The History of Aviation at Rushett Farm

The Rushett Farm airstrip has a colourful history of rare and unique planes being looked after, restored and flown on site from the short grass runway which has been on the farm since the 1950s.

Under the expert eye of leading pilot and engineer, Geoff Masterton, the farm became a hub for light aircraft enthusiasts. As lead engineer for the British Aerobatic team, amongst many roles, the farm workshop became the go-to destination for pilots who needed expert assistance with their aircraft.

The gallery above has a small selection of the planes which spent time here over the years.

As well as the airstrip, there is also an active helipad on the farm. It is geographically the nearest to Battersea Heliport, the only commercial helipad in Central London, and as a result the farm is a popular stop off point. Noel Edmonds was a regular in the 90s, and in recent years the Chelsea team have been occasional visitors thanks to their nearby training ground in Cobham. John Terry was here in 2007, his hoodie was a tad cleaner than mine after a day spent shovelling grain!

There's still a handful of planes stored and flown from the hangars at the farm during the summer months, including this restored Messerschmitt with it's mannequin rear-gunner which can be seen practicing dogfights above the farm if you are lucky.