A Visit to Croydon Aerodrome

I have finally managed to do something that I have been planning for a very long time. I have finally managed to visit Croydon Aerodrome's Visitor Centre on the 2nd October 2016.

I have spent months reading about the former Croydon Airport but because it is only open once a month, the first Sunday of every month to be exact, it is not always easy to make the time. Located on Purley Way, which is quite a big place, it turned into quite a nice day out.

The Visitor Centre opens at 11am and it is a guided tour. In the main hall while we waited there is plenty of information to read about the origins of Croydon Aerodrome. It has the same information on its website but somehow standing there reading about it in the Aerodrome itself, it felt different. In addition, there is plenty of information about Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo to Australia from Croydon Airport. It made her a celebrity, but she was also a trained engineer and flew aircraft in World War II.Croydon Airport put Croydon on the map. The guided tour gave a detailed history of the airport until it was closed down.

The tour took us around the building. There are plenty of photos displayed not just of Amy Johnson but photos of passengers leaving London hotels to travel to the airport. Most passenger planes started life as fighter planes and were not always the most suitable aircraft.

Other displays included Amy Johnson's flight bag. I also learned that another female pilot Mrs Victor Bruce and even Amelia Earhart may have flown from here.

There was a lot to see, but the most interesting part was the Radio Room on the top floor. There is an entire display cabinet dedicated to Amy Johnson, an article about Charles Lindberg. The Radio Room has been reconstructed; it is where modern air traffic control was developed, allowing Control Tower to communicate with pilots. There is even a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 that we were all allowed to try out. It is as close to flying  a plane as many people will probably get.

Donations are encouraged but all proceeds from the book stall at the entrance  also support the Airport Society.