Walsall Aerodrome | |
|---|---|
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Public |
| Owner/Operator | Walsall Council |
| Serves | Walsall |
| Location | Aldridge,Staffordshire.England |
| Opened | 1930s |
| Closed | 1956 |
| Coordinates | 52°35′28″N001°56′06″W / 52.59111°N 1.93500°W /52.59111; -1.93500 |
| Map | |
  Walsall Aerodrome | |
Walsall Aerodrome, also known asWalsall Airport,Walsall Municipal Airport, and later asWalsall Aldridge Airport was an airport atAldridge,Staffordshire, England, serving the town ofWalsall, northBirmingham,Sutton Coldfield andLichfield (Aldridge is now part of Walsall, and in theWest Midlands county). It operated from the 1930s–1956.
Walsall Council purchased Aldridge Lodge and 220 acres (89 ha)[1] of its estate in 1930.[2] Work on the airport began in 1932 and in 1937 the council contracted Walker Brothers Ltd of Victoria Ironworks, Walsall, to erect a hangar.[3] A licence to operate was obtained in 1938.[2]
In 1938Amy Johnson gave a glider display to a crowd of around 6,000.[1] On herfinal approach, her glider's wingtip touched a hedge and the aircraft turned over.[1] She was taken to hospital, but was not seriously injured.[1]
Operations were limited by the airfield's size, slope, and wet clay soil, making it unsuitable for larger aircraft.[1] It closed in 1956[2] and most of the buildings were later demolished.
The land is now a public open space, known asAldridge Airport, and hosts a variety of leisure activities under the auspices ofWalsall Metropolitan Borough Council.[4] However, it is still used for occasionalhelicopter landings, including training exercises by theWest Midlands Police helicopter.[5]
Currently it is also used by local dog walkers, Children's football league and all forms of model aircraft flying, this has been on going since the mid 1940s, continuing the tradition of an airfield.
The engineering companyHelliwells Ltd. had a base at the airfieldc. 1939 – c. 1955.[6][7] They made aircraft components and carried out modifications and repairs to aeroplanes.[1]
Walsall Archives and Local History Centre holds a number of research files containing documents relating to the airport.[8]
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