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3 unusual facts about Croydon airport


Baynes Bat

The Bat was last seen in 1958, lying behind a hangar at Croydon Airport.

De Havilland DH.34

The DH.34 entered service with Daimler on 2 April 1922 on the Croydon-Paris service.

De Havilland DH.50

Cobham flew the aircraft on a 16,000 mi (25,750 km) flight from Croydon Airport to Cape Town between November 1925 and February 1926.


1923 Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 crash

The 1923 Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 crash occurred on 14 September 1923 when a de Havilland DH.34 of Daimler Airway operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Croydon to Manchester crashed at Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire, England, killing all five people on board.

1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash

The 1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash occurred on 10 December 1935 when Savoia-Marchetti S.73 OO-AGN of Belgian airline SABENA crashed at Tatsfield, Surrey, England, whilst on an international scheduled flight from Brussels Airport, Belgium to Croydon Airport, United Kingdom.

De Havilland Dragonfly

By 1939, several aircraft had moved from private to commercial use, like the fleet built up by Air Dispatch Ltd at Croydon Airport, headed by The Hon Mrs Victor Bruce.

Golden Green

Goliath F-ADDT Languedoc of Air Union was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Paris to Croydon when the port engine failed.

New College, Harrogate

Typically trips were arranged abroad (for masters and boys) to climb the Matterhorn or to fly to Paris, on a Handley Page aircraft, from Croydon airport.

Westland Limousine

Both the first and second aircraft were used from September 1920 for two months on an experimental express air mail service between Croydon and Le Bourget.


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