FIDO HISTORY IN BRIEF
Early August 1943 visit from Director Aircraft Safety and Petroleum Warfare Department. Work to be put in hand to install FIDO.
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21.9.43 Mustang crash, wingtip caught FIDO line during low pass.
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26.10.43 to the end of the month weather very poor. FIDO available, whole system for operational flights but only first 180 yards for non operational flights to assist landings.
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19th/20th November 43 Upgraded installation on test. Worked well but minor teething problems.
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29th November 1943 The Met Office involved in ground observation trial of the new FIDO installation which was by now virtually complete with problems solved.
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FIDO was in use Christmas Eve 1943.
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24th February 1944 FIDO used to land home-based and diverting aircraft. Thick haze and mist all over the country. Over 70 aircraft used the facility.
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15th March 1944. 4835 Airfield Construction Flight arrived from Air Landing Ground Chailey to commence an update of the FIDO installation.
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Later in March 1944 FIDO update going well with a new Haigill MkIV system being installed while the existing system was left in place. This new system proved not to be very efficient and was subsequently replaced after only three months operation.
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*Note:- Petrol used on a full burn was 80,000 gallons per hour. Cost of petrol was about 7d (old pence) per gallon or appx. £6000 per hour, a huge cost in those days.
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18th April 1944 General Eisenhower visited and given a demonstration of FIDO in use, he was horrified at the amount of petrol it used and the money it cost. Although very impressed he ordered the demonstration to cease.
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There was a self-briefing film made for aircrew on how to use FIDO in an emergency.
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Early June 1944 Mosquito diversion needed FIDO to land.
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June 1944. Following D-Day (6th) FIDO was available for use as required.
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July/August 1944 FIDO continuously in use. A brand new underground trenched system installed. This was still in use when the airfield closed in November 1946.
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15th September 1944 FIDO used to recover 226 Squadron after an attack on Fort de la Creche, Boulogne.
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27th October 1944 Full scale test of sunken FIDO involving 138 Wing aircraft and 34 Wing Support Unit taking photographs. Special low flying programme undertaken to see if air currents had effect on aircraft. Proved negative.
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16th November 1944 Sir Donald Banks, Director General, attended a FIDO demonstration.
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13th December 1944 Used at 15.00 hrs as visibility dropped to 100 yards. Allowed 2xC47 Dakotas, !xWellington and 1xMosquito to land.
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25th December 1944 Used for the departure of 2xMosquitos, both crashed and the operation was abandoned.
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11th June 1945 It was announced that FIDO would no longer be made available for mail flights.
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During August 1945 FIDO was used a lot due to bad weather.
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29th September 1945 At 10.35 hrs visibility was 60 yards and 800 feet deep. After a 10 minute burn this had improved to 1500 yards with blue skies visible allowing 2xMosquitos and a Dakota to land.
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Early October 1945 Fog was a problem. On the 4th a 2hour burn was necessary to clear persistent 50 yard fog.
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5th October 1945 Used for take-off of 3x Mosquito and 1x DC3.
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6th October 1945 6x aircraft departed when 600 yards of the south side FIDO only was used.
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18th October 1945 FIDO used for landing of Danish Airlines B17.
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20th November 1945 Dakota landed . FIDO very effective visibility had been only 30 yards prior to lighting.
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14th February 1946 Lead-In burners only used to permit 2x aircraft to land.
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By April 1946 a sodium flare path had been installed on runway 08/26 which proved a lot easier to put into operation than the existing FIDO system. It had, however, one major drawback in that it didn't disperse fog! But FIDO was kept in case it was required.
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May 1948 Haigill Mk V system installed. A test burn was used to demonstrate the system to airline personnel by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
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In November 1952 a demonstration 'burn' was carried out prior to placing the system onto a 'care and maintenance' basis. Flights were made available in a MCA Dove, BEA Elizabethan and Viking and a BOAC York.
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I am certain that FIDO was used many more times than are recorded here and was responsible for saving the lives of many brave aircrew returning from operations during the wartime years.
Complete. JSM 17.4.15
