960s
Site area: WW1: 80 acres 731 x 457
Runways: 1930s: E/W 1472 grass N/S 622 grass
NOTES: In 1909 flying trials took place at, or a least near, HEDON with an aircraft called the Newington Monoplane, but has it been confirmed it flew from exactly this site? In July 2022 I was kindly contacted by Mr Stewart Would who provided much more information - see SUNK ISLAND.
MORE INFORMATION
The first letter was published in The Aeroplane on the 8th February 1912. The second letter was published in the Hull Daily Mail on the 20th February 1912.
Much later, the article was published in the Birmingham Daily Gazette on the 16th August 1950.
One of the great pleasures derived from producing this 'Guide', is the generous help offered by so many kind people. In August 2023 I was contacted by Mr Jaap Scherphuis who has been researching the life and work of Oscar S Penn. On finding a reference to the Newington Monoplane flying in/near Hull in this 'Guide' he very kindly sent me the letters and article above. So, now we know, it was flying from Hedon racecourse.
During WW1 apparently used only as a Night Landing Ground.
THE FIRST MUNICIPAL AERODROME?
It appears HEDON was claiming to be the first Municipal aerodrome to open in the UK. For the official opening on the 10th October 1929 HRH Prince George arrived in a RAF Westland Wapiti flown by Sqdn Ldr D S Don. There is a glitch regarding this claim because, before BARTON in LANCASHIRE was opened on the 1st January 1930, Manchester Council had officially opened, on the 22nd April 1929, the licensed ‘Municipal’ aerodrome at WYTHENSHAWE in CHESHIRE.
The following information was found on the web at: www.airfieldinformationexchange.org Municipal authorities were given powers to establish aerodromes from 1920, but none were founded until it was agreed in 1929 that aerodrome works could qualify for grants from the Unemployment Grants Committee. In most cases the main initiative for a municipal aerodrome was to encourage an aircraft manufacturer to the site to generate employment.” I am struggling to think of just one example where this actually happened simply because the major aircraft manufacturers already had their factories in place.
The author(s) of this site maintain that four municipal aerodromes opened in 1929: Manchester/Wythenshawe in May, Nottingham/Tollerton in July, Blackpool/Stanley Park in August and Hull/Hedon in October. Other experts reckon that eight municipal aerodromes were opened that year. Four years later, in 1933, the picture had changed quite dramatically and sixteen municipal authorities had licensed aerodromes/airports operational although the likes of Sir Alan Cobham, had hoped for many more after his frenetic ‘Tours’ around the UK to promote “Air-mindedness”. As did Claude Grahame-White, in his way, before WW1 of course.
These municipal aerodromes were: Blackpool (Stanley Park), Bristol (Whitchurch), Cardiff (Pengham Moors), Hull (Hedon), Inverness (Dalcross), Ipswich, Leeds/Bradford (Yeadon), Liverpool (Speke), Manchester (Barton), Norwich (Mousehold Heath), Nottingham (Tollerton), Plymouth (Roborough), Portsmouth, Renfrew, Southampton (Eastleigh) and Stoke-on-Trent (Meir). Even so, at least one of these aerodromes had been operational since WW1, and the obvious example is MOUSEHOLD HEATH near Norwich in NORFOLK.
THE HULL AERO CLUB
**Hull Aero Club was one of several in England operated by National Flying Services based at HANWORTH AIR PARK (LONDON). In 1933 it is claimed that only one hangar existed here so it is reasonable to assume it was actually quite a lowly establishment compared to others of that era?
On the 4th August 1931 the Aviation Tours ‘Tour of Britain’ arrived here to coincide with and celebrate the arrival of Amy Johnson back to her home town after her incredible 1930 Australian flight in DH.60 Moth G-AAAH ‘Jason’ which is still exhibited in the Science Museum, Kensington, London. This may well be correct, but it appears she arrived on the 11th, this being the first of her visits on a tour of the UK sponsored by the Daily Mail. She pretty quickly renaged of that contract - which became quite a serious dispute - but it seems the Daily Mail were remarkably understanding in many ways, realising she was exhausted and not really suited to major public engagements.
AMY JOHNSON - MYTH & LEGEND
There are several accounts which claim that Amy Johnson took her first flying lessons from HEDON, presumably with the Hull Aero Club, before moving south to continue her training both as a pilot and mechanic at STAG LANE (LONDON) with de Havilland. Without too much doubt this is all utter rubbish. See STAG LANE (LONDON) for an accurate account. It now appears likely that when living in Hull as a girl, she probably never actually visited HEDON. However, she did have a short joy-ride - see COTTINGHAM.
It has to be said at some time, so I might as well do it now, state that from very many accounts I have read, it would seem fair to state that our dear Amy, although obviously immensely brave, was not a very proficient pilot by today’s standards. At least not when she flew to Australia, which in my mind at least makes her achievement even more remarkable. Nor did she claim to be. However, in researching her history it now appears that she became a very competent and qualified mechanic - a considerable asset if attempting to fly to Australia in a DH.60 Moth.
FLYING CIRCUS VENUES
159th venue, 6th October 1932 for Alan Cobham’s National Aviation Day UK Display Tour.
The next year (24th June 1933) Cobham’s No.2 Tour paid a visit.
132nd venue (3rd September) for Cobham’s 1934 Tour of the UK.
The next year (22nd July) Cobham’s 1935 No.1 Tour displayed and performed.
A POINT OF CONTENTION?
There seems to be a point of contention here. Some experts claim that in 1933 the North Sea Aerial & General Transport opened a HEDON to WALTHAM near Grimsby service. I now reckon the NSA> operation had long since ceased, and the service was in fact operated by National Flying Services?
A SERVICE BY KLM
Perhaps of more interest some experts state that KLM started a service to Rotterdam in 1933, with connecting flights across Europe, including Budapest in Hungary. Other experts disagree and reckon that KLM started an Amsterdam – Hull – Liverpool service in the summer of 1934 using a Fokker F.XII and this service reopened on the 1st May 1935. So – who to believe? Without too much doubt the service via Hull (HEDON) was short-lived and KLM decided to route via DONCASTER.
PROVINCIAL AIRWAYS
According to Neville Doyle in his book The Triple Alliance on the 4th March 1934 Provincial Airways inaugurated a Hull (HEDON) to Southampton (EASTLEIGH) service, calling in at Grimsby (WALTHAM), Nottingham (TOLLERTON), and Leicester (BRAUNSTONE) which connected en route with their London (CROYDON) service to Plymouth (ROBOROUGH). He goes on to say: “…an Aberdeen – Hull – London service was under consideration about this time by Aberdeen Airways. But, on July 26th 1935, KLM prematurely terminated their service due to a shortage of pilots and aircraft following a series of accidents and, the same month, Provincial downgraded the Hull leg to ‘on request’ only. Nothing more was heard of the Aberdeen service. It must also be inferred that the Hillman service was not profitable since it was not repeated in 1936 when, unfortunately for Hedon, KLM switched to Doncaster and Provincial Airways went out of business.”
AN ODD STATE OF AFFAIRS
As pointed out elsewhere I find it quite remarkable that the blossoming of regional airline services occurred during the early 1930s, the time of the ‘Great Slump’ or ‘Great Depression’. Small wonder then, I suppose, that so many of these airlines lasted only a year or two. But equally some independent airlines did very well, for example Hillman’s Airways especially, and Spartan Air Lines and United Airways - if managing to survive in the case of the latter two airlines can be described as “doing very well”. Up in Scotland Aberdeen Airways and Highland Airways were doing pretty well too.
* Regarding manufacturing, see Ron Smiths book British Built Aircraft Vol.5
ANOTHER NOTE
In September 2024 I was kindly contacted by Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide'. He had discovered that the Avro 504N, G-ADEI (ex E3460), was registered to a private individual and based here from 21.03.35. As it had been converted into a three-seater perhaps it was being used for pleasure flying? It was written off after crashing at HANWORTH AIR PARK on the 16th May 1939.
HULL: Private airstrip
Operated by: 1992? Mr T A Rawson
Location: ?
Period of operation: ?
Runway: 08/26 635x32 grass
marti
This comment was written on: 2018-10-19 17:57:07i have a photo from Hull Hedon Airport with my Great Grand Farther and others along with the pilot dated June 1935, written on the back "Opening Hull Belfast Air Service" ? Outfought let you know as looking around at the history of Hedon Airport, horse racing track, speedway track and soon to be Energy Park ! M
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