Denham Aerodrome

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Denham Aerodrome
Denham Aerodrome Control Tower
Code , ICAO: EGLD
County Buckinghamshire
Aerodrome
Operator Bickerton's Aerodromes Ltd
Location TQ031887
51°35’19"N, 0°30’46"W
Runway(s) 2,543 feet (Asphalt)
1,791 feet (Grass)
Website http://www.egld.com

Denham Aerodrome (ICAO: EGLD) is an operational general aviation aerodrome located 1.5 nautical miles east of Gerrards Cross, near Denham in Buckinghamshire.

The aerodrome lies beneath London's Class D airspace. VFR entry/exit points are at Maple Cross (CHT) and St Giles Church. Entry lanes and circuit height are at 1,000 feet MSL. It has one paved runway, aligned 06/24, a grass runway also aligned 06/24 which is referred to as the northside grass and one grass runway aligned 12/30. It also has substantial hangarage.

Denham Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P646) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Bickertons Aerodromes Limited).

Operation

A number of charter and flight instruction and filming operators are based at Denham Aerodrome, and there is a helicopter maintenance facility too. Operating here are The Pilot Centre flying school,[1] HeliAir,[2] TAA UK,[3] Aerospace Design Facilities, AS Aerospace Ltd, FlyingTV Ltd, Helicopter Film Services, JetFly.

A restaurant near the control tower is named Biggles, after the fictional airman of that name, there is also a small café called The Crew Room on the north side of the airfield.[4]

History

Light aircraft at the aerodrome

Flying has been taking place at Denham Aerodrome since the dawn of manned fight. In 1915, during the First World War, Denham was established as a flying training school for Flight Cadets.[5]

The airfield was first licensed as a private use airfield to Squadron Leader J. M. Bickerton by the CAA on 19 May 1938. During the Second World War, the airfield was used again as a training school. The largest based aircraft was a Douglas DC-3 of Gregory Air Services and occasional airshows have been staged here.

The airfield was the home to one of the earliest parachuting clubs in the UK, starting in 1955 the "British Parachute Club" was based here until May 1956 when they moved to Blackbushe Airport in Surrey/Hampshire. The club at Denham was run by instructor Dumbo Willans and also known as the "No. 1 Civil Parachute Training School".

Units

  • No. 21 Elementary Flight Training School.[6]
  • No. 125 Elementary Gliding School.[6]
  • No. 125 Gliding School.[6]

Outside links

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("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Denham Aerodrome)

References

  1. The Pilot Centre
  2. Heli Air
  3. TAA UK Ltd
  4. "Businesses based at Denham Aerodrome". Denham Aerodrome. http://www.egld.com/who_is_here.php. Retrieved 28 May 2014. 
  5. "History of Denham Aerodrome". Denham Aerodrome. http://www.egld.com/history.php. Retrieved 28 May 2014. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Denham (Hawksridge)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/denham-hawksridge. Retrieved 28 May 2014.