RAF Dishforth

The Control Tower

IATA: none
ICAO: EGXD

Summary

Airport type

Military

Owner

Ministry of Defence

Operator

Royal Air Force (RAF)
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

Location

Dishforth, North Yorkshire

Built

1936

In use

1936-1992

Elevation AMSL

118 ft / 36 m

Coordinates

54°08′14″N 001°25′13″W / 54.13722°N 1.42028°WCoordinates: 54°08′14″N 001°25′13″W / 54.13722°N 1.42028°W

Map

RAF Dishforth

Location in North Yorkshire

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	m	ft	Surface
10/28	1,362	4,469	Asphalt
15/33	1,858	6,096	Asphalt

Royal Air Force Station Dishforth or RAF Dishforth is a former Royal Air Force station located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Ripon, North Yorkshire and 11.5 miles (18.5 km) north east of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.

The airfield opened in 1936 as use by Royal Air Force (RAF) until 1943 when the Royal Canadian Air Force took over but the airfield was returned in 1945 before the site was handed over to the British Army in 1992 and became Dishforth Airfield.

RAF Dishforth opened in 1936. At the beginning of the Second World War it became part of 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command, and was used for recruit training. Between September 1939 and April 1941, No. 78 Squadron RAF used it to launch night operations using Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bombers. Between 1943 and 1945 the station was used by No. 6 (RCAF) Group Bomber Command and was a sub-station of RAF Topcliffe. Immediately after the war the station was used to convert aircrew to the Douglas Dakota transport aircraft.

RAF Dishforth was so successful in its night operation bombing raids that Hitler himself ordered a raid against the airfield. The raid was completely unsuccessful as the bombing party was shot out of the sky over Gloucestershire.

In the late 1950s RAF Transport Command operated Handley Page Hastings and from 1957 30 Squadron operated the Blackburn Beverley from Dishforth.

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Wikipedia