[Lyn L]

Until this thread started about the Aerodrome, I had no idea there was even one there, and I lived in Ramsgate and Broadstairs from 1947 until 1961 so obviously lived there while it was still operating and would have been old enough to know about it towards the later years. Nice to see the pics and find just what area it was in. Thanks all 

[alysloper]

Sorry that should be Rumfields rd - I've only lived in Broadstairs for 15 years - Doh!
Ian

[alysloper]

Many thanks to seaford pete - that is an excellent application of modern technology - especially impressive to a technophobe like me!  The Pathe film clips of the aerodrome (linked in a previous post) show the water tower which is still in place in Brompton rd.

Love the pics of the pilot at the bar - very G&T!

Ian

[seafordpete]

This might clarify, 1930 OS v current OS
http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=51.35511321694709&lon=1.4101995541426162&gz=14&oz=9&gt=5

[mmitch]

The roads round that estate have names like 'Typhoon' and 'Hurricane' don't they?
mmitch.

[Sentinel S4]

That would be the Pysons Road Ind Est then. The Hanger is still standing but to what use I have no idea as it was locked up and semi abandoned last time I went past. S4.

[peterchall]

From ‘Action Stations – Vol 9’.
In June 1935 two hangars and a control tower/clubhouse/restaurant were built in the SW corner of the field, which provided an E-W run of 2,250 ft. Crilly Airways and Hillman Airways operated services until September 1935 when the airfield closed.

It was extended in 1936 and re-opened on 3 July 1937, operated by Ramsgate Airport Ltd on behalf of the corporation, and occupied by Thanet Aero Club. 3 RAF squadrons held their summer camps there in August (Hence the tents and the RAF officer in the photos? – PC) and in 1938 Thanet AC joined the Civil Air Guard scheme. Southern Airways operated a summer service across the Thames Estuary.

It closed at the outbreak of war, but became a dispersal field for Manston in 1940. During a raid on Manston on 24 August 1940 some of the attackers aimed at the airfield, but the majority of the bombs hit Ramsgate town. After the Battle of Britain the airfield was obstructed for the rest of the war.


It was then leased by Air Kruise Ltd from the corporation and re-opened on 27 June 1953. The company operated scheduled services via Lympne to Ostend and Le Touquet, and later formed the Ramsgate Flying Club and Skyphotos using an Auster Autocrat. In 1958 Skyflights Ltd took over the operation, but activities became sporadic, with operations being taken over by Chrisair Ltd and then East Kent Air Services. The airfield finally closed in1968 and is now occupied by an industrial estate.

[peterchall]

Seems more like flying overalls to me.

[steadfast]

Did anyone notice the way the woman in the photo is dressed? This photo was taken before WW2, but it looks like she is likely to be a mechanic, rather than a stewardess. I had no idea that women did jobs like that before the war.

[mmitch]

A thread on the Flypast hostoric forum gives links to many interesting photos.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=111405

http://www.aviationarchives.info/search.asp?TextSearch=X2RT
mmitch.

[Monkton Malc]

Old newsreel footage showing planes taking off from Ramsgate airport. You can see the water tower in Rumfields Road in one of the shots.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=77179

I am going to put the same link in another thread due to it having the tunnel railway on it as well.

[doug]

The hangar is still in place at Ramsgate, now used by a company making joinery.The last flight from the airport was in 1968.The airfield was used very briefly in ww2 by Hurricanes, for the rest of the war the airfield had no use at all. For many years the lease was held by Hugh Kennard who was the founder for many of the commercial airlines formed at Manston in the 1950s and 1960s. Kennard formed Aviation Engineering matentance at Ramsgate, the company now has bases at nearby Haine and Stansted.
A bomb map of Broastairs shows heavy bombing to the area now occupied by a School, this area was probably bombed in mistake for a an army headquarters that was on the opposite of the rd.

[simon]

I have a soft spot for Ramsgate Airport - my first flight was from there. An extended circuit in a Rapide for 7/6d!  The following year was in the unloved Prentice and then a Tri-Pacer. Quite a come-down from the Rapide.

More from the marvellous set of 1930s pictures are here: http://is.gd/50pzq. It's a shame that the wonderful Art Deco terminal was demolished to make way for an industrial park.

[Riding With The Angels]

[BenG]

Found a bit more info in a book called Discovering Thanet which appeared the other day after a tidy up  ;D

Ramsgate Airport was owned by the Borough of Ramsgate and in 1934 it was licenced as an aerodrome and used by Hillmans Airways Ltd.
They ran a London - Thanet service which first started in 1933 with Thanet Aviation Ltd.

British Airways Ltd ran a service to Ostend in 1935.

Mr Whitney Straight's company Straight Corporation Ltd leased and operated the airport from 1935 to 1939.

The first case of planned smuggling by private plane was detected at Ramsgate in 1936.

The terminal building which had offices, restaurant, bar and club-house opened in 1937.

During the Second World War it was closed and badly damaged by enemy bombs.

In 1953 the airport was operated by Air Kruise Kent Ltd.