1947-1960

After the second world war the airport was temporary taken over by the ministry of Civil Aviation and a month later the first schedules flights began from Blackpool to Manchester/Isle of Man under B.E.A. Interestingly Westair Flying Services and Air Navigation and Trading were operating in this period and still remain today. The Lancashire Aircraft Company joined the airport to supply routes to the channel Isles and Southport! with a daily schedule flight to London. By 1950 the Lancashire Aircraft Company took over B.E.A. and layed on more flights to Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham. Most of the air raid shelters and defence posts were being demolished as these were deemed unecessary. Some of the tempory constructed buildings were added to and continued to be used right through this period.

Important Dates

1946 6th Sept airprt opens for civil use

1946 NAAFI canteen becomes the new terminal

1947 The Vickers Armstrong factory closed

1947 ANT started pleasure flights and an Empire League Air display took place on the 2nd July. The RAF aerobatic team displayed which then formed as the red arrows.

Max bygraves was stationed at RAF Squires Gate as an airframe fitter.

1948 Pre frabricated houses ceased be built in the vickers factory and BEA left Squires gate.

1948 Newspapers deliveries to the IOM took place and Starways LTD began as a small charter company.

1949 South shore cricket club moved on to the site of mad nook.

1949 A new plublic enclosure was built along with restaurant and lounge to give the airport a more friendly feel.

1950 The Korean war starts and production restarts in the Vickers factory.

1950 The Blackpool & Fylde gliding club moved into the Stand Bar (from the racecourse days) demolished in 1980. note 1987 stand bar becomes the kite club which moved to the Raikes Hotel

1951 The hawker aircraft company take over the Vickers factory on the 19th May to build Hunter jets.

1951 The Lancashire Aircraft Corporation flew out of Squires Gate.

1952 Runways were extended to allow jets to take of and land. Division, Moss Edge and Leach Farm were demolished in the process.

1952 Blackpool corporation take charge of the airport and 77Squadron moves to a site beside British Island Airways hanger

1953 DC3 planes begn flying out to IOM 14 time a day

1953 The new runway crosses Leach lane.

1954 the first Hunter aircraft flies out of Blackpool on 22nd May, a total of 26 F1's were built. Princess Margret visits the actory

1956 A new control tower was built and silver city airways bought out the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation.

1957 Ravenseft buys what is now S Q indusrial Estate.

1958 A new east west runway was opened????? and Aer Lingus begin flying out in partnership with Silver City Airways.

1958 The Hawker factory closes having built 374 hunters. Model farm at hey houses was demolished to make way for continuing runway extensions

THE MAIN ENTRANCE

The old fire station and fire station barracks were demolished near the main entrance along with a fuel store and a defence post. These would have stood where the Air balloon/premier inn now stand.

The picture above shows the main entrance to the airport. The three small huts as you entered were the original RAF guard, gatemans hut and time office. The first long hut on the right was a guard house and later used by the Police, the building in front of this was a store and yard in WWII was used as an AMWD general store. The two huts in a v shape were the accounts office but then taken over by the Aero club. The two bast shelters in the bottom right hand corner were demolised later in this period. The long building on the left (of the entrance) are MT sheds, the building beyond this is the MCA main store. The grandstand is clearly visable and par of it was later used by the Aero club. At the top left of the picture shows the ??? which was used by Comed avaition and demolished around the late 1990's

EAST SIDE

The armoury stores which ran down squires Gate Lane, top left of the picture, were turned into temporary married quarters. The SNCO quarters were used as a billiard room and joined with the SNCO mess which became an airport club. SNCO quarters and bath house became Army offices, signal office training room become a local contractors building. The lecture rooms become Winard Eng and Lanc ac company.

SOUTH SIDE

The picture above shows the excavation of the new main runway which runs through the main cluster of buildings close to Leach Lane. This included demolishing three farms, Division, Moss Edge and Leach Farm. There were also many military buildings pulled down in the process, from barrack huts to the battle headquarters. Also in the picture a taxi way has been constructed from the Hawker factory to the new 28 runway threshold.

1951 saw a lull in routes until 1953 when services began to pick up again. The Lancashire Aircraft Company was eventually bought out by Silver City Airways with Belfast and Dublin routes being added.

This is probably the period when the airport had its greatest expanse of land.

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