Cramlington Aerodrome was a military airfield established in Northumberland during the First World War. It became a civil airfield serving the Tyneside area of north-east England and operated until 1935, when it was replaced by Woolsington Airport, now known as Newcastle International Airport.
History
Military
In response to German Zeppelin airship raids over the industrially vital Tyneside area in 1915, a flight of three Royal Flying Corps (RFC) B.E.2c fighters were based at a field near Cramlington in late November to defend against further raids. The aircraft arrived on 1 December 1915 and were housed in canvas hangars. The site was chosen as it was higher and thus less prone to fog than local coastal locations.
The British Army and Royal Navy at first debated who should operate the field, with the army winning, and on 1 February 1916 No. 36 (Home Defence) Squadron was officially formed and three hangars were built. The airfield officially became RFC Cramlington, the first RFC airfield in the north-east of England. Extensive wooden buildings were constructed for offices, stores and accommodation, mostly on the far side of the road that ran down the east side of the airfield, which was also bordered to the north by a railway line.
Training became an important function at the airfield. It was used by Reserve Squadrons 47, 52 and 61, as well as 75 Training Squadron, later renamed to 52 Training Depot Station.
Operations continued at high intensity throughout the rest of the war, and a radio transmitter mast was erected to enable information and instructions to be sent to pilots from the ground. When the RFC became the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 the airfield became RAF Cramlington.
In April 1918, the first flight of the Armstrong Whitworth F.M.4 Armadillo fighter took place at Cramlington because their normal field, at Town Moor Aerodrome in Newcastle, was surrounded by obstructions and too rough. The aircraft was not a success.
Further land was requisitioned for the construction of a larger hangar, the building of which extended into 1919. However the RAF had no further plans for the airfield, and it was reduced to Care and Maintenance status on 22 January 1920, and the RAF left completely in March.
Units
Major units based at Cramlington (in date order) 36 Sqn Formed at Cramlington on 1 February 1916, moved to Newcastle 12 October 1916 58 Sqn Formed Cramlington 8 June 1916, to Dover 17 December 1917 76 Sqn Formed Cramlington 15 September 1916, to Ripon 10 October 1916 63 Sqn From Stirling 31 October 1916, to Middle East June 1917 120 Sqn Formed Cramlington 1 January 1918, to Bracebridge Heath 3 August 1918 252 Sqn Based Tynemouth, detachment to Cramlington May 1918, to Killingholme 31 January 1919
Civil
In the early 1920s the airfield, then known as "Cramlington Aerodrome", or sometimes "Newcastle Airport", saw little use, and the buildings received little maintenance. However in July 1925 The Newcastle upon Tyne Light Aeroplane Club, later renamed the Newcastle on Tyne Aero Club, was formed. It was commonly called the "Newcastle Aero Club". The members funded the building of a new hangar and with a grant from the Air Ministry bought two de Havilland DH.60 Cirrus Moths, G-EBLX, named 'Novocastria', and G-EBLY, named 'Bernicia', soon followed by two more. The club remained a loyal Moth operator with at least another six acquired over the following years.
A small company named Pleasure Flying Services Ltd. operated pleasure flights from early 1929 using Avro 548 G-EBPO, which they acquired from the Aero Club. It was a three-seat conversion of the two-seat Avro 504. Later that year they expanded, acquiring Simmonds Spartan two-seater G-AAGV and three-seater G-AAHV. 'GV crashed in September 1930 and was rebuilt as a three-seater re-registered as G-ABXO.
One of the earliest pupils of the Aero Club was Constance "Connie" Leathart, a young socialite who, despite crashing on her first solo flight, 24 February 1926, went on to become an accomplished pilot. With her great friend, Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, they formed Cramlington Aircraft Ltd, and took over the aircraft and business of Pleasure Flying Services on 30 October 1929. The company managed the aerodrome and ran a maintenance and repair operation. It also built gliders from scratch including a Zögling type designed by Mr Alec Bell, and in 1930 designed and built three examples of the Cramlington Cramcraft primary glider.