For three years the aerodrome served as Merseyside's Airport. Dawson persuaded two former RAF engineering officers to set up companies at Hooton: Nicholas Comper, whose Comper Aircraft Company designed and built the Comper Swift single-engined sporting monoplane; and Douglas Pobjoy, who designed and manufactured Pobjoy radial engines. Dawson ran into financial trouble, and died in 1933. In the same year, Liverpool Corporation opened Speke airfield across the Mersey as its permanent airport. The flying club subsequently moved there for cheaper hangarage and clubhouse facilities. In March 1933, Comper moved his company to Heston Aerodrome. In 1934, William Fettis 'Frank' Davison (1899-1949), and his pilot-engineer wife Elsie Joy Muntz (1910-1940) bought Hooton Aerodrome. They set up their own company at Hooton, Utility Airways, which offered joy-riding, air-taxis and some short-distance scheduled flights. When WW2 came, the airfield was returned to military use and all of Davison's aircraft were stored under the old Hooton racecourse grandstand where they, along with several others, to a total of 19 aircraft, were destroyed by an accidental fire, often referred to as the "Great Fire of Hooton Park". on 8 July 1940. Pobjoy went to work for Short Brothers at Rochester, Kent, but was killed in a mid-air collision in 1946. Despite these setbacks, Hooton was still an important aerodrome, with many private owners and several small airlines continuing to operate out of it. Second World War In 1935, Martin Hearn, an ex-pilot and -ground engineer and who had previously worked for Alan Cobham's Flying Circus as a wing walker and aerial trapeze artist, created Martin Hearn Ltd., employing a few mechanics to service the aircraft using the aerodrome. In 1936 No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force was formed at Hooton Park. Most of the pilots took private flying lessons to qualify. One person said, "Never have I seen so many Rolls-Royce cars in one spot at the same time" – an indication of the pilots' typical social status. The unit was initially a bomber squadron equipped with Hawker Hind and Hawker Hart bombers and Avro Tutor trainers. In 1939, the squadron took charge of a number of Fairey Battles, then a flight of Hawker Hurricanes that were quickly replaced by Supermarine Spitfire I's. At the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 the Squadron was mobilised and sent to RAF Wittering. 610 later moved to RAF Biggin Hill, where