Hounslow Heath Aerodrome

Hounslow Heath Aerodrome 1918 overlaid on 2011 roads

Hounslow Heath Aerodrome was a grass airfield, operational 1914-1920. It was in the London borough of Hounslow, and in 1919 the first scheduled daily international commercial air services flew to and from there.

1909-1914

A British army cavalry unit had been based for over a hundred years at Hounslow Barracks, 500 yards (457 metres) north of Hounslow Heath, and it was the primary occupant and user of the heath for training exercises.

World War I

Civilian activities 1919-1920

England to Australia flight

In 1919 the Australian government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first Australians in a British aircraft to fly from Great Britain to Australia.

takeoff dateplanecrewend dateresult
21 October 1919Sopwith Wallaby (G-EAKS)Captain George Campbell Matthews AFC as pilot,
Sergeant Thomas D. Kay as mechanic
17 April 1920crashed on landing on Bali (after many problems and delays)
12 November 1919Vickers Vimy (G-EAOU)Captain Ross Macpherson Smith, his brother Lieutenant
Keith Macpherson Smith, two mechanics
10 Decemberarrived at Darwin, and won the crew the £10,000 prize
13 November 1919Alliance P.2 Seabird (G-EAOX) named 'Endeavour'Captain Roger M. Douglas, Lieutenant J.S.L. Ross crashed at Surbiton with loss of both pilots
21 November 1919Blackburn Kangaroo (G-EAOW)Lieutenant Valdemar Rendle & Lieutenant D.R. Williams,
plus Captain Hubert Wilkins & Lieutenant G. St. C. Potts
8 December 1919crashed on landing at Suda Bay, Crete.
5 December 1919Martinsyde Type A Mk.I (G-EAMR)Captain Cedric E. Howell, Lieutenant George Fraser9 December 1919plane disappeared near Corfu; the wreckage and Howell's body
were found offshore, but Fraser's body was never found.
8 January 1920Airco DH.9 (G-EAQM)Lieutenant Ray Parer, Lieutenant John C. McIntosh2 August 1920arrived at Darwin after 206 days; £A1,000 consolation prize.[3][6][8]

Decline

Today

Hounslow Heath has largely reverted to an undeveloped public open space and nature reserve.[3]

Notes

  1. Flight 12 Feb 1910 flightglobal.com
  2. Flight 29 July 1911 flightglobal.com
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sherwood (1999)
  4. Halley (1988)
  5. Halpenny (1993)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bluffield (2009)
  7. Jackson, A.J. Aeroplane Monthly August 1979, pp. 398–400
  8. Lewis (1970)

External links

References

Coordinates: 51°27′41″N 000°23′20″W / 51.46139°N 0.38889°W / 51.46139; -0.38889

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