Sywell Aerodrome is the local aerodrome serving
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene...
,
WellingboroughWellingborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England situated some eleven miles from the county town of Northampton and eight miles south of Kettering. It dates from the 6th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name of Wendelburie, and was granted a royal market charter in 1201....
and
KetteringKettering is a town in the north of Northamptonshire, England. It is the main town within the Borough of Kettering.Kettering is on the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene and is twinned with Lahnstein, Germany and Kettering, Ohio, in the United States....
as it is situated midway between these towns. The airport is located northeast of Northampton and was originally opened in 1928 on the edge of
SywellSywell is a small village in East Northamptonshire, England. The name is thought to mean seven wells.-Facilities:The facilities found in the village include:*The Church ....
village.
The aerodrome caters for
private flyingGeneral aviation is one of two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
,
flight trainingFlight 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
microlightDuring the late 1970s and early 1980s, many people sought to be able to fly affordably. As a result, many aviation authorities set up definitions of lightweight, slow-flying aeroplanes that could be subject to minimum regulation...
school and a helicopter school. In addition there is a 1930s
Art DecoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
hotel with bar and restaurant facilities. Aviation related industries and businesses are also located at the aerodrome.
Northampton (Sywell) Aerodrome has a
CAAThe Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom.-History:...
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 spottersAircraft spotting or plane spotting is the observation and logging 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, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the aerodrome was used as a training facility (
Tiger MothThe 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 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation...
s) and later an important base for the manufacture of
Wellington bombersThe 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 BritainBattle of Britain is a 1969 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.
The aereodrome also houses a small museum dedicated to telling the war time history of the site and the airmen that used it which has recently been renovated, this was celebrated with a visit a flypast by three
P-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft. Designed, built and airborne in just 117 days, the Mustang first flew in RAF service as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft before conversion to a bomber escort, employed in raids over...
s.
Current plans
Since 1999, the aerodrome has sought planning permission for a hard runway, which is intended to allow operations to continue over the winter, when the grass runways often become waterlogged.
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 TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and 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 is expected to open during summer 2009 and enable safe operations during the winter of 2009/2010 and onwards.
Operations
Sywell has three all-grass operational runways, with a fourth hard runway due to be opened in Summer 2009. The aerodrome's operational hours are 0900-1700 during winter and 0800-1700 during summer. The aerodrome offers an
Aerodrome Flight Information ServiceA 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.
Brooklands Flying Club
Brooklands Flying Club are based at Sywell and fly the
Aero AT-3The Aero AT-3 is a two-seat, low wing utility aircraft manufactured in Poland in both ready-to-fly certificated form, and as a kitplane. The aircraft is of conventional configuration and features fixed tricycle undercarriage. The structure is largely of all-metal construction. It first flew in...
and
Cessna 172The 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
trainersA trainer is an aircraft used to develop piloting, navigational or war-fighting skills in flight crew.Civilian pilots are normally trained in a light aircraft, with 2 or more seats to allow for student and instructor. The aircraft may be modified to withstand the flight conditions imposed by...
for
Private Pilot LicenseA Private Pilot Licence/License or, in the United States of America, a Private Pilot Certificate, is a licence 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...
s (PPL), Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) and night rating training. In addition the Club also offers flight experiences in a
de Havilland Tiger MothThe 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 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation...
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 AmbulanceAn 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
CatalinaThe 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 US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations...
, Mustang,
North American HarvardsThe North American T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train fighter 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. Designed by North American Aviation, The T-6 is...
and the British classic, the
Lancaster bomberThe Avro Lancaster was 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.
Music in Flight
Music in FlightMusic 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 musicClassical music is the mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times...
to accompany flying aircraft,
hot air balloonThe hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology and is a subset of balloon aircraft.On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created by the...
s, the
Red DevilsThe Red Devils are the British Army & Parachute Regiments's 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...
parachute display team and a fireworks display.
Business Park
There is also an industrial area in the complex which is home to some of the counties best
SEOSEO may refer to:* Search engine optimization, the process of improving ranking in search engine results* Seasoned equity offering, a new equity issue by a company after its initial public offering* Séguéla Airport, Séguéla, Cote d'Ivoire...
firms,
graphic designThe term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may...
agencies, and other commercial businesses.
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