He was a notable aviator dedicated to developing the industry since its origins and teaching others through the prism of his knowledge and experience. When the war ended, the newly-formed Canadian Air Force moved to Shoreham from Upper Heyford to spend time teaching, learning, and trying some of the 65 captured German aircraft that were being stored at the aerodrome.
The flights at Shoreham were revived at the end of when Cecil Pashley in cooperation with the Miles brothers incorporated the Gnat Aero Company Ltd.
The aerodrome was actively functioning during the second half of the s: aviation was developing along with hosting various festivals and aeroclub meetings. In , Shoreham started being transformed into an airport. Residents of Brighton, Hove, and Worthing bought out the territory and tasked a famous aviation promoter, Sir Alan Cobham who also took part in architecting the Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with this transformation.
Investors put high hopes on aviation as the promising economic sector during the ss and ploughed into it. The building was created using cubic, orbicular, and curvilinear forms in the streamlined Art Deco Moderne style, quite popular in the s - s. Wooden hangars, which had been used before, were rebuilt into a concrete-and-steel construction. The original steel frame had two wings and an entire incline on western and eastern walls. The roof was constructed with steel angular fragments whereas the wall consisted of glass and concrete, and the floor was based on reinforced-concrete slabs.
The building is preserved in its original form and is still open to the public these days. Besides, the Terminal along with the hangar has been listed as the special architectural landmark under the Planning Act The number of flights to and from Shoreham increased greatly after it was transformed into the airport. It took two years to get the regular passenger services going between the Sussex coast and other remote destinations.
For instance, the first female aviator, Amy Johnson, who flew solo from London to Australia stopped off there in A prominent pilot Charles Lindbergh famous for his solo piloting over the Atlantic in was among notable guests too.
Later, it substituted the Croydon Airport London and became the main international civil airport of Great Britain, but not for a long time. The hangar was damaged during bombarding, but, fortunately, its frame was not destroyed.
Then some repairs were carried out and the operational use continued. Capital repairs at Shoreham took place in Though the airport had been targeted by air bombardment several times, the terminal building remained undamaged. Shoreham was the place where the legendary Operation Jubilee the raid on Dieppe of was planned.
During the Normandy Landings of known as D-Day , the airport was hosting the newly-hatched French Fighter squadron. In , civil flights were restored.
In the middle of , Fred Miles and his brother George came back to organise aircraft manufacturing. There was a recession of the British aircraft manufacturing industry till the end of the decade, and many old and known firms were incorporated into the British Aircraft Corporation.
Shoreham became the place where aircraft components were manufactured, and the airport itself ceased to function for some time. Since then, the hangar was transformed into a workshop for machines for some time. However, American manufacturers gradually froze them out, and in , the company was dissolved. Local communities of Brighton, Hove, and Worthing jointly managed Shoreham till , but their alliance did not include the Shoreham-by-Sea community. For example, the grass runway was not changed into a harder coating for a long time, even though it was not suitable for utilising, especially during adverse weather conditions.
The paved runway was built in Besides, many plans on airport extension were developed during that time to check how convenient its point of departure was for short-distance trips. In , the airport was relaunched with a plan of an immediate and regular increase of flights focused on passenger services and general aviation. That revived schedule of passenger transportation existed till the end of the s when the recession began.
The airport was becoming more and more burdened with debts, and thus, massive investments were critical. Several tenants did their best in attempts to retain the historical and architectural unity of Shoreham. Then the local authority sold the airport on a year lease. Albemarle Shoreham Airport Limited bought out the shares of Erinaceous Group in and announced they were going to renew the airport.
Now the official name is Brighton City Airport, even though it is commonly known as Shoreham Airport. Air travel was restored straightway, and the airport was supposed to increase the number and improve the quality of commercial flights to the nearby costs, Brighton and Hove in particular.
A year after the airport got its new name and a new life, it ended up in the news of all newspapers and TV channels. The traditional Shoreham Airshow used to be a regularly held spectacle by the Royal Air Forces Association and had gathered viewers from around the world for 25 years. Now Brighton City Airport EGKA , also known as Shoreham, is commonly used for privately owned light aircraft of various flying schools and privately-owned airplanes in general.
It is also possible to hire a helicopter or a private airplane for an important event or a business meeting. One can also make a childhood dream come true getting the piloting experience over magnificent green hills of the south-west and South Downs National Park.
As the oldest established airport in the UK Shoreham Airport has served flying interests since the early days and has a unique character of its own, with an art-deco terminal building designated as being of significant architectural importance which retains the ambiance of a more leisurely era of air travel. With its friendly, personal and stress-free atmosphere, Shoreham's facilities are tailored to today's General Aviation needs, with tarmac runways, lighting, fuelling and full air traffic control services.
Full customs and immigration services are also available. Constant upgrading matches the requirement of the modern traveller. Inside the terminal there is a passenger lounge and reception area, a restaurant and bar and meeting and conference facilities.
In year , daily flights started to Le Touquet in France. The Aviation Museum in the old hangar is now closed forever Pleasure flights are available. It was built about The first flight was flown by Harold Plume Piffard on 18 September , involving a mid-air turn. Amphibious Walrus aircraft also took off from Shoreham to rescue pilots downed in the English Channel.
In Sea Otter aircraft were also used. As D-Day approached both the harbour and airport were a constant flurry of activity. The main activities were Air Sea Rescue operations. After the War, the introduction of jet aircraft brought about the end of Shoreham as a passenger flight airfield. The two-seat aircraft with pilot and navigator could operate the radar in the aircraft for locating enemy bombers.
The first flying school opened in The first aircraft were Maurice Farman S. The railway station serving the airport was originally called Bungalow Town Halt opened , but renamed Shoreham Airport Station in , the first station to serve an airport in England, in
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