Sywell Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Sywell Aerodrome is the local aerodrome serving Northampton
, Wellingborough
and Kettering
as it is situated midway between these towns. The airport is located 5 NM northeast of Northampton and was originally opened in 1928 on the edge of Sywell
village.
The aerodrome caters for private flying
, flight training
and corporate flights. There is one fixed-wing flying school, one microlight
school and a helicopter school. In addition there is a 1930s Art Deco
hotel with bar and restaurant facilities. Aviation related industries and businesses are also located at the aerodrome.
Northampton (Sywell) Aerodrome has a CAA
Ordinary Licence (Number P496) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Sywell Aerodrome Limited).
A viewing area is also available for use by aircraft spotters
.
the aerodrome was used as a training facility (Tiger Moth
s) and later an important base for the manufacture of Wellington bombers
and extensive sheds from this time still remain on site.
Many aerial shots for the film Battle of Britain
were taken over the airport and nearby area.
The organizations STARE (Stop The Aerodrome Runway Expansion) and CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) campaigned against this change, arguing that it would lead to more and larger aircraft flying over the area and disturb its "rural tranquility".
Permission was granted for the runway on 22 November 2007 by the Department for Transport
, and though campaigners vowed to fight the decision they were unsuccessful and construction of the runway began in 2008. It opened during summer 2009 and enabled safe operations during the winter of 2009/2010 and onwards.
to pilots.
s.
and Cessna 172
which are used as trainers
for Private Pilot License
s (PPL), Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) and night rating training. In addition the Club also offers flight experiences in a de Havilland Tiger Moth
Brooklands Flying Club was the first UK flight school to operate an online booking system.
where there are many classic aircraft flying and on display such as the Catalina
, Mustang, North American Harvards
and the British classic, the Lancaster bomber
. The Blades aerobatic display team who are based at Sywell also do a performance where they fly stunts and displays with smoke.
or PFA, is the UK's body for amateur aircraft construction, and recreational & sport flying. It used to hold its annual rally at Cranfield Airport
, and then at Kemble Airport. In 2006 the LAA lost so much money through poor attendances resulting from poor weather that in 2007 & 2008, much smaller (and cheaper) "regional rallies" were held. These were unpopular; and in 2009 a revived (if cut-down) LAA Rally was held at Sywell. This proved successful, and as further LAA Rallies took place at Sywell in 2010 and 2011, the long-term future of the LAA Rally seems secure.
is an airshow held at Sywell, where an orchestra play classical music
to accompany flying aircraft, hot air balloon
s, the Red Devils
parachute display team and a fireworks display.
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
and Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
as it is situated midway between these towns. The airport is located 5 NM northeast of Northampton and was originally opened in 1928 on the edge of Sywell
Sywell
Sywell is a small village in Northamptonshire, England. The village is governed by The Borough Council of Wellingborough. The name Sywell is thought to mean seven wells.-Facilities:The facilities found in the village include:...
village.
The aerodrome caters for private flying
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, flight training
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
and corporate flights. There is one fixed-wing flying school, one microlight
Ultralight aviation
The term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
school and a helicopter school. In addition there is a 1930s Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
hotel with bar and restaurant facilities. Aviation related industries and businesses are also located at the aerodrome.
Northampton (Sywell) Aerodrome has a CAA
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London Borough of Camden...
Ordinary Licence (Number P496) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Sywell Aerodrome Limited).
A viewing area is also available for use by aircraft spotters
Aircraft spotting
Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is the observation and logging of the registration numbers of aircraft: gliders, powered aircraft, balloons, airships, helicopters, and microlights....
.
World War II
The aerodrome opened in 1928 and during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the aerodrome was used as a training facility (Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
s) and later an important base for the manufacture of Wellington bombers
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
and extensive sheds from this time still remain on site.
Many aerial shots for the film Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
were taken over the airport and nearby area.
Expansion
Since 1999, the aerodrome has sought planning permission for a hard runway, which intended to allow operations to continue over the winter, when the grass runways often become waterlogged. In February 2010, the final inspection of the newly completed All-Weather hard runway was carried out by the CAA who confirmed that it could be licensed for use.The organizations STARE (Stop The Aerodrome Runway Expansion) and CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) campaigned against this change, arguing that it would lead to more and larger aircraft flying over the area and disturb its "rural tranquility".
Permission was granted for the runway on 22 November 2007 by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, and though campaigners vowed to fight the decision they were unsuccessful and construction of the runway began in 2008. It opened during summer 2009 and enabled safe operations during the winter of 2009/2010 and onwards.
Operations
Sywell has three all-grass operational runways and a fourth all-weather concrete runway. The aerodrome's operational hours are 0900-1700 during winter and 0800-1700 during summer. The aerodrome offers an Aerodrome Flight Information ServiceFlight Information Service
A flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....
to pilots.
Sywell Aviation Museum
The aereodrome also houses the Sywell Aviation Museum dedicated to telling the wartime history of the site and the airmen that used it. The museum was celebrated with a visit a flypast by three P-51 MustangP-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s.
Brooklands Flying Club
Brooklands Flying Club are based at Sywell and fly the Aero AT-3Aero AT-3
-See also:-External links:*...
and Cessna 172
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
which are used as trainers
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
for Private Pilot License
Private Pilot License
A Private Pilot License or, in the United States of America, a Private Pilot Certificate, is a license that permits the holder to act as the pilot of an aircraft privately . The requirements to obtain the license are determined by the International Civil Aviation Authority , but the actual...
s (PPL), Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) and night rating training. In addition the Club also offers flight experiences in a de Havilland Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
Brooklands Flying Club was the first UK flight school to operate an online booking system.
Sywell Airshow
The aerodrome now hosts a bi-annual charity airshow put on in aid of the local Air AmbulanceAir ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
where there are many classic aircraft flying and on display such as the Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
, Mustang, North American Harvards
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
and the British classic, the Lancaster bomber
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
. The Blades aerobatic display team who are based at Sywell also do a performance where they fly stunts and displays with smoke.
Light Aircraft Association Rally
The LAA, formerly the Popular Flying AssociationPopular Flying Association
The Light Aircraft Association is the representative body in the United Kingdom for amateur aircraft construction, recreational and sport flying...
or PFA, is the UK's body for amateur aircraft construction, and recreational & sport flying. It used to hold its annual rally at Cranfield Airport
Cranfield Airport
Cranfield Airport is an airfield just outside the village of Cranfield, south-west of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It was originally a World War II aerodrome, RAF Cranfield....
, and then at Kemble Airport. In 2006 the LAA lost so much money through poor attendances resulting from poor weather that in 2007 & 2008, much smaller (and cheaper) "regional rallies" were held. These were unpopular; and in 2009 a revived (if cut-down) LAA Rally was held at Sywell. This proved successful, and as further LAA Rallies took place at Sywell in 2010 and 2011, the long-term future of the LAA Rally seems secure.
Music in Flight
Music in FlightMusic in Flight
Music in Flight is an event that takes place at Sywell Aerodrome in the English county of Northampton.-History:The show combines popular classical music and aerobatic displays....
is an airshow held at Sywell, where an orchestra play classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
to accompany flying aircraft, hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
s, the Red Devils
Red Devils (Parachute Regiment)
The Red Devils are the Parachute Regiment's parachute display team. The team wears the distinctive maroon beret. The Red Devils are regular serving paratroopers from the three battalions of the Parachute Regiment who have volunteered to serve on the display team.The team was formed on 1 January...
parachute display team and a fireworks display.
Awards
In 2009, Sywell was awarded the Best General Aviation Airport 2009 airport member award by the Airport Operators Association (AOA). The award was determined by the following bodies; the British Air Transport Association (BATA), the Airport Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA).Business park
There is also an industrial area in the complex which is home to firms, agencies, and other commercial businesses.External links
- Sywell Aerodrome - official website
- Sywell Aviation Museum