The Isle of Wight has been important in aviation since the First World War.During the war both land and seaplanes were built at Cowes by J Samuel White and Co. and also by S E Saunders Ltd.
In September 1923 Cowes wasthe scene of the Schneider Trophy Race .
In the 20s and 30s,Saunders-Roe and Spartan Aircraft Ltd continued to keep the Island known in the world of aircraft construction.Saunders -Roe continued throughout the Second World War into the 50s and 60s,later becoming part of Westlands.In the sixties another name that was to become well known appeared.This was Britten Norman Aircraft Ltd,builders of the Islander/Trislander aircraft.Having gone through several changes of ownership and name over the last 20 years B-N are still producing Islanders today
To accomodate all this aviation activity there have been several airfields on the Isle of Wight.The earliest were at Northwood(used by J Samuel White from about 1914 to 1916), Bembridge(seaplanes) , Brading and Forelands,all RFC(RAF) bases used late in WW1.During WW2 all the airfields with the exception of Somerton,were closed and their landing areas obstructed to prevent the use by invasion forces . Today there are two active airfields plus a private strip, and a number of helipads in occasional use .
Below is a list of links taking you to pages dealing with each of the airfields and also the manufacturers
The Simmonds Spartan pages contain many previously unpublished photos of Simmonds Spartan aircraft.
