The airport started life in 1942 as RAF Hartford Bridge and was first used by the RAE at Farnborough for trials of military gliders and was then used for highly secret air to air searchlight trials. The first of two Photo Reconnaissance Squadrons moved in to the airfield during April 1943 with their special blue Mustangs and Spitfires [and later Mosquitoes] and they were joined in the autumn by three bomber squadrons including the Free French Lorraine Squadron. The bombers spent a lot of their time trying to destroy the V-1 'Doodlebug' launch sites that were being built in France at the time but shortly before D-Day they started to attack enemy coastal gun positions and the French transport system. Spitfire day fighters and Mosquito night fighters were also based at the airfield before and after D-Day and their job was to hunt for German reconnaissance planes and later to shoot down the 'Doodlebugs'. The three bomber squadrons flew American built aircraft, two of them flew Douglas Bostons which were used to lay smoke at sea level early on the morning on D-Day to protect the Allied ships. George Louden, who took part in the day said "I shall never forget the sight of the English Channel that day, nor of those mates that “Bought It”. The other bomber squadron flew Mitchells on bombing raids but they also had a top secret flight of aircraft which collected radio messages containing information from a network of spies in France. A number of important people visited the airfield including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery. The Boston and Mitchell bombers left the airfield during October 1944 and were replaced with Mosquito fighter bombers who attacked the enemy behind the allied lines to support the troops on the ground.

The airfield was renamed to RAF Blackbushe during December 1944 and it was handed over to RAF Transport Command during March 1945 and was used to fly medical supplies to the Continent and to bring casualties back from Germany during the last few weeks of the war. It was then used to bring POW's home and then to help repatriate foreign troops, mainly Canadians. The RAF moved out of the airfield at the end of 1946 and it reopened as Blackbushe Airport [London] and was home to about 20 different airlines during the 1950s. Some of the first airlines to move in took part in the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift and BOAC trained their aircrew on the world's first jet airliner - the de Havilland Comet at the airfield during the 1950s and it was also pivotal in the airlift of refugees following the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and a plaque was unveiled last year at the tower to commemorate this. A US Navy Squadron [FASRON 200] was based at the airfield during the second half of the 1950s and hundreds of aircraft bringing visitors to the Farnborough Air Show landed at Blackbushe and their passengers ended their journeys by road. Many famous people used the airfield during the 1950s including Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich who filmed part of the film of Neville Shute's book "No Highway in the Sky" at the airfield, Douglas Bader who ran the Shell Petroleum Companies fleet of aircraft often visited the airfield which also played host to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who learnt to fly at nearby RAF White Waltham.

Blackbushe is situated alongside the A30 between Camberley and Hook. It used to straddle both sides of the A30, with road traffic having to wait whilst airliners made their way across this busy road. The traditional name for the flat piece of land it's sited on is Hartford Bridge Flats. Blackbushe Airport was finally closed in 1960 and all of the 500 buildings on the site were mostly destroyed and the eastern and southern parts of the airfield reverted back to common land. The remainder of the airfield passed into private ownership and was bought by Air Vice Marshall DCT Bennett - the man who ran Bomber Command's Path Finder Force during the war. He is the man responsible for preserving what is left of the airfield and also for the construction of the flying club building and the installation of the fuel tanks which are still in use today. Camberley Kart Club built their go-kart track and the famous Sunday market also started on the airfield site during 'the Bennett years'.

Douglas Arnold bought the airfield in 1973 with the intention of building a large aviation museum and the airfield was used to store his large collection of historic World War II aircraft, including CASA C.352L [Spanish post war built Junkers Ju-52s], several Douglas C-47 Dakotas, B-25 Mitchell bombers and a number of smaller planes, such as Spitfires, which were rarely seen on the tarmac. The finest were, perhaps an RAF Avro Lancaster and an American B-24 Liberator bomber which were stored away from the eyes of the public. Dragster Racing became very popular at the airfield during the 1970s and large air shows took place during 1976 and 1977 and Blackbushe was also the venue for one of the UK's largest and most famous rock festivals, Picnic at Blackbushe in July 1978. Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and many others performed there and the airfield was, as you might imagine, closed to air traffic during the festival.

British Car Auctions bought the airport in 1984 and established the famous vehicle auctions at the airport and developed it as a centre of private, business and executive aviation and the hangar which Douglas Arnold built for his aircraft restoration activities has changed hands several times and is currently home to The Royal Household helicopter which is used to convey members of the Royal Family to and from functions.

Blackbushe is now a thriving General Aviation airport with two flying schools and a flying association run by the pilot owners who operate from the airfield, the Bushe Pilots Association Limited, BPAL. It is BPAL who are organising the Bushe Bashe.