93-554: Airwork Limited , also referred to during its history as Airwork Services Limited , is a wholly owned subsidiary company of VT Group plc. It has a long and rich history in providing a variety of defence support services to the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm and overseas air forces, as well as having played an important role in the development of civil aviation – both in the United Kingdom and abroad. Airwork
186-436: A crash landing at Pithiviers . Although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, there were no fatalities among the 70 occupants (six crew and 64 passengers). The evidence at the crash site seemed to suggest that an internal failure occurred inside the no. 4 engine, which caused over-speeding and subsequent disintegration of the reduction gear pinion bearing. The second non-fatal accident occurred on 15 August 1954. It involved
279-497: A 30:70 basis. Despite these restrictions, the independents' services were fully booked five months ahead within a fortnight of their launch. When Britain's African colonies became independent, Safari /colonial coach was converted into a fully fledged scheduled service. To secure their traffic rights between the UK and the newly independent African nations, Airwork and Hunting-Clan began participating in revenue-sharing agreements with BOAC and
372-400: A Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-AKFP) operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Blackbushe to Singapore via Karachi , Delhi and Calcutta . While approaching Calcutta, the aircraft was cleared for a runway 19L Instrument Landing System approach at Dum Dum Airport . A shower passed at break-off height, as a result of which the flightdeck crew could not see
465-751: A Heavy Twin Conversion Course for Fleet Air Arm pilots using Sea Hornets and Sea Mosquitos. This Unit moved to RAF St Davids in September 1951 and operated a jet conversion course with Meteor T.7s. It returned to Brawdy in October 1958 but continued to use St. Davids as a satellite. Finally, in January 1961, it relocated to RNAS Yeovilton where it operated as the Air Direction Training Unit (ADTU). Aircraft used here were
558-454: A Vickers 627 Viking 1B (registration: G-AIXS) operating a passenger flight from Blackbushe to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport . The captain noticed oil streaming from the no. 2 engine ten minutes after takeoff from Blackbushe. He decided to feather the propeller and to return to Blackbushe, where the aircraft struck the ground 135 yd (123 m) short of the runway. Although this damaged the aircraft beyond repair, there were no fatalities among
651-645: A complete flying grading service for the Royal Navy's Britannia Flight at Roborough , near Plymouth – something that under its present guise it continues to do today. The 1970s saw the introduction of the Bulldog , which gradually replaced the popular Chipmunk. The Baron training aircraft of the College of Air Training arrived at Hurn in February 1971 and Airwork assumed responsibility for their maintenance. At
744-664: A contract to overhaul FRADU Hunters at Hurn. Whilst Airwork's airline activities had merged into the B&;C-controlled BUA group as long ago as 1960, it was only in January 1980 that the company's remaining operations reverted to the original name of Airwork Ltd. At this time, Airwork also supplied air traffic control services at Exeter Airport and operated Unst and Scatsta airfields in Shetland . Airwork Services Training also continued to thrive at Perth Airport in Scotland. In 1991,
837-399: A joint Safari /colonial coach service to West Africa linking London with Accra via Lisbon , Las Palmas , Bathurst and Freetown . Following long-delayed approval of Airwork's application for a scheduled transatlantic London – Manchester – New York all-cargo service, flights eventually commenced in early 1955, using aircraft chartered from US supplemental carriers. However, the operation
930-622: A lack of adequate space and relocated to Gatwick , where it continued with a contract to maintain Whitley bombers for the RAF. During the 1930s, Airwork also helped to establish the predecessors of the post- World War II national airlines of Egypt , India and Rhodesia . Thus, United Arab Airlines , Indian Airlines and Central African Airways were Airwork descendants. In June 1936, Airwork opened No. 11 RAF Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS) at Perth in Scotland, under contract to
1023-478: A long-term charter contract with the Gold Coast Chamber of Mines. This entailed regular Hermes services between the UK and West Africa. In addition to Airwork's airline operations, the company serviced numerous airliners in the civil maintenance hangar at Hurn Airport . These included Sudan Airways Doves and Dakotas , Skymasters , and Vikings of various operators. The Airwork airline operated
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#17327945532671116-473: A mast height of approximately 87 metres. From 2002, the overall business was known as VT Group plc. From its formation in 1966, the company was based at the former Thornycroft shipbuilding yard at Woolston in Southampton , Hampshire but in 2003 relocated its shipbuilding operations to new facilities in the famous HMNB Portsmouth Naval Dockyard under the name VT Shipbuilding. In 2008, VT Shipbuilding
1209-431: A new majority investment from A&M Capital Partners. VT Group plc was a British defence and services company, formerly known as Vosper Thornycroft. The company had diversified from shipbuilding into various engineering and support services, becoming involved in many areas of provision through five main operating groups: VT Communications , VT Education and Skills, VT Services Inc and VT Support Services. VT Group exited
1302-498: A number of contributory factors. These included: The first non-fatal accident occurred on 23 July 1952. It involved a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-ALDB) operating a trooping flight from Blackbushe to the RAF station in Fayid, Egypt. While the aircraft was overflying France, the flightdeck crew noticed a defect in the no. 4 engine and decided to make an emergency landing at the nearest diversion airfield. This resulted in
1395-469: A number of occasions. These incidents cast doubt on the aircraft's reliability and the airline's safety record, as a result of which the firm lost its monopoly in the trooping business. In 1952, Airwork applied for UK and US authority to operate scheduled transatlantic all-freight services from London via Manchester to New York City's Idlewild airport (later JFK ). The same year, on 14 June, Airwork began operating quasi-scheduled low-fare services from
1488-501: A number of smaller planes, such as Spitfires, which were rarely seen on the tarmac. The finest was, perhaps, a Heinkel bomber, but this was sold in order to purchase a replacement which then crashed soon afterwards. On 15 July 1978, the airfield hosted an all-day open-air concert, the Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome, which was attended by some 200,000 people. Bob Dylan headlined, with Eric Clapton , Joan Armatrading , Graham Parker and
1581-405: A regular sight at Blackbushe until Blink was closed by its new French owners in 2018. In 2014, PremiAir , who had been based at Blackbushe since the early 2000s, and who operated light jets and executive helicopters from Blackbushe, went into administration. They were evicted from the 40,000 sq ft of hangars on the north side, and BCA repurposed them as part of their auction facilities. In 2015,
1674-497: A result of which the independents doubled the flight frequency on their London-Nairobi Safari /colonial coach route to once-a-week. This service proved to be so popular that a second weekly frequency was eventually added, which was operated alternately by each airline. In June 1953, Airwork and Hunting jointly launched a fortnightly Safari /colonial coach service between London and Salisbury, entailing one round trip per month by each company. In June 1954, Airwork and Hunting launched
1767-748: A scheduled service to the Channel Islands, and Eagle Aviation launched several routes to Europe on DC-3s and Viking airliners. Britavia and Airwork also brought in the Hermes airliner, flying charters to Africa and Australia. Blackbushe became a robust diversion airport for London Heathrow, and as a home for aircraft visiting the Farnborough Airshow. The facilities were constantly being upgraded with new buildings, runway extensions, and new navigational aids and lighting. Overseas-based charter airlines often used Blackbushe for their flight to
1860-599: A series of inclusive tour (IT) flights under contract to the UK Civil Service, and flights carrying Muslim pilgrims to and from Jeddah during the annual Hajj season. Airwork was also among the UK independent airlines participating in the Berlin Airlift . Airwork first proposed transporting troops by air rather than by sea in 1950. The company's contacts with the War Office helped Airwork become
1953-525: A successful engineering training college continues to this day under new ownership as Air Service Training (AST). Throughout the 1960s Airwork continued elementary and University Air Squadron flying training including training pilots of the Army Air Corps at AAC Middle Wallop in DHC Chipmunks and Hiller UH-12s . Airwork was also responsible for overhauling these aircraft. It also provided
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#17327945532672046-558: A support presence in Nigeria , Sudan and Zimbabwe with aircraft from these countries also being overhauled at Hurn. During the 1960s Airwork carried out delivery flights of a number of Fairey Gannets to Indonesia . A large number of aircraft were also handled at Hurn during this time prior to delivery for the Abu Dhabi Air Force , (Caribou and Islander ), Ghana (Shorts Skyvan), Qatar Police ( Gazelle helicopter),
2139-482: A vital part of the Air Ministry's maintenance operations. Further aircrew training, for example No. 6 Air Observer navigation School at Staverton using de Havilland Dominies and Avro Ansons , also featured prominently. Airwork's contribution to the war effort was a vital one, and the company was responsible for the initial training of tens of thousands of pilots. There were also engineering contracts that included
2232-608: Is an operational general aviation airport in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire . Built during the Second World War, Blackbushe is north of the A30 road between Camberley and Hook . For a time, it straddled this road with traffic having to wait whilst airliners were towed across. The south side was used for aircraft maintenance, using wartime-built hangars. Today, only
2325-461: Is licensed for night use. One of several airfields eclipsed since 1958 by the growth of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, Blackbushe was once a significant airport for passenger and cargo charter flights for the London area. Currently based aircraft include several corporate jets , two flying schools, a helicopter training facility, as well as Aerobility, a flying charity. The airport is open to
2418-406: Is restricted by this common land status. In November 2016, an application was submitted by Blackbushe Airport to Hampshire County Council to deregister the active aerodrome. Blackbushe Airport have published its vision for the airport's future, which includes a new terminal building, a new café, hangarage for maintenance and aircraft parking, and a flying school hub. A public inquiry was held at
2511-637: Is still used prominently in Oman as Airwork Technical Services and Partners LLC , and a new five-year contract to support the Royal Air Force of Oman commenced in January 2005. Airwork Technical Services LLC (ATS) was acquired in July 2010 by Babcock International Group during the acquisition of the VT Group and the operation in Oman continues to this day in support of Aircraft Maintenance and Training for
2604-531: The Air Ministry . The company developed accommodation and facilities there, and provided aircraft in the form of the de Havilland Tiger Moth . Other Airwork operated ERFTS followed soon afterwards with No. 14 ERFTS at Castle Bromwich in July 1937, No. 17 ERFTS at Barton in October 1937, No. 50 ERFTS at Barton, and Ringway in May 1939 and No. 44 ERFTS at Elmdon in May 1939. With the outbreak of World War II
2697-529: The C-47 , DHC-4 Caribou , Skyvan , Defender , Viscount, One-Eleven and VC10 aircraft. The conditions in which Airwork staff had to work were some of the most challenging in the world with shade temperatures of over 40 °C commonplace and cockpit temperatures on the ground often exceeding an unbearable 80 °C. Existing working practices had to be radically amended accordingly. Airwork's support role in Oman
2790-947: The Cowdray family, and had become part of the British & Commonwealth (B&C) group of companies. Airwork continued its flying training role providing elementary, RN grading, Volunteer Reserve (VR) and University Air Squadron (UAS) flying training across its locations initially using Tiger Moths and, from the 1950s, the Chipmunk . A new Reserve Flying School (13 RFS) was established at Grangemouth in April 1948, and at RAF Usworth (23 RFS) in February 1949. In April 1951, Airwork also assumed responsibility of No.2 Basic Air Navigation School at Usworth . Approximately 25 Avro Anson T.21's were used and supported during this time. In addition, there were between 15 and 20 Chipmunks, which were used by
2883-998: The Durham University Air Squadron – mostly at weekends. These were also maintained by Airwork. At RAF Digby Airwork was also responsible for running the No 1 Grading Unit during 1952/53. During the post- war period Airwork also further expanded its business into civil aviation. This expansion was financed by its wealthy shareholders, including Lord Cowdray , Whitehall Securities , the Blue Star shipping line , Furness Withy and Thomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness . Airwork's other air transport related activities include contracting, aircraft servicing and maintenance, sale and purchase of aircraft, operation and management of flying schools and clubs, contract charter flying, overhaul and modification of aircraft, specialised aerodrome catering and aviation insurance . During
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2976-639: The Free French Squadron (Lorraine). A number of important people landed at the airport including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth , Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery . RAF Hartfordbridge was also the home of a new system known as "FIDO" (Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation) built by the Airforce Construction Unit. Pipes were laid down both sides on Runway 26, and fed with fuel. The pipes had small holes, and if
3069-718: The Houses of Parliament and the reputation of Airwork – at least in the UK – was dealt a grievous blow, (although this was not supported by the facts; the MOD and BAe had produced incorrect engineering drawings). A multi-million pound compensation settlement was eventually agreed out of court, and the Tornado F.3 aircraft involved were repaired by new contractors, replacing the damaged centre fuselages with those from surplus Tornado F.2 aircraft, which had been earmarked for disposal. Short Brothers of Belfast , which had itself been bought by
3162-513: The Jordan Company . In September 2023, VTG received a new majority investment from A&M Capital Partners . VT Group rebranded as VTG in 2020. VTG is composed of 10 subsidiaries focused on maritime, aviation, information systems and technology, manufacturing and fabrication, digital transformation, and national security with more than 1500 employees. Blackbushe Airport Blackbushe Airport ( IATA : BBS , ICAO : EGLK )
3255-663: The Martin P4M Mercator . Large USN transports that used the airport regularly were the Douglas R5D Skymaster and Douglas R6D Liftmaster . In 1955 USN UK-based communications and liaison aircraft of FASRON 200, previously attached to RAF Hendon , in north London, were switched to Blackbushe. By 1955 the airport was handling 36,000 movements per year. The US Navy also set up a base as a communications headquarters. This brought new aircraft such as Beech Expediters, Dakotas, DC-7s and Super Constellations. In
3348-522: The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) across its military aircraft fleets. Current activities include: VT Group VTG (formerly VT Group ) is a privately held United States defense and services company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper Thornycroft . The British part of VTG was integrated into Babcock International in the early 2010s. In July 2012, The Resolute Fund II, LP, an affiliate of The Jordan Company acquired VTG. In September 2023, VTG received
3441-843: The Sea Venom , Sea Vampire , Hunter and Sea Vixen . A further contract was won in 1953 when Airwork was appointed to operate RAF Oxford for the benefit of trainee radar operators at the RAF Sopley radar station situated close to Hurn. The Oxfords were replaced in June 1957 by fourteen Boulton Paul Balliols that provided a service to the trainee trackers and plotters of the School of Fighter Control that had relocated to Sopley from RAF Bolt Head in Devon. The Balliols remained in service with Airwork until 1960. In January 1957, Airwork Services Ltd
3534-606: The Singapore Air Force (BAC Strikemaster), South Arabian Air Force ( Bell 47G and Dakotas) and the Sudan Air Force (Jet Provost). The supply of spares and equipment from Hurn was central to activities with Britannia , CL-44 and Douglas DC-6 freighter aircraft being frequently used. Following a management buyout in 1988, Airwork became part of the Bricom Group of companies. Airwork were part of
3627-655: The Supermarine Attacker (1955–1957), Sea Fury (1955–1961), Sea Hawk (1956–1969), Westland Dragonfly (1958–1961), Gloster Meteor (1958–1971), Supermarine Scimitar (1965–1970), Hawker Hunter (1969–1972) and English Electric Canberra (1969–1972). Airwork was also contracted by the Fleet Air Arm in January 1950 to provide aircraft at RNAS Brawdy to exercise the Aircraft Direction School at nearby Kete. They also undertook
3720-579: The de Havilland Sea Hornet . Over the next decade the FRU's duties were expanded to include all aspects of Fleet requirement tasks including target towing for gunnery purposes, eventually covering not just UK based destroyers and frigates but the Mediterranean Fleet as well. A wide variety of aircraft types were used over the years with the Sea Hornet being followed, in chronological order, by
3813-445: The 37 occupants (five crew and 32 passengers). The accident investigators concluded that the captain's failure to prevent the aircraft from stalling while making a single engine approach was the probable cause. The captain's distraction by a flickering red undercarriage indicator light during the critical final approach stage was cited as a contributory factor. The third non-fatal accident occurred on 1 September 1957. It involved
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3906-410: The 57 occupants. The subsequent accident investigation established the failure of one or both of the inner two engines (no. 2 and 3) as the primary cause. Although the reason for the engines' failure could not be determined, the investigators concluded that only one of these engines malfunctioned and that an error of the flight engineer caused the other one to fail. The investigators furthermore cited
3999-632: The Air Direction Training Unit to form the Fleet Requirements & Air Direction Training Unit (FRADTU). The word 'Training' was later dropped from the Unit's name to form the more familiar FRADU . The new Unit continued to use the Hunters, Canberras and, in the early days, Sea Vixens that had previously been used by the FRU and ADTU. In 1983, the FRADU contract was put out to competitive tender and
4092-887: The Britavia (formerly Aviation Traders ) design office moved from Southend to the Airwork offices at Hurn once they were rebuilt following a serious fire in August of that year. Airwork operated the British Civil Air Training Mission to Saudi Arabia from 1947 to 1949, based in Taif , Saudi Arabia. This was a flying school with 3 Tiger Moth and 1 Anson Aircraft. Following the creation of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Air Force (SMOAF) in March 1959, Airwork
4185-525: The Canadian company Bombardier in 1989, acquired Airwork as a wholly owned subsidiary in November 1993, and the company became known as Bombardier Defence Services Limited. The VT Group subsequently took over the business – renaming it VT Defence – in a £30m deal in June 2000. Whilst in the UK, the former Airwork element of the business which traded under the name VT Aerospace, the name and brand of Airwork
4278-741: The Company became listed on the London Stock Exchange as Vosper Thornycroft . Vosper Ltd built small boats and J I Thornycroft had a long history of building destroyers and similar sized craft. The company was nationalised by the Labour Government in 1977, becoming a division of British Shipbuilders . It became a commercial company again after a management buyout in 1985. Vosper Thornycroft flourished even during lean times for warship building, mainly through successful sales efforts in exports and diversification outside
4371-777: The Elvetham Hotel on 2–5 April 2019. On 12 June 2019, the Planning Inspectorate issued a decision granting the application to deregister the airport from Yateley Common. Hampshire County Council subsequently sought a Judicial Review of the Inspector's decision which was held at the Royal Courts of Justice on 11–12 February 2020. On 23 April 2020, the High Court ruled in favour of Hampshire County Council. The Court of Appeal upheld this decision, and
4464-414: The Hermes's 64 occupants (six crew and 58 passengers) although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Accident investigators cited the Hermes captain's failure to maintain effective radio communications with the tower during the final stage of the radar -assisted approach and his decision to continue with a visual approach under conditions that did not allow him to positively identify the correct runway as
4557-572: The Nobel Group and administered through a bank. In 1992, a contract with the RAF at St. Athan to modify a number of Tornado F.3 aircraft was to have far reaching consequences for the company. Serious damage was caused to the centre fuselage of 16 aircraft during the removal of rivets. When the extent of the damage became clear, the Ministry of Defence cancelled the contract with Airwork and pursued compensation from Bricom. Questions were asked in
4650-490: The Rumour , Lake, and Merger also appearing. From 1985 to 2015, the airport was owned by British Car Auctions (BCA), who refurbished the terminal building, and replaced the tower in 1992. From 1998 to 2009 The Queen's Helicopter was based there. . In 2008, the newly formed Blink launched their European air-taxi service from Blackbushe to over 600 destinations using a fleet of Cessna Citation Mustang aircraft. These were
4743-656: The Supreme court declined to hear the case, referring the matter back to the Planning Inspector for redetermination. In November 2023 a Planning Inspector issued a decision confirming the footprint of the Terminal Building and part of the airport cafe to be removed from the register of common land, but no curtilage. In January 2024, Blackbushe Airport submitted a new application to the Planning Inspectorate for deregistration and exchange of 35.3 acres of
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#17327945532674836-788: The UK to East , Central , Southern and West Africa using Vikings. These services were part of a joint operation with Hunting Air Transport , another wholly private British independent airline of that era. Flights initially operated on a fortnightly basis. International Air Transport Association (IATA) minimum fare rules did not apply to these services because the governments that owned most of IATA's member airlines had not empowered it to set and control domestic air fares, including dependent overseas territories. The first joint Airwork—Hunting all- economy Safari /colonial coach class service from London to Nairobi routed via Malta , Benghazi , Wadi Halfa, Khartoum, Juba and Entebbe . It used single-class 27-seat Vikings, which took three days to complete
4929-446: The UK, normally finding that the airfield was open for operations, even when other airports in the London area were closed by fog. The airfield's hilltop position helped in this respect. The Avro Yorks of Tropic Airways of Johannesburg visited for several years. Blackbushe was used as a major location for the 1956 film The Crooked Sky in which the former RAF station buildings and then current commercial aircraft are seen. The airport
5022-562: The United Airways name together with the prefix British had been agreed with shareholder Whitehall Securities, the controlling shareholder of both United Airways and Spartan Airways before these airlines' merger with Hillman's Airways to form the pre-war British Airways.) By the time Airwork merged with Hunting-Clan to form BUA in July 1960, the former's air transport subsidiaries already included Airwork Helicopters, Air Charter, Bristow Helicopters , Channel Air Bridge , Transair and Morton Air Services . By that time, Airwork had also negotiated
5115-593: The airfield was opened as Blackbushe Airport under the control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Full customs facilities were provided for both air transport operators and the private owners of light and executive aircraft. Over the next few years, airlines such as Britavia , Westminster Airways, Airwork , and Silver City all moved in operating Lancastrians (passenger aircraft derived from Lancaster bombers), DC-3s , and Bristol Freighters . Movements by 1950 had risen to 11,000 per year, with 16,000 passengers. The 1950s saw further expansion, Air Contractors started
5208-425: The airfield was shrouded in fog, the fuel was ignited. The heat created would cause the fog to rise and disperse. On 18 November 1944, the airfield was renamed to RAF Blackbushe, due to confusion over a similar area in Norfolk. On 15 November 1946, the RAF had moved out, and the airport was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, becoming Blackbushe Airport. The A30 was reopened to traffic. In February 1947
5301-422: The airport was sold to Sir Peter Ogden , who previously founded Blink , in 2008. The north side hangars were not included in the sale, so Blackbushe currently has no hangar facilities. The new owners plan to invest in the refurbishments of the airport and bring the facilities into the 21st century, including building new hangars to replace the space lost on the north side. Investment has been made in repairs to
5394-475: The clouds, the captain was able to see the runway and continued his visual approach without realising that he was actually approaching 01L. When the Airwork Hermes came in to land, an Indian Airlines DC-3 (registration: VT-AUA) had just been cleared to line up and hold on runway 01L. This resulted in the Hermes striking the DC-3. This in turn resulted in the death of the Indian aircraft's four crew members who were its only occupants. There were no fatalities among
5487-499: The committee's decision were that most of the land was to be an open space, so that the proposal would be detrimental to the amenities of Yateley village, and it would interfere with safety and traffic flow on the Basingstoke - London trunk road. Despite many objections AVM Bennett battled the red tape and finally owned and opened the aerodrome in 1962. The airport became a base for a large collection of historic World War II aircraft, including four Junkers Ju 52s , six Douglas DC-3s and
5580-477: The core shipbuilding business into training and support. In 1998, Vosper Thornycroft acquired the specialist military boatbuilder Halmatic, based in Portchester . In 2001, in their most ambitious diversification project, VT started work on the US$ 55million superyacht Mirabella V for former Avis Car Hire boss Joe Vittoria. At the time of its completion in 2004, Mirabella V was the world's largest single-masted sailing vessel with an overall length of 75 metres and
5673-401: The destination countries' flag carriers . 1957 was also the year Airwork acquired control of Transair , a fellow independent airline. A year later the process of merging the Airwork-controlled airlines with Hunting-Clan to form British United Airways (BUA) started. In 1959, Airwork took over Air Charter , Freddie Laker 's first airline venture. In February of that year, Airwork transferred
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#17327945532675766-420: The development of a private aerodrome on the site of Blackbushe Airport. The applications, made by AVM Bennett, were for the use of an area of 325 acres as a private aerodrome, and for the erection of aircraft hangars. The vice-chairman of the committee, Lord Porchester, said that the Ministry of Aviation was not supporting AVM Bennett in his attempt to re-open Blackbushe for private flying. The reported reasons for
5859-427: The early post-World War II years, charter flights using Handley Page Hermes and Vickers Viking airliners , primarily flying out of Blackbushe Airport , constituted the bulk of Airwork's commercial air transport activities. These included a twice weekly series of flights on behalf of the Sudanese government, which carried 10,000 passengers between London, Wadi Halfa and Khartoum between 1947 and 1950, as well as
5952-427: The end of 1978 Scottish Aviation Bulldogs of the Southampton University Air Squadron and DHC Chipmunks of No. 2 AEF relocated to Hurn and Airwork became responsible for their storage and maintenance. The Bulldogs were used for training by potential RAF pilots whilst the Chipmunks were used by local Air Cadets . In November 1972, the Fleet Requirements Unit was relocated from Hurn to RNAS Yeovilton and amalgamated with
6045-413: The first carrier to be awarded a trooping flight contract. The War Office subsequently made Airwork its main contractor for the UK—Singapore trooping service, as well as its unofficial "chosen instrument" for all trooping flights that were contracted to third parties. However, the Hermes aircraft that operated most of these flights frequently suffered from engine faults. This resulted in crash landings on
6138-399: The flightdeck crew to shut down both engines as well as to feather both propellers. Intensive use of the onboard radio equipment to send out emergency signals soon depleted the aircraft's batteries. The resulting electrical power failure caused the remaining two engines to fail as well. This in turn forced the flightdeck crew to ditch the aircraft off the port of Trapani , which killed seven of
6231-399: The following aircraft types: In April 1958, the Airwork fleet comprised twelve aircraft. A fatal accident occurred on 25 August 1952. It involved a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-ALDF) operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Blackbushe to Khartoum via Malta. When the aircraft approached Sicily , an engine malfunction affecting engines no. 2 and 3 forced
6324-405: The general public and is also popular for walks around its perimeter and to see the wildlife in Yateley Common and Castle Bottom National Nature reserve . The airport started life in 1942 as RAF Hartford Bridge, and it was used by RAF squadrons throughout the remainder of Second World War for reconnaissance, defence and strike operations using Spitfires and Mosquitoes . It was also the home of
6417-440: The journey. Although this compared unfavourably with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), whose regular scheduled services took only 24 hours, load factors averaged 93% during the first nine months of operation. Airwork and Hunting-Clan continued to achieve very high average load factors of 85–90% because their £98 single fare was £42 cheaper than the comparable BOAC fare. These load factors were much higher than BOAC's, as
6510-431: The late 1950s, BOAC launched operations of the Comet airliners. Other operators such as Pan-Am, SAS, and BEA were using Blackbushe regularly as a diversion from Heathrow. However, with the newly built Gatwick airport, the lease on Blackbushe was not granted, and these operators were forced to start using Gatwick. On 31 May 1960 the airport closed. All of the infrastructure, fixtures, and fittings were auctioned off. Parts of
6603-651: The manufacture of Avro Lancaster wings and modifications on Douglas Bostons , as well as the preparation, maintenance and repair of Hawker Hurricanes , Whitleys, Vought Corsairs , Grumman Hellcats , Consolidated B-24 Liberators and North American P-51 Mustangs . Following the war, Airwork purchased Perth Aerodrome from the local Council, and developed a highly successful flying school for commercial pilots. In 1947, Airwork relocated its headquarters to Langley in Buckinghamshire and further new sites were established at Blackbushe Airport (overhaul and sales) and at Lasham (engineering). By now Airwork had been acquired by
6696-670: The nearby Supplies Division in Ferndown . The success of the Omani partnership led to Airwork securing similar support contracts in other countries. In Saudi Arabia Airwork was contracted between 1966 and 1973 to provide servicing and training for the Saudi's English Electric Lightnings , Hunters, BAC Strikemasters and Cessna 172s . Airwork also provided a similar service in South Yemen , Kuwait and Jordan . In Africa, Airwork developed
6789-452: The nuclear industry in the UK and abroad. The business was renamed VT Nuclear Services. On 28 January 2009 VT Group announced its intention to sell its share of BVT Surface Fleet to BAE Systems. VT Group's put option valued its share at a minimum of £380 million subject to conditions, however VT Group was expected to make a cash injection into the business to offset difficulties with contracts with Trinidad and Tobago and Oman. Following
6882-403: The operation of its Safari flights to its subsidiary Transair, together with two Viscount aircraft. This resulted in the service's London terminal moving from Blackbushe to Gatwick. On 19 May 1960, Airwork changed its name to British United Airways. (The origins of the new name went back to United Airways , one of the three predecessors of the pre-World War II British Airways . The [re-]use of
6975-486: The part of the airfield that lay north of the A30 remains in active use. The historical name for the flat piece of land on which it is sited is Hartford Bridge Flats. The nearest towns are Yateley and Fleet . Blackbushe Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P693) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Blackbushe Airport Limited). The aerodrome
7068-619: The probable cause of this runway collision . A major contract was secured in September 1952 when Airwork was selected by the Royal Navy to operate the Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU) at Hurn Airport, near Bournemouth . The FRU employed civilian pilots using Fleet Air Arm aircraft to provide target aircraft for the training of Royal Navy radar operators. The first type of aircraft, Sea Mosquito , began arriving at Hurn in August 1952 and these were replaced during 1953 by
7161-687: The reopening was due to one man and his resolve, Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett , CB , CBE , DSO . Born in Toowoomba , Australia and best known for his RAF Pathfinder exploits in the Second World War and his escape after being shot down during the raid on the German battleship Tirpitz , he evaded capture and escaped to Sweden , from where he was able to return to Britain. The Hampshire County Council Planning Committee rejected an application on 25 August 1961, one of two applications for
7254-670: The revised enterprise became known as Airwork Services Training. In 1971 Airwork added an English Language School to the facilities at Perth to service a training contract with the Imperial Iranian Navy . Quickly the School's main business became language training for students due to train at either the Flying School or the Aeronautical Engineering College and it became part of Air Service Training. Pilot training at Perth ceased in 1996 but
7347-403: The runway and decided to carry out an overshoot. Dum Dum Air Traffic Control then offered the captain an assisted approach to runway 01R and advised that he was no. 2 to land. Radar control guided the aircraft during the assisted approach and cleared it for a visual landing. At that time the aircraft was a mile from the runway threshold and to the left of 01R's centreline. After breaking through
7440-405: The runways were dug up. The airport remained closed until 6 October 1962 when it was formally reopened as a general aviation field. During the closure, many light aircraft continued to use the airfield. The airport passed into private ownership and was formally reopened as a general aviation field on 6 October 1962. There had been a fight to reopen the airport, as there were many objections; however
7533-489: The sale of VT Group's 45% share, BVT Surface Fleet was renamed BAE Systems Surface Ships to reflect the total ownership. In 2010, the British defence and construction company Babcock International purchased VT Group for £1.32bn. Babcock integrated the UK portion of VT Group into its own business. In 2012, Babcock sold VT Group, which was by then US-based, to the private investment fund Resolute Fund II LP, linked to
7626-496: The shape of four new BAE Hawk 103s and twelve Hawk 203s delivered in 1993. In addition to providing aircraft maintenance and airfield communications support services to SOAF\RAFO, Airwork was also involved in providing radio and radar support to the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) and ground radio for the Royal Army of Oman (RAO). Spares provisioning and personal recruitment were provided from Airwork's UK headquarters at Hurn and
7719-631: The shipbuilding industry in October 2009, after selling its 45% share of the Shipbuilding Joint Venture company BVT Surface Fleet to BAE Systems . Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index , the remainder of the firm was acquired by Babcock International Group in July 2010. The company was formed by the merger of two shipbuilding companies Vosper Limited of Portsmouth and J I Thornycroft of Woolston , Southampton in 1966, at which time
7812-550: The taxiways and parking areas, as well as repainting all of the airside markings. In late 2017, a new airport management team was put in place. They have set about supporting the general aviation activities at the airport. Blackbushe Airport sits on part of Yateley Common. Despite access to the active airfield site being restricted since the 1940s, and provisions of the Aviation Security Act 2018 prohibiting trespass on an aerodrome, development of new facilities
7905-625: The word 'Reserve' was dropped, and the 50 ERFTS establishments were consolidated into 20 Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS). No 17 ERFTS was disbanded at that time, and No. 44 ERFTS at Elmdon was merged with No. 14 ERFTS at Castle Bromwich to form No. 14 EFTS. One further Airwork-run unit, No. 21 EFTS, was established at Booker in June 1941, with Miles Magisters supplementing the Tiger Moths then in use there and at all other EFTS. Through its sites at Gatwick and newer aerodromes at Staverton , Renfrew and Loughborough , Airwork also became
7998-594: Was also used as a filming location in the making of the 1951 film No Highway in the Sky directed by Henry Koster, starring James Stewart , Marlene Dietrich and Jack Hawkins . From the early 1950s, the United States Navy (USN) had a facility on the north-east edge of the airport which frequently handled visiting naval aircraft. These included patrol types such as the Lockheed P2V Neptune and
8091-534: Was appointed to provide maintenance and technical support. The new air force initially consisted of Pioneer CC.1 , Provost T.Mk.52 and DHC-2 Beaver aircraft. Growing problems with civil unrest and insurgency, primarily in the Dhofar region, during the late 1960s led to the expansion of the SMOAF. Initially this was through the formation of a squadron of BAC Strikemaster Mk.82 aircraft and also through acquisitions of
8184-548: Was created to separate the defence support activities from the airline business elements, which continued under the original Airwork Ltd name. During summer 1959 Airwork moved its head office from Langley to Hurn. Its overhaul facilities were also centralised there. As a result, the operations at Blackbushe, Langley and Lasham were closed. In 1960, Airwork acquired the Aeronautical Engineering College in Hamble, and relocated it to its existing training operation at Perth Aerodrome where
8277-610: Was founded in 1928 by Nigel Norman and Alan Muntz , with the opening of the private Heston Aerodrome in Middlesex . In the early days, Airwork's chief pilot was Captain Valentine Baker MC, DFC , who later formed the world-famous Martin-Baker company with Sir James Martin . In December 1936, Airwork Limited was registered at Companies House , and the newly formed company started its long association with RAF flying training. Airwork moved out of Heston in 1935 due to
8370-478: Was further cemented in the late 1970s by the arrival of over thirty Hawker Hunters. Two squadrons of SEPECAT Jaguars followed, further expanding the capability of the Sultanate of Oman Air Force (SOAF), the name of which had been adopted in 1970. During the early 1980s three C-130H Hercules transport aircraft were ordered. Renamed Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) in 1990, more new combat aircraft were acquired in
8463-551: Was merged with BAE Systems ' Glasgow -based Surface Fleet Solutions subsidiary to form BVT Surface Fleet . The VT Halmatic boatyard site in Portchester was also sold off to Trafalgar Wharf , with Halmatic also moving into Portsmouth Naval Base. In 2008, VT Group acquired BNG Project Services from the government-owned British Nuclear Fuels for £75m. As the provider of nuclear decommissioning and waste treatment engineering services, Project Services gave VT Group access to
8556-523: Was short-lived. By 1957, Airwork and Hunting-Clan had converted their successful East , West and Southern African Safari /colonial coach flights into regular "third-class" scheduled services. However, the Government forced the independents to maintain additional stops that were no longer needed, as a result of replacing Vikings with technologically advanced Douglas DC-6s and Vickers Viscounts . It also required them to share all traffic with BOAC on
8649-531: Was subsequently awarded to FR Aviation. Airwork quickly put this setback behind it and in 1984 was awarded a contract for the operation of No. 1 Flying Training School RAF Linton-on-Ouse . It was then equipped with the Bulldog and Jet Provost . The Jet Provost was in turn replaced by the Shorts Tucano in 1989. The company also managed to regain an element of the FRADU business, when in 1988 it obtained
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