Beccles Airport

Beccles Airfield Beccles Aerodrome
IATA: none ICAO: EGSM
Summary
Airport type	Private
Operator	Rain Air
Location	Beccles
Elevation AMSL	80 ft / 24 m
Coordinates	52°26′07″N 001°37′06″E / 52.43528°N 1.61833°E / 52.43528; 1.61833Coordinates: 52°26′07″N 001°37′06″E / 52.43528°N 1.61833°E / 52.43528; 1.61833
Map
EGSM Location in Suffolk
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 696 2,283 Concrete/Grass
Sources: UK AIP at NATS

Beccles Airfield, also known as Beccles Airport or Beccles Aerodrome (ICAO: EGSM), is located in Ellough, 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southeast of Beccles in the English county of Suffolk. Built during the second world war, it has operated as a heliport servicing the North Sea oil and gas industry and currently operates as a base for private flights, flight training and parachuting.

Beccles Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P837) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (RainAir (Beccles) Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The current airstrip consists of around 450 metres of the original wartime concrete surface with 150 metres of grass airstrip.

Always known locally as Ellough Airfield, it was built for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and completed in August 1942. It used the three concrete runway layout typical of many bomber airfields in East Anglia, and was built for the 8th Air Force and allocated airfield number 132. It is possible that Ellough was intended to be used by the 3d Air Division, 95th Combat Wing. The 95th had two Bombardment Groups, the 489th at RAF Halesworth and the 491st at RAF Metfield. Other combat wings had three Bomber Groups.

The airfield was the last to be completed in Suffolk during the war and the USAAF had no use for the airfield so it passed briefly to RAF Bomber Command before being operated by Coastal Command from August 1944. The field was used as an air-sea rescue post until closure in 1945, and saw operation by various RAF and FAA squadrons operating such diverse types as Vickers Warwick, Fairey Barracuda, Supermarine Walrus, Fairey Swordfish, Supermarine Sea Otter and Fairey Albacore on air-sea rescue and anti-shipping duties. The Fleet Air Arm used temporary lodging facilities at RAF Beccles under the stone frigate name HMS Hornbill II.