Colindale
COLINDALE: Private company airfield?
Location: The Hyde on the A5, (the Roman Watling Street), part of the Edgware Road positioned between Colindale and West Hendon. I have elected to use COLINDALE for this listing simply to differentiate it from the far more famous, and nearby, HENDON aerodrome.
NOTES: It would appear that AIRCO, the Aircraft Manufacturing Company, (1912 to 1920), used a small airfield 'behind' their works on The Hyde to fly at least some completed aircraft to the Aircraft Acceptance Parks. However, I have failed to find any convincing proof of where this 'airfield' was situated.
Today it seems to often create some confusion simply because Geoffrey de Havilland was their Chief Designer and his designs bore the DH identity, from the DH.1 through to the DH.18. AIRCO were, in WW1 a huge concern employing between seven and eight thousand people and for some time were producing an aircraft every 45 minutes. It is claimed that AIRCO produced about one third of the aircraft employed in WW1 by the Royal Flying Corps, which later became the RAF (Royal Air Force).
This has been a rather frustrating subject. It seems fairly certain according to some records that the early de Havilland Company operated from a small airfield established behind the Airco works at The Hyde and to the east of the Edgware Road ‘directly opposite the entrance to HENDON aerodrome’. Like so many so called ‘official’ or ‘expert’ records this is almost certainly incorrect. The entrance to HENDON aerodrome was at least half a mile east of the Edgware Road and I think this refers to HENDON SOUTH which was established after WW1.
In fact the de Havilland Aircraft Company set up at STAG LANE (see seperate entry) in 1920 having, with the help mainly of George Holt Thomas, managing to secure many valuable assets from the by then defunct AIRCO concern. STAG LANE was of course further north-west in BURNT OAK, and situated to the west of the Edgware Road.
It is just a guess on my part, but, was this airfield just possibly, KINGSBURY? It is of course entirely possible that another temporary flying site existed in this area adjacent to the AIRCO factory.
If anybody can kindly offer advice on this subject, this will be much appreciated.
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