On the 9th June 1951, BOAC organised a popular Sports Festival at Heston Airport on the sports field next to the Speedbird clubhouse situated on the Cranford side and a specially prepared airstrip was cut into the cornfield to the east of the old airfield which allowed five aircraft from the Airways Aero Association at Denham to fly in on that day once a heavy rain show abated. This included the veteran D.H.Dragon G-ACIT, and an Auster Aiglet Trainer which gave joy rides to about 300 people at 5s per time.
The other aircraft were displayed statically on the sports ground to help promote the Airlines' flying club at Denham. These were G-ALOX, a D.H.Tiger Moth, G-AKKV, Miles Hawk Trainer (see
Air-Britain : Picture Details) and possibly another Hawk Trainer. If anyone has any pictures of these aircraft, I would be very keen to obtain copies for my Heston Airport memoirs collection.
According to the BOAC newsletter of this period, the Festival President Mr Whitney Straight (BOAC Board Member) flew in for the day in a D.H.Dove, but it would be interesting to know if this was perhaps Heathrow rather than Heston due to the nature of the airstrip. If it was Heston, then this may well have been the last commercial aircraft landing there since the Airport closed in 1947 apart from some later helicopters.