Stevenage flying sites
Note: This map only shows the location of the helipad.
STEVENAGE: Temporary Landing Ground - not used
This was the planned 97th venue for Sir Alan Cobham’s 1929 Municipal Aerodrome Campaign. Starting in May and ending in October, one hundred and seven venues were intended to be visited. Mostly in England two were in South Wales and eight in Scotland. Due to a couple of crashes and other setbacks the schedule had to be rearranged from time to time and Stevenage was scratched.
Nevertheless Cobham did manage to visit 96 venues, which was of course still a magnificent achievement.
The aircraft Cobham mostly used for this Tour was the ten seater de Havilland DH61 'Giant Moth' G-AAEV, named 'Youth of Britain'. The punishing schedule he set himself seems astonishing today - but he was a renowned workaholic. Also, highly recommended reading are his memoirs in 'A Time To Fly'.
STEVENAGE: Private helipad
Note: These pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Clearly nothing has changed, but what interested me it how the appearance from the air changes. In the 2016 and 2018 pictures, for example, the helipad itself, and the path leading to it, are quite hard to distinguish.
Operated by: Knebworth House? Perhaps Novotel hotel just to the north?
It now seems it was once used/operated by British Aerospace, (perhaps still is?), plus the nearby Lister hospital.
Location: Just SW of junction 7 (A.1M)
Period of operation: 1990s (?) to -
Harald Olsen
This comment was written on: 2020-03-12 14:00:35Hi! Back in 1986 I did some research work in cooperation with a laboratory in the UK called Warren Spring Laboratory, usin a DHC-6/300 Twin Otter from Norway. I have since lost the location of the grass strip we worked from, but I b elieve it was somewhere in the vicinty of Stevenage. Are you able to shed som light on this for me? Sincerely Yours Harald Olsen
Dick Flute
This comment was written on: 2020-03-13 02:41:49Hi Harald, I cannot help you here, but I shall keep this posted. Hopefully somebody can kindly offer advice. Best regards, Dick
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