By: robbelc - 1st February 2004 at 15:01
Aaah the ‘bushe in the 50’s. Sadly Im far too young to remember.It was indeed Londons main charter airport with a 6000ft main runway.Home of Eagle,Airwork,Dan Air,Westminster Airways and the likes. Even took BOAC Comets on crew training aswell as BEA Viscounts and Ambassadors. Was Heathrows diversion airport and took the first Aeroflot IL14 flight on diversion! Also used alot by the US Navy(based Daks and C-45’s) and by the USAF(C-124’s,C-54’s,C-130’s etc). Closed in 1960 because the lease had run out on the part that was requistioned during the war and the govenment had spent millions on Gatwick and wanted the airlines to go there.
Reopened in 1962 by AVM Bennett of pathfinder and BSAAC fame
and is still a GA field. I actually live in the circuit. Wish it was Vikings and not AA5’s going round!
By: Guzzineil - 31st January 2004 at 23:48
unfortunately the airliners at Blackbushe was before my time
A book that I can recomend is
ISBN: 0907178820
Title: British Independent Airlines 1946-1976
Publisher: Aviation Hobby Shop
Author: Merton-Jones
Price: £24.95
lots of detail and pictures.
I also borrowed one about the Silver City/AirBridge/Invicta saga but sorry can’t remember what is was called! it had been put together by an ex-employee..
Neil.
By: Flat 12x2 - 31st January 2004 at 09:28
Old Git
Blackbush used to be a lot bigger than it is today, the main runway was aprox 25% longer, my parents flew out of Blackbush in ’57 to go on holiday to Austria, it was on a Viking of Eagle Airways as in the previous pic. so I would guess that there were regular civie passenger flights.
By: turbo_NZ - 31st January 2004 at 08:06
Hi,
Maybe a little off course but I read 2 books a while ago written by a chap who used to fly DC-3s and Hermes for Airwork in the 50’s
I’ll dig up the titles and authors name (can’t quite remember, sorry).
Cheers
Chris
By: Arabella-Cox - 31st January 2004 at 08:03
I flew out of Blackbushe to Singapore in a HP Hermes in 1958, it was then mainly used for chartering troops and military freight, often the troops went out of the country in civvy clothes as they were passing through sensitive countries eg non Commonwealth countries like Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Thailand, the aircraft had to be in civvy livery too as RAF aircraft seen in some countries was taboo. I think it was called diplomacy on those days!
http://community.webshots.com/user/hastingsgan
There are pics on my site of BOAC BE AIRWORK QANTAS SKYWAYS DANAIR etc but I am afraid you will have to pick through the different albums
By: Old Git - 31st January 2004 at 07:30
Neil & Monty – Thanks for the info – I will give them all a try
Neil,
Those aircraft look pretty big for Blackbushe – Was Blackbushe actually used for regular passenger flights?
By: MontyP - 30th January 2004 at 22:57
Found this website among my bookmarks. It has an extensive database of airlines, old and new, with some pictures.
By: Guzzineil - 30th January 2004 at 22:19
ah you mean non-spitfire things like the attached (pictures taken at Blackbush but not by me)..
I suppose the Air Britain site may be a good start if you have a specific query although I think you’ve got to be a member of their organisation to access their forum..
if not then Pprune has some knowledgable people on its histoy and nostalgia forum
Neil.
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January 30, 2004 at 9:57 am