History of Aviation at Hendon - Part 1

Hendon's connections with aviation begin before the formation of the Royal Air Force. It has been a civil aerodrome as well as an RAF Station. Many people have visited it either to watch air displays or during their RAF careers.

In 1909 a local company, Everett & Edgcombe, built an aeroplane. To accommodate it they built a shed in a field at the end of Colindale Avenue. By October 1910 a large area had been cleared and other organisations were using the airfield, including a school founded by Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly an aeroplane across the English Channel.

In 1911 Claude Grahame-White bought the land and promoted the site as the London Aerodrome. On 12 May a military flying display was held and in September the first British airmail service was started. Air displays and races were held on most weekends, bringing the new technology to the attention of a wider public. The first Aerial Derby was held in 1912. This race round London started and finished at Hendon and was watched by an estimated 500,000 spectators.