Kingsbury
KINGSBURY see THE HYDE (Also known as GROVE PARK)
KINGSBURY: Civil aerodrome (also known as CHURCH LANE)
Users: Central Aircraft Company, Fairey Aviation and Kingsbury Aviation
Flying schools: Fraser’s Flying School, Kingsbury Aviation Co Ltd
Manufacturing: Kingsbury Aviation Co Ltd
Location: Between Kingsbury Road, Church Lane and Townsend Lane
Period of operation: 1917 to 1923?
Runway(s): ‘All over’ grass aerodrome (?)
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
In September 2021 Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', very kindly provided these maps and pictures.
Note: The fifth item, a multi-pic featuring Frasers Flying School, was published in Flight magazine on the 9th November 1922. I have added the area view from my Google Earth © database.
NOTES: Formed in 1917 it seems Kingsbury Aviation built 150 DH.6 aircraft under contract during WW1, designed by de Havilland at the nearby Airco works at GROVE PARK. Situated in MIDDLESEX during period of operation.
It appears that when WW1 ended, the company had orders to build twenty Vickers Vimy bombers and employed around 800 people. But with the cancelation of these orders the company closed down. The empty premises were acquired, rented at £750 a year, by Fox brothers to build very high quality 'Vanden Plas' motorcar bodies utilising the local highly skilled workforce available.
The company did very well, building high quality bodies to be fitted to Alfa Romeo, Armstrong Siddeley, Bentley, Daimler, Delage, Invicta, Lagonda, Lanchester and Talbot chassis. This name still being used into the 1970s at least by BMC for their top of the range models.
But it seems, by 1938 with a major war looming, de Havilland asked them to make wings for Tiger Moths, and, by 1940, wings for the DH98 Mosquito. It appears the Vanden Plas factory closed in 1979, soon demolished to become the Kingsbury Trading Estate.
A NICE BIT OF SCANDAL
Note: Mike Holder also unearthed this article published in Flight magazine on the 18th October 1923. Showing that Mr Fraser was in fact, something of a scoundrel. As in every walk of life, aviation also has its fair share of very dodgy people getting involved, and that hasn't changed.
THE 'JOY-RIDING' OPERATIONS
Another aspect of post WW1 is the ‘joy-riding’ concerns which quickly sprang up. Without any doubt flying variants of, if not solely the Avro 504K type, they formed the backbone of many firms previously engaged during WW1 in aircraft manufacture. These operators include:
Bournemouth Aviation Co. Ltd , Central Aircraft Co. Ltd, Eastbourne Aviation Co. Ltd, The Grahame-White Aviation Co. Ltd, Handley Page Ltd, Kingsbury Aviation Co. Ltd, London & Provincial Aviation Co. Ltd, Navarro Aviation Co. Ltd and Vickers Ltd.
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