Sibson
SIBSON: Military aerodrome later civil aerodrome & parachuting centre
Note: This picture (2016) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Military user: WW2: RAF Flying Training Command 21 Group
1940 - 41 RLG for Naval pilots (Hawker Audax & Hawker Harts)
1941 - 42 No.2 CFS [Central Flying School] (Avro Tutors & Airspeed Oxfords)
1941 - 42 17 & 25 EFTS [Elementary Flying Training School] (DH82A Tiger Moths)
1942 - 44 No.7 AFU [Advanced Flying Unit] (Miles Masters)
Operated by: 1984 to - : Walkbury Flying Club
Flying school: Northamptonshire School of Flying (NSF Sibson) , Walkbury Flying Club
Location: W of A1, E of B671, WSW of Water Newton, 6nm WSW of Peterborough
Period of operation: Military: 1940 to 1946. Civil from 1970s? to -
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: NE/SW 1006 grass N/S 823 grass
1990/2000: 07/25 703x30 grass 15/33 551x18 grass
NOTES: Although I’m listing this site as a military aerodrome in 1940 it was little more than a grass field used for circuit training to relieve CRANFIELD.
According to the excellent ‘Military Airfields’ book by Steve Willis and Barry Hollis official records shows SIBSON as being in LEICESTERSHIRE in WW2. Surely this cannot possibly be correct? A look at the original County boundaries clearly shows this site was either in HUNTINGDONSHIRE or just possibly in NORTHAMPTONSHIRE? But, it is situated in an area where local authorities have moved their version of County boundaries around several times.
ORIGINALLY A SINGLE BOOK PROJECT
It seems hard to believe in 2015 as this 'Guide' project becomes 'live' as a web-site, that it was originally intended to be a single book. Ignorance is a wonderful and powerful entity and without having it in spades I would never have embarked on this enterprise.
Many years ago I wrote this comment regarding SIBSON: "As I said to my publishers fairly early on, you will undoubtably get the most comprehensive book on this subject but at the same time the least authoritative book. Because, so many books and records on aviation history contain so many conflicting ‘facts’. This book as I have said before, basically sets out to establish enough positive proof that a flying site once existed or exists today. I have landed at SIBSON so I hope you’ll agree that doing so is bloody good proof it exists! This said there was nothing to establish, (as far as I can remember), having climbed out of the aircraft, exactly what County we had landed in and in fact I couldn’t have cared less. Finding the aerodrome and safely landing there was the object of the exercise of course. Looking back this seems to reflect my frustration at trying to determine what County this aerodrome should be listed under.
By 2017 I had resolved that the 'real' County it is situated in is HUNTINGDONSHIRE - and this is most certainly the case as all the original Counties in the UK still exist - and, can only be changed by an Act of Parliament. However, for any number of reasons, some no doubt dubious, the regional administrations in the UK delight in forming their own 'Counties'. Therefore, as in this example, it can also be found listed as being in CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
PERSONAL MEMORIES AND PICTURES
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified.
On the 15th July 1995 my good friend and fellow pilot Guy Browning decided to fly the PA-38 Tomahawk G-BGWU from TOP FARM to visit FOWLMERE, CONNINGTON (CAMBRIDGESHIRE), and lastly SIBSON. On landing we were surprised to find the Let L-410UVP Turbolet, UR 67477 - registered in the Ukraine, very busy doing parachute dropping duties.
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