Gravesend Airport, Pre-War.

[GQ2]

London Gravesend Airport was set-up in the heady days of 'Air-Mindedness' during the 1930's. It was also home to Percival Aircrafts first facility to manufacture it's own aircraft. After Percivals departure for bigger things up at the newly opened Luton Airport, Percivals facilities at Gravesend were taken-over by Essex Aero Ltd.
Between them, both firms were also heavily involved in pre-war air-racing record breaking, as was the airport itself, as many flights started from, and returned to, Gravesend. Heady days indeed.
Some record of those days has survived, and there are a few short clips floating about on You Tube and the like, but not much.
It would be interesting to see what PPRuNeRs can turn-up, especially any photos depicting the inside of the works and work in progress - both production, service and repair.
Over to you.....:)

[A30yoyo]

I think it was an authorized diversion field for KLM on the Schiphol-Croydon route in the 1930s, (and Imperial, Sabena and Lufthansa according to Wikipedia :-) )

[mmitch]

I have several booklets on Gravesend airport. They were (still are?) available from the information centre 'Towncentric.'
Visit Gravesend, Gravesham for Kent Great Days Out & Family Fun (http://www.gogravesham.co.uk/)
They are not mentioned on this page but as it says, not all are.
http://mediafiles.thedms.co.uk/Publication/TK-Gra/cms/pdf/Gravesend%20Visitor%20Information%20Centre%20Products2.pdf
One is called 'Prelude to War' about aviation in Kent and has a few photos
and description of No 20 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School.
There is another called Gravesend Airport 1939-1945 which has photos of that period. I also have another somewhere! of the pre war period.
These were published locally.
mmitch.