Ripon racecourse
RIPON RACECOURSE: Military Landing Ground later temporary aerodrome
Military users: RFC/RAF (Home Defence) Flight Station
76 Sqdn (BE.2s, BE.12s, and if still used by 76 Sqdn in 1918, Bristol F.2Bs)
Charter/air taxi: Post 1945: Airviews
Location: Racecourse, S of the B6265, roughly 1nm SE of Ripon town centre
Period of operation: Military: 1916 to 1919 Civil: 1930s & 1950s only?
Site area: WW1: 81 acres 658 x 457
NOTES It appears that this location was also used by the 'Flying Circus' operators during the late 1920s and 1930s.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The newspaper article was published on the 1st June 1929 in the Halifax Evening Courier.
Note: Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide' provided the first five items. I have added the area view.
This was the 13th venue, on the 31st May, for Sir Alan Cobham’s 1929 Municipal Aerodrome Campaign Tour This Tour started in May and ended in October with one hundred and seven towns and cities planned to be visited. Mostly in England but with two venues in Wales and eight in Scotland. Despite a couple of crashes and other setbacks he still managed to visit 97 venues - a quite magnificent achievement.
Without any doubt this Tour encouraged the construction of several aerodromes/regional airports. But not in Ripon.
The aircraft he mostly used was the DH61 'Giant Moth' G-AAEV named 'Youth of Britain'. The tour was an amazing feat of stamina and organisation and I can thoroughly recommend reading his memoirs in his book A Time to Fly.
Venue for CD Barnard Air Tours in June 1931?
Venue, (22nd June 1932), for Alan Cobham’s National Aviation Day UK Display Tour?
If anybody can confirm this, the advice will be most welcome.
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