RAF Chilbolton
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RAF Chilbolton USAAF Station AAF-404  
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Aerial Photo of Chilbolton Airfield - 20 April 1944
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator |
Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
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| Location | Chilbolton, Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1940-1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 276 ft / 84 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°08′36″N 001°26′23″W / 51.14333°N 1.43972°WCoordinates: 51°08′36″N 001°26′23″W / 51.14333°N 1.43972°W | ||||||||||||||||||
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 RAF Chilbolton
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Royal Air Force Station Chilbolton or RAF Chilbolton is a former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located in Chilbolton approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southeast of Andover; about 62 miles (100 km) southwest of London
Opened in 1940, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and then later by the United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a troop carrier airfield for parachutists. After the war it was used for military jet aircraft training before closing as an RAF station in 1946, although it was then used until the early 1960s by the Vickers-Supermarine and Folland aircraft companies for flight testing and development flying.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields.
RAF Chilbolton was opened in September 1940 as a satellite of RAF Middle Wallop and was used as a relief landing ground by the Royal Air Force (RAF). At first it was developed piecemeal with the addition of the necessary facilities that took it towards existence as an independent airfield. It then hosted its own Hawker Hurricane squadrons which took part in the Battle of Britain. No. 238 Squadron RAF operated throughout the Battle of Britain from Middle Wallop and RAF St Eval as part of No. 10 Group Fighter Command, posted to Chilbolton in September 1940 with Hurricane Is.
During the Battle of Britain many sorties were flown covering Southampton to Bristol. Once the battle had been won and therefore the threat of invasion had passed major Luftwaffe raids ceased. Several Supermarine Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons came and went, none stayed very long.
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