South Marston
SOUTH MARSTON: Company airfield
Note: This picture taken by the author in 2003 shows the Honda factory, and, when flying over the site a few remnants of the airfield can still be seen. Can anybody explain why the Japanese car manufacturers appear to have insisted that their UK factories had to be built on our disused airfields? Toyota occupy the old Derby airport site at BURNASTON and NISSAN took over the USWORTH (COUNTY DURHAM).
Honda took the site over in 1985 and announced in 2018/19 that it will close the plant in 2021. Everybody seems to insist this decision had nothing whatsover to do with the 'Brexit' referendum. Really?
Operated by: WW2 and beyond: Philips & Powis (aircraft), Short Brothers and Vickers-Supermarine
Gliding: Listed as operating in 1975
1981: Swindon Gliding Club
Location: E of the A419, N of the A420, about 3nm NE of Swindon town centre
Period of operation: WW2 to 1980s
Runways: No information to date
NOTES: In 1978 still listed as being open for use by private aircraft, and in 1977 it seems the following aircraft were based here: PA-18 Super Cub 90 G-AYPO, Fournier RF-4D G-AZIG, Fournier RF-5 G-AZPF, Beech E.90 King Air of The Dickinson Robinson Group Ltd, PA-31 Navajo Commuter G-BBPC of Vickers Ltd, PA-31-310 Turbo Navajo G-BDUJ of the Vickers Shipbuilding Group Ltd, (seems a long way from the sea here, let alone any shipbuilding?). Presumably the successor of Vickers-Supermarine were still active here in the late 1970s.
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