White Waltham Airfield
| White Waltham Airfield | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | West London Aero Club | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | White Waltham, Berkshire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 133 ft / 41 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°30′03″N 000°46′28″W / 51.50083°N 0.77444°WCoordinates: 51°30′03″N 000°46′28″W / 51.50083°N 0.77444°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.wlac.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||
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 EGLM
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White Waltham Airfield (ICAO: EGLM) is an operational general aviation aerodrome located at White Waltham, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southwest of Maidenhead, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. This large grass airfield is best known for its association with the Air Transport Auxiliary from 1940-1945 and also has a significant history of pre-war flying training, war-time and post-war RAF use and post-war use as flight test centre by the Fairey and Westland aircraft companies.In the mid 1950s it was HQ RAF Home Command. It is now privately owned and is the home of the West London Aero Club.
The airfield was set up in 1928 when the de Havilland family bought 196 acres (0.79 km2) of grassland to house the de Havilland Flying School. In 1938 the airfield was taken over by the government, and during the Second World War was the home of the Air Transport Auxiliary between its formation in early 1940 and disbandment on 30 November 1945. The ATA staged a unique Air Display and Air Pageant at White Waltham on 29 September 1945 which was opened by Lord Beaverbrook and featured a memorable static park of Allied and German aircraft and the flying included Alex Henshaw displaying a Seafire Mk45. After the war, the airfield was also used by Fairey Aviation and later Westland Helicopters, which assembled and tested aircraft built at their Hayes factory. These included the Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne (1947), Fairey Jet Gyrodyne (1954), Fairey Ultralight (1955), Fairey Rotodyne (1957) & Westland Scout (1960) & Westland Wasp (1962). The prototype Fairey Gannet was first flown from Aldermaston but production aircraft were completed and first flown at White Waltham too and an example is currently stored at the airfield.
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