This is a collection of material concerning the operation of the Scottish Aero Club. We would like to acknowledge the contribution by John Beech who, as Head of the English Language School at AST researched much of the history for publication in a brochure to mark the golden anniversary of the aerodrome in 1986.

past events

This section (when we've developed it more!) will contain photos and stories contributed by members which will form a record of past events. Two of our members took part in the 2005 "Dawn to Dusk" challenge and took "A Nip Around Scotland" in aid of the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

history of the SAC

The SAC is the oldest flying club in Scotland, formed from the merger of the Scottish Flying Club and the Strathay Aero Club. We have available for purchase an excellent history of the club by member James Allan.

Tiger Moth trainers at Perth

Three Dundee friends, Messrs Carver, Powrie and Henderson, plus a Mr Henderson of Perth, formed the Strathtay Aero Club at Perth on 29th May 1936, after a prospective site at Inchture fell through. At a meeting held on this date, Major J.R.Couper, D.S.O., was elected President and Mr E. A.Powrie as Vice-President, while Messrs R.B.Henderson and A.M.Mackay were elected Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Arrangements were made to purchase G-AAHK, a Gipsy I Avro Avian, from Mr Powrie. Mr A.M.Dunlop R.A.F.O. acted as honorary Instructor until Mr J.S.D.Miles R.A.F.O. was appointed as full-time Flying Instructor and Club flying commenced with the Avian on 9th June 1936. The Club was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 3rd July 1936. Towards the end of the year G-AAHK was laid up for overhaul and flying came to a standstill for a time until four Club Members were able to acquire a private aeroplane between them in order to complete their instruction. Early in 1937, owing to the increasing number of members, the Club purchased two Moths and at the same time secured the services of a full-time Ground Engineer. Total flying averaged about 500 hours during that year.

Miss M.Cunnison and Mr W.A.Proctor (Chief Engineer)

In the spring of 1938 the original Avro Avian was disposed of and another Gipsy II Moth, G-BAEO, acquired. Mr Miles resigned his position and Miss Margaret Cunnison was appointed Instructor. This caused something of a sensation in the National Press as she was only the second lady to receive such an appointment in Britain. The Committee never had cause to regret the appointment, as Margaret made herself highly popular with all Members, both by her charming manner and skill as an instructor. With the outbreak of War, Club activities were suspended, only to re-commence without ceremony in 1946. At this time the Scottish Flying Club found it was unable to continue operations at Renfrew and was offered joint use of the facilities at Perth, bringing two of their Tiger Moths and storing the remaining four.

The Scottish Aero Club fleet in 1957

By 1948 the Club had a membership of 270 and the fleet consisted of two Tiger Moths and an Auster Autocrat. Early in 1956 the Scottish Flying Club and the Strathtay Aero Club officially merged to become the Scottish Aero Club. W.Hunter Byars was the Chairman, Frank Mickel was Vice Chairman, Andrew Mackay was Secretary and Tom Blyth was the Chief Flying Instructor. The Club fleet now consisted of two Miles Messengers, three Tiger Moths, two Hawk Trainers and an Auster Autocrat. The Scottish Aero Club has remained active at Perth over the years, beyond the closure of AST pilot training and into the present day. In 1995 the Strathtay Strut of the Popular Flying Association (PFA), after working in co-operation with the Aero Club for some time, merged with SAC to become a Special Interest Group within the Aero Club. The PFA is the National organisation for promoting and administering homebuilt aircraft and issues annual Permits to Fly for homebuilds and vintage aircraft that no longer enjoy manufacturer support. A number of the private aircraft operated at Perth were built by their owners under the PFA scheme.

history of Perth Airfield

The Air Navigation Act of 1920 encouraged the construction of municipal airports. By 1929 four of these were in existence and by 1936, twenty-seven, including Perth, had been completed. The idea of an aerodrome at Perth was first mooted in the early 1930s by Thomas Hunter, Lord Provost of Perth (and later the local M.P.) but received little support until 1935 when the idea was resurrected by Sir John Ure Primrose. He was supported by a broad spectrum of Council members and an aerodrome committee was set up. Advice was sought from the Air Ministry and from Capt. W.H.Primrose D.F.C., the G.P.O. Airmail Adviser. It was hoped to attract a number of operations to Perth, including domestic scheduled services, airmail services and a training school for R.A.F. personnel operated by Airwork Limited.

Old aerial shot of airfield

A relatively fog-free site 400' above sea level was selected near Scone, 277 acres of land was purchased and work began in June 1935. The original buildings comprised six cottages along the main drive (still in use) a large hangar (now a Tayflite hangar), terminal buildings and offices (now part of the large building at the top of the drive) and rest rooms, dining room and kitchen (part of the AST Engineering School run by Perth College). The Assistant General Manager of Airwork, P.J.B.Perkins, became Aerodrome Manager for Perth Town Council and Administrative Officer for Airwork Limited. Flying training began on the frozen airfield in January 1936 but was soon suspended as the thaw came, to allow the newly sown grass to establish. In April 1936 an additional 80 acres of land were purchased and 41 acres leased, considerably increasing the original area. The "runway" lengths were 1000 and 1400 yards -considered "ample for the fastest modern airliners" at the time. A direction-finding tower was installed, and Perth initially enjoyed four daily passenger services : two to Glasgow and two to Inverness. The airfield was formally opened by Viscount Swinton in June 1936. In 1936-37, North Eastern Airways began regular services between Perth and Newcastle, Leeds, Doncaster and London, northwards to Aberdeen and westwards to Renfrew using Airspeed Envoys and later de Havilland Rapides.

The first RAFVR course at Perth, January 1937 - J.H.'Ginger' Lacey, third from the left, middle row, went on to become the top scoring pilot in Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain.

Training for the Royal Air Force began in June 1936 with No 11 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, operated by Airwork Ltd. Among the recruits of this period was one Neil Cameron who later became the Chief of Defence Staff and Lord Cameron of Balhousie as well as the first President of the Scottish Aero Club. The School became No 11 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) when hostilities commenced on 3rd September 1939 and there was no longer a Reserve. In the same month a service was established by British Airways between Perth and Stavanger using Lockheed 14s and JU52s of Swedish registration.

RAFVR badge

Other Units stationed at Perth included No 5 Flying Instructors School (using Tiger Moths and Miles Masters) and No 7 Air Observers and Navigators School (using Airspeed Oxfords and Avro Ansons). Early training was on Avro Tutor, Hawker Hart and Fairey Battle aircraft but from 1939 de Havilland Tiger Moths were used. An Emergency Landing Ground at Whitefield was opened to extend training and by 1940 there were 90 Tiger Moths in use. The airfields associated with Perth in wartime were Methven Castle, Whitefield and Findo Gask. On 11th March 1947, the School became No 11 Reserve Flying School, still operating Tiger Moths and then Chipmunks, and was one of the longest surviving of such units when it was finally disbanded on 20th June, 1954.

RAFVR 1948

"NINE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PILOTS who took part in a formation flight over Scone Aerodrome on Saturday. The flight was made during a Press conference, at which it was revealed that, with 6,000 hours, Perth has a better flying record than any other V.R. station (except London)." The picture above was taken in 1948 on the re-formation of the RAF Voluntary Reserve squadron after World War II. The figure standing fourth from the left is Wing Commander Eric Tilston, a former member of the Scottish Aero Club. Eric took his first familiarisation flight at Perth in October 1937 in a Tiger Moth and went on to fly bombers during the War. He re-joined the RAF VR at Perth in 1948 until 1954 and was a Wing Commander with the ATC for 20 years before retiring. Eric passed away in 2003. Eric joined the Strathtay Flying Club in 1938, only shortly after Squadron Leader Alfie Smith who was a founder member of the Club and held the post of Club President for many years until his death at the end of 2001. In 1946 the Ministry of Civil Aviation decided that the former wartime R.A.F. station at Errol should become the official civil airport for Dundee and Perth, and so, faced with that disappointment, Perth Town Council sold the Aerodrome to Airwork Limited for £54,000. By 1948, promises that the planned airport at Errol was imminent, failed to materialise, so in 1950 B.E.A. started an experimental service between Perth and Renfrew, providing a feeder to connecting services with the Western Isles, Belfast, Dublin and London. Following the cessation of the R.A.F. Reserve training programme, it was decided that the next logical kind of training to develop would be for the civil airline market. By the end of the 50's courses of twenty to thirty students were being formed at two-monthly intervals. The fleet of Tiger Moths, Miles Messengers and de Havilland Chipmunks was replaced in 1960 by Cessna 150s and the aging Airspeed Consuls and de Havilland Rapides by Cessna 310s. This fleet was destined to become the largest Cessna fleet in Europe.

AST badge

As a consequence of the Government Rationalisation of British Aviation manufacturers, Airwork Limited acquired the Engineering School of the manufacturer's training facility, Air Service Training, and the engineering school was moved en bloc from Hamble to Perth in 1960. As a result, an extensive building programme was undertaken to provide the additional accommodation and facilities required. The next two decades were the boom years for Air Service Training, as the Perth Aerodrome branch of Airwork Limited came to be known. In 1968 the hard runways were constructed and Perth became the first flying school for commercial pilots in Britain to have the benefit of surfaced runways. In recent years the number of commercial student pilots has gradually declined until the point where Pilot training by AST ceased in 1996, the airfield was put up for sale and the remaining fleet dispersed. The airfield was then purchased by Morris Leslie Limited. A dialogue between Scottish Aero Club and Perth & Kinross Council was established and, after considerable effort by the Committee, an arrangement was formulated whereby the Scottish Aero Club lease the runways, clubhouse and main hangar and Tayflite work in partnership with Scottish Aero Club to provide flying training. The engineering school has continued throughout with some vigour and AST Engineering continues to operate as part of Perth College. The airfield is now operated by Perth Airport 2000 Ltd, part of the Morris Leslie group of companies.