History
The area of the airport was originally known as St Johns, after an early landowner. The airport was proclaimed by the Commonwealth Government in 1921, as Essendon Aerodrome. For some time prior to proclamation, the aerodrome had been used by the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Aero Club (renamed the Royal Victorian Aero Club), having initially been based at Point Cook. The Aero Club remained at Essendon until the late 1940s when it transferred to Moorabbin Airport.
Originally the airport had grass runways with the first tenants moving in from December 1921, including J. H. Larkin, Captain Matthews, Bob Hart and Major Harry Shaw.
The 1920s period saw the great pioneering aviation flights of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith who visited the airport on several occasions. In August 1926, 60,000 people swarmed across the grassy fields of Essendon Airport upon the arrival of aviation pioneer Alan Cobham when he landed his de Havilland DH.50 floatplane, flown from England to Australia.
The airport was extended with additional land during the 1930s. The grass was finally upgraded to concrete tarmac in 1946.
Read more about this topic: Essendon Airport
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