Scottish Aerodromes of the 1920s and 1930s

Author: Malcolm Fife
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
The end of the First World War brought with it the closure most of the military aerodromes in Scotland. It, however, retained its links with naval aviation with aircraft carriers frequently exercising off the coast. In the latter part of the decade Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed at Edinburgh and Glasgow manned by civilians. With the rise of the Nazis in Germany, the RAF responded by building new airfields or re-opening former First World War sites. They included armament practice camps at Evanton and West Freugh where pilots could practice their skills in bombing and firing their weapons. RAF flying boats also visited various coastal locations around Scotland in the years leading up to the War. The inter-war services also saw the development of scheduled airline services within the country. They were, however, not between major towns but linked remote islands with major towns of the mainland. An air ambulance service was also created to serve isolated communities. All of these developments are covered as well as private flying and gliding. There is also a section on aerodromes that were planned but never built.

Scottish Airfields in the Second World War: The Lothians

Author: Martyn Chorlton
Publisher: British Airfields in the Secon
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 164

Book Description
An account of the part played by the airfields in the Lothians during the Second World War; the planes and pilots who flew them; and the local civilians who worked alongside them.

World War One Aircraft Carrier Pioneer

Author: Guy Warner
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783461306
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 378

Book Description
Jack McCleery was born in Belfast in 1898, the son of a mill owning family. He joined the RNAS in 1916 as a Probationary Flight Officer. During the next ten months he completed his training at Crystal Palace, Eastchurch, Cranwell, Frieston, Calshot and Isle of Grain, flying more than a dozen landplanes, seaplanes and flying boats, gaining his wings as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant. In July 1917 he was posted to the newly commissioning aircraft carrier HMS Furious, which would be based at Scapa Flow and Rosyth. He served in this ship until February 1919, flying Short 184 seaplanes and then Sopwith 1 Strutters off the deck. He also flew a large number of other types during this time from shore stations at Turnhouse, East Fortune and Donibristle.He served with important and well-known naval airmen including Dunning, Rutland (of Jutland) and Bell Davies VC. He witnessed Dunnings first successful landing on a carrier flying a Sopwith Pup in 1917 and his tragic death a few days later. He also witnessed the Tondern raid in 1918, the worlds first carrier strike mission. He took part in more than a dozen sweeps into the North Sea by elements of the Grand Fleet and Battle Cruiser Fleet. He carried out reconnaissance missions off the coast of Denmark, landing in the sea to be picked up by waiting destroyers. He witnessed the surrender of the High Seas Fleet. Promoted to Captain, he acted as temporary CO of F Squadron for a time postwar.

Scotland from the Sky

Author: James Crawford
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781849172523
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
'In this book, you will travel in both space and time, starting in the years around the First World War and moving all the way up to the present day. As you go, you will see just what our pioneering aviators saw as they stared out from their cockpits. And, more than that, you will explore what they were trying to find. Because, from above, Scotland can be many different things, depending on what you choose to look at - and who is doing the looking.'Accompanying the BBC documentary series Scotland from the Sky, this lavishly illustrated book draws on the vast collection of aerial photography held in the archives of Historic Environment Scotland. Historian and series presenter James Crawford opens an extraordinary window into our past to tell the remarkable story of a nation from above - taking readers back in time to show how our great cities have dramatically altered with the ebb and flow of history, while whole communities have vanished in the name of progress. The book shows how aerial imagery can reveal treasures from the ancient past, uncovering secrets buried right beneath our feet. And it demonstrates how the view from above has been at the heart of the postwar transformation of both our countryside and our urban landscapes.This is a fascinating - and little known - story of war, innovation, adventure, cities, landscapes and people. This is the story of Scotland, from the sky.

First Fighter

Author: Charles F. O'Connell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Airplanes, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description

Aerodromes Of Fighter Command

Author: Robin J Brooks
Publisher: After the Battle
ISBN: 1399076833
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Book Description
RAF Fighter Command was established in July 1936 to provide the airborne element in the defense of Britain against air attack. The aerodromes under the Command described in this book came under the control of several Groups: No. 9 in the west, No. 10 covering the south-west, No. 11 in the south-east, No.?12 on the eastern side of the country, and Nos. 13 and 14 protecting the extreme north. In this volume the activities of over 90 airfields are described and illustrated in our ‘then and now’ theme, both on the ground and from above. Many, having served their purpose, have returned to farmland leaving only odd vestiges to recall their former role as front-line fighter stations. Others have succumbed to the encroachment of housing or industry or even been totally expunged from the map through mining activities. On the other hand, a number have continued to be used as airfields, either for sport or business flying, and some continue as major airports with modern facilities. Sadly the post-war years have witnessed the slow decline of the RAF presence at so many of their former bases, two having closed during our research for this book. And some have found a new lease of life with the Army . . . or even the Ministry of Justice! All came into their own during the six years of war and the scars from that battle are still evident if one cares to look. Moldering buildings from the former era remain as poignant reminders of the airmen and women who once inhabited them . . . now standing almost as memorials to the thousands who never came through. This is their story.

Almost Forgotten

Author: Chris R. Davies
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445626519
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
An important piece in the jigsaw of aviation history in Northumberland.

Aeronautics

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 596

Book Description

British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century

Author: Malcolm Fife
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

Book Description
Numerous books have been written on airships, but few concentrate on their bases and infrastructure to support their operations. British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century starts with documenting the primitive facilities from which the early machines flew in the years prior to the First World War. The outbreak of the First World War resulted in airships being adopted for military purposes and bases were established across Britain. Most of these were operated by the Royal Naval Air Service for the protection of shipping against U-boats. In the 1920s, an attempt was made by the British Government to build airships for commercial transport. The locations where these giants of the sky were constructed are described as well as the proposed overseas passenger terminals. The latter part of this enthralling and detailed book chronicles the attempt to establish the airship as a means of transport to link together the far flung lands of the British Empire. Reference is also made at attempts to revive the airship in the closing decade of the 20th century and the locations associated with them. Illustrations: 170 black and white photographs

Orkney by Air

Author: Guy Warner
Publisher: kea publishing
ISBN: 9780951895870
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 116

Book Description
Air travel to, from and around the Orkney Islands began in the 1930s, and Orcadians quickly adapted to the aeroplane as a regular mode of transport. This book presents a visual history of the challenges and changes that have occurred over the past three-quarters of a century.