Rochester Airport open day

Rochester Airport today celebrated 75 years of flying with an open day.

Amongst the events on offer for visitors to the free event were displays by the Medway Air Cadets’ Band – pictured above on the main apron, featuring cadets from Chatham, Gillingham, Maidstone and Rochester squadrons – and the Police dogs.

Vintage cars and motorbikes, including a police motorbike, were also on display at the Open Day, which was officially opened by the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Councillor Sue Murray (pictured left).

The Rochester Airport Cafe was open for food, but there was a also a barbecue and ice cream available. The Medway Aircraft Preservation Society opened their doors to show a Boulton Paul Defiant in their workshop, which arrived for preservation on 22 April 2009.

Aviation originally started at Rochester in September 1933 when Rochester City Council bought the land from a farmer with the intention of using the land for a municipal airport. In 1934-1935, Short brothers, who had started building aircraft on the Isle of Sheppey, moved some of their personnel to Rochester, intending to use the site for test flights.

The inaugural flight, according to Rochester Airport’s official website, was from Rochester to Gravesend, and the pilot was John Parker, flying a Shorts Scion.

Today saw a landing by the Spirit of Kent Spitfire (pictured right), flown by experienced pilot Dan Griffiths, as well as the Essex Police helicopter, along with flights in helicopters and a Dragon Rapide.

The future of flying at Rochester Airport has been in doubt for some years, when BAE decided to give up Rochester Airport.

However, a group of enthusiasts got together and negotiated a short-term lease with Medway Council, who inherited the airfield after various local authority changes.

Presently Rochester Airport Plc is being run viably thanks to significant voluntary work ‘on a care and maintenance basis’, and today’s turnout certainly showed how much support the airport has with the local community.