RAF Hendon [9780955426865]
Date Added: Wednesday 30. May, 2012
Most aviation enthusiasts have heard of Hendon and the RAF Museum but many will not be acquainted with the fact it was arguably the worlds first military airfield.
The book is sub-titled ‘The Birthplace of Aerial Power’ and it starts with the story of an exceptional pioneer of aviation – Claude Grahame-White and his aircraft factory. But this was not the birth of the airfield. This accolade goes to Mr Edgar Isaac Everett who formed a company to build aircraft. An airfield was required and in 1910 the local council approved the building of a shed a to house the Everett-Edgcumbe monoplane and soon other pioneers including Grahame-White was using the adjacent field.
The book moves on describing the work that was carried out at Hendon when it became known as the London Aerodrome and is supported by some fascinating photographs of these pioneers and their wonderful machines.
Chapter three chronicles the aerodrome in the First World War, again with some great shots. No tractors is those days, there is a photograph of at least twenty men manhandling a Handley Page 0/100. There is a chapter covering aircraft production with more interesting photographs – hands up who is familiar with the Graham-White Type XXI?
Later chapters cover the inter-war years and the time that the government took over the airfield and RAF Hendon was born, which of course lead us to World War Two and eventually the creation of the Museum.
Many early airfields have disappeared completely over the years and I think that if it was not for the creation of the RAF Museum on that site, it would have been lost without trace and with it an important part of our aviation history.
Ernie Lee - Scale Aircraft Modelling
The book is sub-titled ‘The Birthplace of Aerial Power’ and it starts with the story of an exceptional pioneer of aviation – Claude Grahame-White and his aircraft factory. But this was not the birth of the airfield. This accolade goes to Mr Edgar Isaac Everett who formed a company to build aircraft. An airfield was required and in 1910 the local council approved the building of a shed a to house the Everett-Edgcumbe monoplane and soon other pioneers including Grahame-White was using the adjacent field.
The book moves on describing the work that was carried out at Hendon when it became known as the London Aerodrome and is supported by some fascinating photographs of these pioneers and their wonderful machines.
Chapter three chronicles the aerodrome in the First World War, again with some great shots. No tractors is those days, there is a photograph of at least twenty men manhandling a Handley Page 0/100. There is a chapter covering aircraft production with more interesting photographs – hands up who is familiar with the Graham-White Type XXI?
Later chapters cover the inter-war years and the time that the government took over the airfield and RAF Hendon was born, which of course lead us to World War Two and eventually the creation of the Museum.
Many early airfields have disappeared completely over the years and I think that if it was not for the creation of the RAF Museum on that site, it would have been lost without trace and with it an important part of our aviation history.
Ernie Lee - Scale Aircraft Modelling
Rating: 
[5 of 5 Stars!]
[5 of 5 Stars!]
