Weston Airport

Weston Ltd De Havilland Dragon Rapide on a charter flight from Weston at Liverpool Airport in 1949

Weston Aerodrome was founded in 1931 (licensed circa 1937) by Darby Kennedy (1915-2016), a "founding father of aviation"[3] in Ireland who, from 1946, operated a de Havilland Dragon and several Dragon Rapide aircraft commercially from the Weston flying field, operated under the name Weston Ltd. The charter flights took the biplane airliners to airfields across the United Kingdom. The commercial flight operation ceased in the late 1950s.[4] and Weston Ltd continued as a training provider for private and commercial licences. Darby Kennedy, pilot's licence no. 15, was chief instructor, and also became chief pilot of Aer Lingus, Ireland's flag-carrier airline.

In 1988, Capt. Kennedy was presented with a crystal memento by Irish President Patrick Hillery, at a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the airfield. During the event, which was recorded by RTE television, President Hillery took to the air in a replica of the de Havilland DH84 Dragon "Iolar" (Eagle) which flew Aer Lingus's first ever flight, from Dublin (Baldonnel) to Bristol in 1936.

Darby Kennedy in 1956

Also operated from the airfield was a flying school, Leinster Aero Club[5] for private pilots with several de Havilland Tiger Moth trainer biplanes, an Auster 5J/1 Autocrat high-wing monoplane and from 1960 two Morane-Saulnier-Rallye four-seater low-winged aeroplanes. The club now operates one training aircraft, a Robin HR 200 EI-YLG, which is fully IFR equipped. The airport was upgraded from a grass runway in the 1980s when a tarmac runway was laid. The main terminal was completed in 2005 along with the control tower and other services.

Developed over many years by Jim Mansfield, the airport was taken over by the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in 2011.[6]

In 2013 the airport was sold by NAMA to Brian Conneely and Co, who announced plans to "upgrade the radar system and buildings, with a focus on aviation education courses and innovative projects which... could attract enterprise funding." Conneely and Co said they were hopeful the sale would “mark a turning point” in Irish aviation, and act as a “sign of optimism” for the economy, and they were “delighted” with the purchase due to its “proud tradition in Irish aviation”.[7]

In January 2014 Transport Minister Leo Varadkar TD launched the new Coast Guard Sikorsky S92 helicopter for the East Coast region at Weston Airport. The airport owner announced it was in talks with Kildare and Dublin councils and local groups about providing a walk-way and park and they were "looking into several potential uses for some of the beautiful riverside parkland for sports and walkways in conjunction with the local community and sports clubs."[8]

Several air displays have been held at the airport, and in 1966 Weston was used in filming the World War I air combat film, The Blue Max. The aircraft ground scenes were shot at the airfield, which is not to be confused with RAF Weston-on-the-Green, in England, which has no tarmac runway. It was also used for filming 1971's "Von Richthofen and Brown": Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, was one of the film's stunt pilots, and wrote about some of his experiences at Weston during its production.[9]

In 2018, author Bob Montgomery published In Weston Skies: A personal memoir of flying at Weston in the 1950s. The book celebrates his father's active role in Irish private aviation in the post-war era and recounts Montgomery's memories of a beloved parent, who died in an aircraft accident.

The airport lies between Celbridge and Lucan, just off Exit 5 on the M4 motorway, on the R403 regional road. It is located on approximately 250 acres (1.0 km²) of land and incorporates about 9,000 m² (97,000 sq ft) of operations buildings, an air traffic control tower, and three large aircraft hangars. The airport lies predominantly within South Dublin County, in the Lucan Electoral Area, bordered on its north side by the River Liffey and the Leixlip Reservoir. The land use zoning objectives of the airport and surrounding areas in the South Dublin County Development Plan 2016 - 2022 are characterised as "Objective HA: To protect and enhance the outstanding natural character and amenity of the Liffey Valley, Dodder Valley and Dublin Mountains areas", and as "Objective RU: To protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture". [10]

Weston has been a key part of the Irish aviation training infrastructure since its founding circa. 80 years ago. National Flight Centre Pilot Academy (NFC) has operated in the airport for nearly 4 decades, maintaining a fleet of Cessna 152, Cessna 172 and Beechcraft BE76 aircraft.[11] NFC also operates jet, fixed wing and helicopter simulators, and is both an Approved Training Organisation and an approved Air Operator. The airport has also been headquarters to other training organisations, including Weston Ltd., Trim Flying Club, Leinster Flying Club, AIB Flying Club, and Garda Siochana (Irish police) Aviation Club. Within the airport premises there is a restaurant and a conference room.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weston Airport.

• Weston Airport Ltd. Official website