London Elstree Aerodrome has been active for nearly a century, with many visitors to the Aldenham Country Club landing their de Havillands and Leopard Moths on Elstree’s grass strip during the 1920s. Beryl Markham, the renowned female aviator who was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic from Britain to America, refers to staying at Aldenham House in her book “West With The Night,” suggesting that she was one of many who based themselves at Elstree during private aviation’s heyday.

During WWII, the Ministry of Aircraft Production laid a concrete runway and erected a large Bellman Hangar to work on Vickers Wellington bomber planes. Aircraft parts were towed down the bypass from their Watford factory to be constructed and repaired at Elstree before taking to the skies. The Allied Expeditionary Air Forces Communication Squadron maintained a detachment of aircraft at the airfield for several months towards the end of the war, ferrying agents to and from occupied Europe.

After the war, the aerodrome grew under the management of John Houlder, becoming famous for its aerobatics displays and range of colourful residents during the sixties and seventies. The aerodrome is now a key link in the general aviation landscape, with several fixed wing and helicopter schools based on site and many training, leisure and business flight movements each year. Visitors can watch aircraft buzzing around and enjoy a delicious meal cooked by Chef Sainlo’s team in The Aerodrome Café. 

Jessica Allen-Back, Trustee of the William Gibbs Trust and Director of London Elstree Aerodrome, with local students on the Soaring to Success Programme - read full article on borehamwoodtimes.co.uk

In 2022, over 400 local school from Borehamwood took part in the Soaring To Success programme with funding from The Aldenham Estates’s William Gibbs Trust in partnership with the registered charity The Air League. The initiative culminated in flight experience days at London Elstree Aerodrome, part of a career-focused outreach programme to inspire, stimulate, and encourage young individuals in and around Hertfordshire to consider a career within aviation and aerospace. Read more >

Elstree Aerodrome Summer Open Day, the 1st in 40 years

Credit: @nbalchemy

Thank you to all who attended our Open Day on Thursday 1st September 2022. View our Open Day photo gallery and a selection of the picture boards on display on the day.

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