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Located near the town of Yateley in Hampshire, Blackbushe Airport is perfectly located near the borders of Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey, it really is "London's Most Efficient Airport". In a time before Heathrow and Gatwick ruled the skies, Blackbushe was one of the busiest airports near London and an RAF base during World War II.
Construction for the airport started in 1941 under the name RAF Hartfordbridge. Following the standard airforce design, it consisted of three all-weather runways capable of taking the most significant aircraft's flying at the time. A year later, on 11 August 1942, the first squadron took residents, the Aero Airborne squadron from Farnborough, who used it for reconnaissance, defence and strike operations using Spitfires and Mosquitoes. During this time, the airfield was still under construction, but the runways were used for testing Horsa and Hotspur gliders. By the end of the year, construction was finished, with three runways, a large campsite and eleven hangers.
September 1945 marked the first civilian flight, a Danish Airlines regular service to Copenhagen and Stockholm, using fortress and Focke-Wulf Condors. A month later marked the first major Air Disaster to Blackbushe. A Czechoslovakian Air Force Liberator took off with repatriated Czech civilians on its way to Prague. Seconds after take-off, the aircraft crashed, killing 23 on board.
Blackbushe has a special place in British Drag Racing history. It was the place to be and was home to the legendary Dragfest, which brought many famous American names like Ivo and Nany and inspired many Brits to go away and build their own Drag machines. From 1985 to 2015, the airport was owned by British Car Auctions, who refurbished the terminal building and replaced the command tower in 1992.
Today, Blackbushe Airport offers many of FlyDays' great value and exciting Flying Experiences to book and enjoy in the South East of England, so book yours today.
Please remember that Flying Experiences are dependent on weather conditions, so at times may need to be rescheduled.