A brief early history of Wycombe Air Park

by Barry Abraham

In July 1939 plans were approved by the local authority to build an aerodrome (airfield was then North American terminology) on high ground to the south west of High Wycombe. With thoughts of an impending war already to the fore, the intention was for the airfield to be used for Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve training and there is no record of any pre-war civilian use. The RAF had decided back in 1934 that its own flying training schools would concentrate on advanced training and that elementary training of pupil pilots would be carried out by civilian schools. Number 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School was operated at Hatfield aerodrome by the De Havilland Aircraft Company. Among a number of other similar schools was Number 50 ERFTS, operated at Booker by Wetton Aviation Limited flying Tiger Moths, Hawker Audax and Hawker Hinds.

On the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, the Booker school, in common with all civilian operated schools, was closed down. At this stage Booker was simply a grass aerodrome with little in the way of facilities, and it lay dormant until it was decided to open Number 21 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) there in June 1941, operated by Airwork and flying Tiger Moths (72 were flown in) and Miles Magisters. The four Bellman hangers were built. Designed by a Mr N S Bellman in 1936 they were intended to be temporary, although those at Booker are only now being replaced, more than 50 years later.

Number 21 EFTS opened with 120 pupils on a seven week course - this was later extended to 11 weeks. In May 1942 training started for the Glider Pilot Regiment, (after the war Number 21 EFTS also took over responsibility for Army Glider Pilot and Air Observation Post elementary training). In July 1943 alone, 5576 hours were flown of which 442 were at night. Inevitably there were quite a few crashes and some fatalities.

By 1955 the four wartime grass runways (north/south 3300 feet, north east/south west 3600 feet, east/west 2610 feet and south east/north west 2400 feet) had been joined by a 90 foot wide pierced steel planking hard runway 07/25 (2700 feet). There was also a VDF homer, Eureka (an early form of DME), approach and tower radio on 130.86 MHz. All lighting was portable. In August 1953 the University of London Air Squadron had resumed flying - at Booker, and the airfield also hosted the Manchester and Liverpool University Air Squadrons during 1954. The RAF continued to use the airfield for some time - Bomber Command Communications Flight was based at Booker until 1963. In 1965 Airways Aero Associations - the forerunner of the British Airways Flying Club - was formed with membership initially restricted to the then BEA and BOAC personnel and in 1967 Tony Gyselynck opened Wycombe Air Centre operating Condors, and later, Cessna 150s and 172s. Today British Airways operates the airfield under lease from Wycombe District Council and, through its subsidiary, Airways Aero Associations, provides the facilities such as ATC, rescue and fire fighting services, fuel, ground handling and lighting. The airfield is very active with the original fixed wing operations now joined by helicopter training provided by British Airways and Flightworks.

Barry Abraham is an aviation historian and chairman of the Airfield Research Group.

This article first appeared in Centreline, newsletter of Wycombe Air Centre.