Barton Aerodrome(ICAO:EGCB) is an airport inBarton-upon-Irwell,Greater Manchester,England, 5nautical miles(9.3 km; 5.8 mi) west ofManchester.Formerly known as City Airport and City Airport Manchester, It is known by theCivil Aviation Authority(CAA) as Manchester/Barton and rebranded as Manchester Barton Aerodrome on 3rd April 2023.
Manchester Barton Aerodrome Salford/Barton Aerodrome | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Peel Holdings Ltd | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | City Airport Ltd | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Manchester/Salford | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Barton-upon-Irwell,Greater Manchester,England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1 January 1930 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ElevationAMSL | 22 m / 73 ft | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°28′18″N002°23′23″W/ 53.47167°N 2.38972°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | bartonaerodrome.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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  EGCB Location in Greater Manchester | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United Kingdom's first purpose-built municipalairport,it has four grass runways. The airfield operates Tuesday - Sunday, from 9 am BST until 6 p.m. or sunset (whichever earlier) for fixed-wing aircraft. Commercial, private, military, police andair ambulancehelicopters can operate in the hours of darkness by arrangement.[2]
The airport serves as an importantreliever airportforManchester Airport.It is also used as a refuelling stop for light aircraft and helicopters. It lies on the edge ofChat Mossand the aircraft movements area suffers from occasional periods of waterlogging, restricting fixed wing operations. Works to improve drainage on the airfield have seen some success in reducing the number of closures. It has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P886) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee, City Airport Limited. The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.[3]
History
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- Autumn 1928: Construction of Manchester's new municipal aerodrome at Barton, nearEcclesstarted, to replace the temporaryManchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome.
- January 1930: The grass airfield and largehangarwere completed. The first passenger charter flight occurred.[4]Barton was managed until 1933 by Northern Air Lines, who based severalAvro 504sand other types for training, club and charter flights.
- Summer 1930:Imperial Airwaysoperated a thrice-weekly scheduled service toLondon'sCroydon AirportviaCastle Bromwich Aerodrome,Birmingham,subsidised by the councils of Manchester,Liverpooland Birmingham. This service was timed to fly north from Croydon in the evening and to return south next morning, in order to provide connections to and from European airports from Croydon.[5]
- Spring 1933: Acontrol towerand associated wireless station were completed,[6]the first at a municipal airport outside London, and able to communicate with aircraft in flight and give pilots bearings from the airfield. The tower is still operational and is believed to be the oldest in Europe still in use for its original purpose.
- August 1934: Scheduled services resumed. Croydon-basedRailway Air Servicescommenced a Croydon-Barton-Belfast-Glasgowroute.
- Spring 1935: Linking services to Liverpool,Blackpooland theIsle of Manwere introduced.[7]Other smaller airlines, includingIsle of Man Air Servicesoperated services from Barton.
- June 1938: All schedules were transferred to the newly completed largerRingway Airport[8](which between 1940 and 1957 also accommodatedRAF Ringway).
- World War II:Barton was requisitioned and used for military aircraft repair and overhaul, carried out by civilian firms including Air Taxis Ltd and David Rosenfield Ltd. Aircraft types involved wereAvro Ansons,Dominies,Fairey Battles,Fairey Fulmars,Hawker HurricanesandF4U Corsairs,followed by the scrapping ofFairey Swordfish.Over 700Percival Proctortraining and communications aircraft were assembled and tested at Barton by F. Hills & Sons ofTrafford Park.[9]There is a wartime concreteair raid bunkerstill at the site hidden under overgrown vegetation near the main road (A57).
- 1940–1942: The sole wartime scheduled air service fromIrelandto the UK occasionally used Barton from 1940 to 1942, operated from Dublin byAer Lingusand West Coast Air Services. Aer Lingus often used theirDouglas DC-3,the heaviest airliner type to serve Barton on a timetabled route. This was the last scheduled service though the airfield.[9]
- 1946:Lancashire Aero Clubmoved fromWoodford Aerodrometo Barton[10]and remain based there until 2007.
- 1946 to 1953:Manchester UniversityAir Squadron (MUAS) was based in one of the wartime-built western hangars. In 1953 the unit moved toRAF WoodvalenearSouthport,Lancashire.MUAS had flownTiger MothandChipmunktrainers.
- 1 October 1948 to 31 March 1953: No.2 Reserve Flying School, also flying Tiger Moths and Chipmunks, was based at Barton and gave primary flight training to volunteers, who would later serve in theRoyal Air Force.The unit used the same facilities as MUAS. On 31 March 1953 the unit closed.
- 21 July 1996: The last known airworthyde Havilland Mosquito,G-ASKH, a Trainer Mk III built by de Havilland at Leavesden in early 1945 (serial number RR299) and owned by Hawker Siddeley based at Hawarden, crashed with the loss of both crew after suffering engine power loss when performing a wing-over manoeuvre during the Barton Aerodrome air show.[11]
- 2003:Manchester Ship CanalDevelopments, (of whichPeel Holdings Groupis the majority shareholder), bought the land, hangars and other buildings fromManchester City Council.
- November 2003: Peel Investments (North) Limited submit an initial planning application, requesting permission to build the Western Gateway Infrastructure Scheme (WGIS) to the south of the A57 road, opposite the airfield (seePort Salford).[12]One feature of the proposal is a new rail spur running along the eastern boundary of the airfield.[13]
- May 2004: Initial consultations with parties likely to be affected by WGIS.[12]
- 2006: The control tower underwent a major programme of rebuilding and refurbishment.
- 2007:Lancashire Aero Clubleft the airfield after a dispute with Peel Holdings.
- 2010: City Airport Ltd no longer part of Peel Airports. Airfield Management Company now fully part of Peel Holdings.
- 2010: The Original Hangar (known as The Pemberton Hangar), a Grade II listed building, long used as a warehouse for timber and sheet walling materials, underwent a full refurbishment.
- 2011: Former University of Manchester building converted into a new Helicopter facility, branded as City Heliport. Peel establishedCardinal Helicopter Services,a premium Helicopter Charter company operating from the Heliport with a Sikorski S.76C++ Helicopter.
- 2011: The 'Clubhouse' building which houses the Airfield Cafe/Bar is fully refurbished and relaunched as 'The Airfield Lodge' with new management and longer opening hours.
- Jan 2015: The Airfield Cafe/Bar is taken over by City Airport Ltd and renamed as 'Runway 26' with the aim of re-developing the facility to cater for the wider requirements of pilots, visitors and the general public.
- Dec 2020: Former University of Manchester (Fluid Dynamics Research Laboratory) building, by the main entrance, is completely refurbished internally to be used as a bespoke Ambulance operations base by Mersey Medical Services Ltd, a private medical company, who now operate from this base 24hrs a day. The building has been named Harrison House in honour ofDr. Reginald Harrisoncredited with being the founder of the modern day Ambulance service in the U.K.
Barton Aerodrome has changed little since its opening, and is considered a good example of the airfields of the 1930s. There are several historical items of note at Barton. The control tower is protected by its grade IIlisted buildingstatus, along with the original terminal building and hangar.[14]
- April 2023: The airport rebrands from City Airport to Manchester Barton Aerodrome, reflecting its historical links and common aviation name.
The airfield is regularly used as a setting for films and TV programmes, amongst them "Brass"(where Barton masqueraded asCroydon Airport),Mersey Beat,GBHandIsland at War.The distinctive control tower often features prominently in the making of such programmes and films.[15]
Use of Barton Aerodrome by heavier aircraft is hampered by the soft peaty nature of the area, being at the edge ofChat Moss,and by the low-lying land and areas of nearby standing water encouraging fog. It would have needed much heavy work consolidating the ground (compare the struggle building theLiverpool and Manchester Railwayacross Chat Moss in 1826). During 2010–11, additional drainage was added to improve surface water draining, due to the original clay pipes deteriorating and no longer functioning.
Emergency services
editBoth theNational Police Air Serviceand theNorth West Air Ambulancebase helicopters at the airfield.
NPAS is active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It operates anEC135.
North West Air Ambulance is a registered charity providing a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) covering Lancashire, Greater Manchester,Cheshire,MerseysideandCumbria.The NWAA has twoEC135helicopters based primarily to serve Greater Manchester, South Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside. They operate during daylight hours only. The charity also has a third helicopter based inBlackpool.
A recent tenant is the private medical company, Mersey Medical Services Ltd, who base their fleet of Ambulances and bespoke vehicles from the recently refurbished Harrison House, one of the former Manchester University buildings. The company provide services to local authorities and private organisers of events across Europe.?ref
Manchester Heliport
editIn 2011, the airport opened its new 'Manchester Heliport' facility, aimed at the commercial helicopter charter market, expanding and complementing the existing services provided at the Airport. The heliport features a dedicated jet A1 fuel facility, conference room, small office units and a dedicated passenger lounge. City Heliport (which is not licensed) can accept helicopters during the hours of darkness by arrangement. This facility is used particularly during football matches at nearbyOld Trafford,(Manchester United) andCity of Manchester Stadium(Manchester City). The airport is also an operating base for the North West Air Ambulance, and the Greater Manchester Police Helicopter also uses the Airport 24 hrs, using portable lighting which is placed on the runway during hours of darkness.
Rescue and fire fighting
editCity Airport operates a Category 1 Rescue and Fire Fighting service with a Land Rover Defender 130 fire tender equipped to CAA Category 2 standard, and aToyota HiluxDouble Cabas a fire tender equipped with 80 imp gal (360 L; 96 US gal) of foam/water mix.
Events
editIn recent years, City Airport has re-commenced an annual 'Aviation Family Fun Day and Aircraft Fly-In' Event, raising money for charity. The event is featured on its own websitevisitcityairport.co.uk.City Airport also began to host an annual Fireworks Spectacular event starting in 2013.
- July 2014: City Airport hosted its annual Family Fun Day, including 6 Flying Displays. £5000 is raised for the North West Air Ambulance Charity. Attendance was approx 8000.
Following on from the success of the annual Family Fun Day, the Airport brought back The Manchester Airshowmanchesterairshow.co.uk,the only full Airshow in the Greater Manchester area.
References
editNotes
- ^Manchester/Barton – EGCB
- ^"Airport Information".Retrieved27 June2019.
- ^Civil Aviation Authority Aerodrome Ordinary LicencesArchived28 June 2007 at theWayback Machine
- ^Scholefield (2004),pp. 222–223
- ^Scholefield (2004),pp. 220–224
- ^Scholefield (2004),p. 224
- ^Stroud (1987),p. 38
- ^Scholefield (2004),p. 226
- ^abScholefield (2004),p. 227
- ^Maher (1992),p. 41
- ^"Air show fears after plane crash horror".Leigh Journal. 22 July 1996.Retrieved30 December2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ab[services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/ptrp160409b.doc]
- ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 July 2012.Retrieved28 June2013.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^Scholefield (2004),p. 229
- ^Neal Keeling (23 May 2003)."Barton Airport gets makes the grade".Manchester Evening News.Retrieved on 28 August 2008.
Bibliography
- Scholefield, R. A. (2004),"Manchester's early airfields: establishment, development and operations", an extensive article in "Moving Manchester",Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society,ISSN0950-4699
- Stroud, John (1987),Railway Air Services,Ian Allan,ISBN0-7110-1743-3
- Maher, Peter (1992),The Lancashire Aero Club: Three Score Years and Ten,Lancashire Aero Club,ISBN0-9524099-0-9
External links
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