Croydon Airport and the Aerodrome Hotel have teamed up to host a series of events over the May Bank Holiday to mark the 95th anniversary of one of the most significant flights in aviation history.
High-flyer: the 95th anniversary of Amy Johnson’s record-breaking flight to Australia is being celebrated on bank holiday weekend May 3-4
In 1930, Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, setting off in her little biplane from Croydon Airport.
Now, with funding from Arts Council England, Amy 95 is being staged at venues just off the Purley Way (and beyond) on May 3 and 4, with a family-friendly programme of events aimed to inspire future aviation enthusiasts.
Activities will include guided tours of the world’s first Air Traffic Control Tower, children’s workshops, a temporary Amy Johnson exhibition and even a rare biplane flypast.
The Flying High weekend will celebrate Johnson’s legacy, over the anniversary weekend of her incredible Australia flight.
The weekend’s events also include a special performance of Amy Johnson: Last Flight Out, actress Jenny Lockyer’s acclaimed one-woman show (at The Mitre Theatre at Trinity School on Saturday evening).
The weekend builds on the ever-popular Croydon Airport open days.
The open days, taking place on the first Sunday of each month, have brought thousands of people from around the world to the Grade II*-listed Art Deco Croydon Airport House, to discover the magic of this significant and important gem of a building.
Heralded as the birthplace of modern aviation, Croydon Airport boasts a number of aviation firsts, including being the first airport to implement Air Traffic Control and as the starting point for many record flying attempts – from Australia’s Bert Hinkler to Scotland’s Jim Mollison, New Zealand’s Jean Batten and Amy Johnson and more.
It was on May 5, 1930, that a small green de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane took off from Croydon Aerodrome, then Britain’s only international airport, on what was to be a thrilling solo flight to Australia. As an unknown pilot, with only a few months’ flying experience, 26-year-old Amy Johnson had said she wanted to make a name for herself in aviation and have adventures. With this flight she was to do just that.
In preparation for her flight and with the determination to be able to look after her own aircraft, Johnson had gained her ground engineer’s licence. She was only the second woman in the world to do so. Then, over 19½ days, Johnson flew Jason – the name she had given to her open cockpit biplane – 11,000 miles across some of the most inhospitable terrain and oceans of the world.
Due to monsoons, Johnson did not break Hinkler’s record time to Australia, but she did break his record to India, and she safely made it on to Darwin, Northern Territories.
Micha Nestor, the visitor centre manager at Historic Croydon Airport, said: “The core idea behind Amy 95 is to highlight the often-overlooked role of women in aviation and STEM subjects.
Do It Herself: Johnson qualified as an engineer – only the second woman to do so – in oder that she could fix her aircraft should anything go wrong on her voyage
“Amy Johnson’s success in a male-dominated field was groundbreaking and this event aims to continue her legacy by encouraging diversity in these fields. We hope that Amy 95 will inspire young people – particularly women – in the local area of Croydon, as well as promoting careers in aviation and engineering.”
Jenny Lockyer is also the producer of the Flying High Tour, which is hosting the Flying High Weekend’s activities. The tour mixes performances of her show with creative workshops and talks and the launch of FLY Festival, a five-year project inspired by Johnson and leading up to the centenary of her Australia flight in 2030.
“I am beyond happy to be sharing Amy’s story with many more people in partnership with Croydon Airport, as it really is the stuff of dreams,” Lockyer said.
The Croydon Advertiser sold an average of just 742 copies per week last year (ABC 2024 audit).
Inside Croydon is read by an average of 10,000 people every weekday
TO ADVERTISE your services, products or event to our readers to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
