Somerton flying sites
Note: This map gives only the location of Somerton within the UK. If anybody now knows where this site actually was I will much appreciate the advice.
SOMERTON: Temporary landing site
Location: On the B3153, just W of the B3151, roughly 5nm S of Glastonbury
NOTES: It appears that on the 14th of April 1914 Captain C Grenville-Gould had planned a flight from NETHERAVON to visit his family in Barnstaple, DEVON. It went very well by all accounts, (see MR COPPS FIELD DEVON for extra details), but for some reason he appears to have arranged landing for fuel in SOMERTON on the return flight. On the way down he might well have refuelled at either Taunton or Langton?
It appears he did screw up a bit though, couldn’t make it back to NETHERAVON, and made a landing at STOURTON instead.
SOMERTON: Temporary aerodrome
Note: This picture from the Phillips family was scanned for the excellent book, Cornwall Aviation Company, by Ted Chapman published in 1979. It is not known where and when this picture was taken but it illustrates very well indeed the rudimentary facilities then needed to set up a temporary 'aerodrome' for joy-ride operations. It shows their 1909 Argyll van, with solid tyres, and the Avro 504K G-EBIZ. The fare was 5 shillings per passenger but braver souls could pay 15 shillings to 'loop-the-loop' or £1 for a spin.
NOTES:
It needs to be remembered that all these 'joy-riding' sites, intended for commercial operations, needed to be inspected and licensed by the Air Ministry, even if used for just one day. This requirement was later relaxed for operators deemed to be responsible and capable of determining a suitable site. Generally, it appears, farmers were quite happy to be paid £1 a day for the hire of a grass field.
In 1925 the Cornish Aviation Company based in St Austell embarked on a summer 'Tour' of the West Country. The previous year when the company was founded it appears they confined their operations to Cornwall. In 1925 the company still had just one aircraft, the Avro 504K G-EBIZ. The two co-founders were Capt. Percival Phillips, the pilot, and A J Adams the Licensed Ground Engineer who both ran the operation, usually assisted by a couple more useful people who could also help in doing maintenance and repairs, selling tickets, assisting passengers and so on.
They must have stayed at SOMERTON for at least a few days, and found it a very lucrative place to be, as it appears they carried 1,200 passengers here. For example it seems that on this 'Tour' the greatest number of passengers in one day was 170 from Bath. Also, it is reported that quite often women exceeded men in the queue to take a flight, and that they were often keen to experience an aerobatic manouevre.
For the purposes of this 'Guide' if anybody can kindly offer advice regarding the location the CAC used, this will be much appreciated.
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