Ref Number: 0059
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Ryde Airport opened on 27th June 1932 on 823 acres purchased for the purpose from Barnsley Farm
Ref Number: 0059
On June 27, 1932, Ryde Airport opened for business. It was located on 823 acres of land that the recently created Wight Aviation Ltd (later renamed to Isle of Wight Aviation Ltd) had bought from Barnsley Farm. The grass runway was only around 670 yards long, which severely limited the types of aircraft that could use it.
From the airport at Portsmouth & Southsea, across the Solent, the first arrival was a Wessex G-ABVB that had been modified to include nine seats. It may not seem like much, but a single ticket cost 6/- and a return ticket was 10/-; after adjusting for inflation, those prices are now equivalent to £16.05 and £26.75, respectively. Consequently, the service’s clientele skews wealthy and elite, as those are the demographics most likely to opt for a short, luxurious flight.
Although the airport’s official name was ‘The Isle of Wight Air Port,’ its hording (shown in the aforementioned thumbnail) plainly demonstrates that it is located at RYDE AIRPORT. Wight Aviation also oversaw the Apse Heath airstrip in the Sandown area.
Ryde Airport was used by a wide range of aircraft and services between 1933 and 1939. The De Havilland DH 82 Dragon Rapide, also known as “The City of Birmingham,” carried between five and eight people in addition to a pilot, a radio officer, and the plane’s namesake. Since the airport frequently had heavy crosswinds that may make landing and taking off fairly problematic, this was highly dependant on the aircraft’s weight and the flight circumstances. To take off in such conditions, pilots had to fine-tune the aircraft’s equilibrium. The well-liked Gypsy-engined Moth, registered as G-ACCA, was also frequently spotted flying over Ryde at the time. This plane served as PSIWA’s primary instructional aircraft for both basic flight and aerobatics.
Due to its lack of strategic importance, the airfield was fortified in 1939 to prevent the Luftwaffe from using it as a potential invasion landing place.
Following the end of hostilities, the ministry and other governments imposed far more stringent regulations on the use of private airfields and related services. They believed that the survival and expansion of the state-owned service depended on their not being too much competition. As a result, Ryde Airport was abandoned for a long period of time. The Ryde Town Council had a different vision for the airport’s future and drafted proposals to expand and add runways, making the airport far more viable in all weather situations and able to serve larger aircraft.
It wasn’t until May 6th, 1950 that private aviation and charter flights resumed after being discreetly shelved due to the government’s attitude on private airfields. The field was not a successful business, therefore it was sold to the Ball family, who controlled Westridge Construction, not long after it opened.
The property was divided up into smaller and smaller parcels throughout time. The airport hangar was transformed into a bar named Babalu, which laterly starred in 1973 film ‘That’ll Be the Day’. Then a Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall wa constructed and subsequently is currently occupied by a McDonald’s and a Tescos!
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