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34-593: Alexandra Park Aerodrome was the second purpose-built aerodrome in the Manchester area in England. The site was chosen by the War Department in 1917 because of its open agricultural nature, and lay between the neighbouring districts of Fallowfield , Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Whalley Range , Withington and West Didsbury , at the junction of Princess Road and Mauldeth Road West, three miles south of Manchester's city centre:

68-603: A scheduled monument . Archaeological evidence has revealed human activity dating back to the Bronze Age , and the area contains many other scheduled Monuments, including a number of Bronze Age burial mounds and the faint remains of an Iron Age hillfort at the top of the hill. There also exists evidence of ancient farming as the Beacon is also crossed by deep channels which are thought to be cattle drovers ' paths and cross-ridge dykes . The prehistoric earthwork, Grim's Ditch passes to

102-434: A boat to load and unload (for example, Yellowknife Water Aerodrome ). Some are co-located with a land based airport and are certified airports in their own right. These include Vancouver International Water Airport and Vancouver International Airport . Others, such as Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre have their own control tower, Vancouver Harbour Control Tower . The Canadian Aeronautical Information Manual says "...for

136-458: A bridge over the Midland Railway line towards Nell Lane. The last known light aircraft touch-and-go landing was in 1986. The remaining area of open land to the west of Princess Road is now Hough End Playing Fields, a council-owned facility with 24 full-size soccer pitches and 3 rugby pitches. Broughton Park RUFC also have their facilities there. These pitches occupy land that

170-564: A certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that not all aerodromes may have achieved. That means that all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. Usage of the term "aerodrome" (or "airfield") remains more common in Commonwealth English , and is conversely almost unknown in American English , where the term "airport" is applied almost exclusively. A water aerodrome

204-572: A couple of directions, much like today's airports, whereas an aerodrome was distinguished, by virtue of its much greater size, by its ability to handle landings and takeoffs in any direction. The ability to always take off and land directly into the wind, regardless of the wind's direction, was an important advantage in the earliest days of aviation when an airplane's performance in a crosswind takeoff or landing might be poor or even dangerous. The development of differential braking in aircraft, improved aircraft performance, utilization of paved runways, and

238-423: A landing spot from time to time if it has a medical emergency (patients are taken on to Wythenshawe Hospital ) or dog handlers need to be airlifted to incidents in the helicopter. The new swimming pool for Withington and Chorlton-cum-Hardy is being built there. On a small part of the site, adjacent to Princess Road , is the new Withington Metrolink station . Aerodrome The term airport may imply

272-642: Is hippodrome (a stadium for horse racing and chariot racing ), derived from ἵππος (híppos), horse , and δρόμος (drómos), course . A modern linguistic parallel is velodrome , an arena for velocipedes . Αεροδρόμιο is the word for airport in Modern Greek, which transliterates as aerodromio. In British military usage, the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War , and the Royal Air Force in

306-416: Is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant civil aviation authority after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory requirements. An air base is an aerodrome with significant facilities to support aircraft and crew. The term is usually reserved for military bases, but also applies to civil seaplane bases . An airstrip

340-749: Is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire , England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills , close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury . Dunstable , Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby. The Beacon lies within the Ashridge Estate and is managed and owned by the National Trust . It is the starting point of the Icknield Way to the east, and the Ridgeway long-distance path to

374-603: Is a small aerodrome that consists only of a runway with perhaps fueling equipment. They are generally in remote locations, e.g. Airstrips in Tanzania . Many airstrips (now mostly abandoned) were built on the hundreds of islands in the Pacific Ocean during the Second World War. A few airstrips grew to become full-fledged airbases as the strategic or economic importance of a region increased over time. An advanced landing ground

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408-692: Is an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes , floatplanes or amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off. In formal terminology, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an aerodrome is "a defined area on land or water (including any buildings, installations, and equipment) intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure, and surface movement of aircraft." The word aerodrome derives from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr), air , and δρόμος (drómos), road or course , literally meaning air course . An ancient linguistic parallel

442-551: The Chilterns during an attempted forced landing in poor weather. The two pilots and three passengers were killed, making this the first fatal accident on an internal air service in the UK: because of this the route was suspended for a period before recommencing. On the merger of Daimler with other airlines to form Imperial Airways in April 1924, the new monopoly airline terminated the service: it

476-531: The Duke of Burgundy . Ivinghoe Beacon's appearance of remoteness, yet relative proximity to the film studios at Elstree and Leavesden , has made it a popular choice as a filming location . It has been used as a location for many dramas, especially those produced by ITC in the 1960s. The Beacon has been used as a filming location in four Harry Potter films – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , Harry Potter and

510-549: The Ju 52 and Fieseler Storch could do the same, one example of the latter taking off from the Führerbunker whilst completely surrounded by Soviet troops. In colloquial use in certain environments, the terms airport and aerodrome are often interchanged. However, in general, the term airport may imply or confer a certain stature upon the aviation facility that other aerodromes may not have achieved. In some jurisdictions, airport

544-473: The First and Second World Wars , used the term—it had the advantage that their French allies, on whose soil they were often based, and with whom they co-operated, used the cognate term aérodrome . In Canada and Australia, aerodrome is a legal term of art for any area of land or water used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) documents use

578-763: The UK's first scheduled domestic air service from Alexandra Park via Birkdale Sands ( Southport ) to South Shore ( Blackpool ) between 24 May and 30 September 1919, mainly using Avro 504 three-seat biplanes. Although the weather caused a few flights to be cancelled, the daily service was operated without mishap. Aircraft left Alexandra Park at 2:00 pm and arrived in Blackpool 45 minutes later, after having stopped over at Southport. Tickets cost nine  guineas return or five guineas one-way, equivalent to about £324 and £180 respectively as of 2008. From 1922 until 1924 Daimler Airway operated daily scheduled passenger flights from

612-452: The aerodrome to Croydon Airport near London, later followed by a regular extension to Schiphol Airport Amsterdam . The northbound flight left Croydon in the early evening and after an overnight stop, the aircraft returned south during the morning. These timings enabled Manchester passengers to connect readily with Daimler's other continental flights to and from Croydon, and with other airline services from that airport. Because air travel

646-762: The closure of the Trafford Park Aerodrome (Manchester) in 1918 after only seven years of spasmodic use, Alexandra Park Aerodrome was constructed and opened in May 1918 by the War Department for the assembly, test flying and delivery of aeroplanes for the Royal Air Force (RAF) built in the Manchester area by A. V. Roe & Company ( Avro ) at Newton Heath and the National Aircraft Factory No. 2 (NAF No.2) at Heaton Chapel . The aerodrome took its name from

680-627: The fact that a circular aerodrome required much more space than did the "L" or triangle shaped airfield, eventually made the early aerodromes obsolete. The unimproved airfield remains a phenomenon in military aspects. The DHC-4 Caribou served in the United States military in Vietnam (designated as the CV-2), landing on rough, unimproved airfields where the C-130 Hercules workhorse could not operate. Earlier,

714-512: The first day of civil flying in Britain after the First World War, Lt Col Sholto Douglas arrived from Cricklewood Aerodrome London, at the controls of a Handley Page 0/400 converted bomber of Handley Page Transport . The aeroplane carried ten passengers in its windowless fuselage and had taken 3 hours 40 minutes flying from London against strong headwinds. The Avro Transport Company operated

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748-417: The hangars were demolished. It would have been unable to cope anyway with the increasing size and weight of airliners by the mid-1930s. Princess Road was built through the eastern part of the site in 1924–25 and a council housing estate was built to the east of the new road. During the Second World War temporary housing was built alongside Princess Road by German POWs . This was demolished in 1961, along with

782-529: The land lease, laid down by Maurice Egerton, Baron Egerton of Tatton , stipulated that flying from the site would cease within five years of the war's end. The ancillary buildings that had been erected for training RAF personnel, were converted to provide accommodation for single constables of the Manchester City Police . This marked the start of a police presence that continues through until today. The aerodrome closed to air traffic on 24 August 1924, and

816-527: The land was owned by the Egerton Estate. The aerodrome's brief existence is commemorated on a plaque in the sports pavilion at Hough End Playing Fields, which now occupy part of the site. A commemorative plaque was unveiled on 7 July 2007 to mark the 90th anniversary of the aerodrome and is located in the grounds of No. 184 (Manchester South) Squadron, Air Cadets , in Hough End Crescent. Following

850-452: The most part, all of Canada can be an aerodrome", however, there are also "registered aerodromes" and "certified airports". To become a registered aerodrome, the operator must maintain certain standards and keep the Minister of Transport informed of any changes. To be certified as an airport the aerodrome, which usually supports commercial operations, must meet safety standards. Nav Canada ,

884-519: The nearby Alexandra Park railway station on the Great Central Railway branch line to Manchester Central railway station . Many aeroplanes were brought to the aerodrome in major sections by rail from Avro and NAF No.2 to the nearby station; other dismantled aeroplanes came by road. A Relief Landing Ground was designated at Turn Moss, one nautical mile to the west, in Stretford . On 1 May 1919,

918-879: The private company responsible for air traffic control services in Canada, publishes the Canada Flight Supplement , a directory of all registered Canadian land aerodromes, as well as the Canada Water Aerodrome Supplement (CWAS). Casement Aerodrome is the main military airport used by the Irish Air Corps . The term "aerodrome" is used for airports and airfields of lesser importance in Ireland, such as those at Abbeyshrule ; Bantry ; Birr ; Inisheer ; Inishmaan ; Inishmore ; Newcastle, County Wicklow ; and Trim . Ivinghoe Beacon Ivinghoe Beacon

952-551: The south of the Beacon at Incombe Hole. Ivinghoe Beacon is part of the Ivinghoe Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest and this area forms part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The chalk grassland supports a range of wildlife. A number of wild flower species grow on the Beacon such as rare types of wild orchid and pasque-flower , and these support endangered butterfly species such as

986-549: The term aerodrome , for example, in the Annex to the ICAO Convention about aerodromes, their physical characteristics, and their operation. However, the terms airfield or airport mostly superseded use of aerodrome after the Second World War, in colloquial language. In the early days of aviation, when there were no paved runways and all landing fields were grass, a typical airfield might permit takeoffs and landings in only

1020-411: The west. Ivinghoe Beacon is a popular spot for walkers and sightseers. Model aircraft enthusiasts also use lift generated by the wind blowing up the hill to fly their unpowered aircraft – a technique known as slope soaring . The hill is an ancient signal point, which was used in times of crisis to send messages across long distances. It is also the site of an early Iron Age hillfort protected as

1054-454: Was 1930 before Imperial again flew any schedules to any UK airport north of London. Aircraft competing in the King's Cup Race air races landed here in 1922 and 1923; there were also a number of flying displays at the aerodrome. The Lancashire Aero Club , the oldest flying club in Britain, was formed at and operated from Alexandra Park until 1924, when it moved to Woodford Aerodrome . The terms of

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1088-474: Was a temporary airstrip used by the Allies in the run-up to and during the invasion of Normandy , and these were built both in Britain, and on the continent. A water aerodrome or seaplane base is an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes , floatplanes and amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off. It may have a terminal building on land and/or a place where the plane can come to shore and dock like

1122-456: Was part of the grass aerodrome and flying still takes place here with Hough End Model Aircraft Club keeping the spirit of aviation alive. The aerodrome's hangars and ancillary buildings stood on the site of today's GMP Sports and Social Club at Hough End. This is also where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) train their dogs and horses. The GMP helicopter uses the pitches at the Sports and Social Club as

1156-441: Was seen as so dangerous, the ticket agent, Messrs. Robinsons of Whalley Range developed a system to reassure travellers relatives. Upon a safe landing at Croydon Airport, a telegram was despatched to Robinsons' office, on receipt of which a messenger boy was despatched in turn to the travellers' homes. On the evening of 14 September 1923 the northbound de Havilland DH.34 ten-seat biplane airliner crashed near Ivinghoe Beacon in

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