RAF Firbeck
RAF Firbeck
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Firbeck, South Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1940–1948 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 213 ft / 65 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°23′15″N 001°09′45″W / 53.38750°N 1.16250°WCoordinates: 53°23′15″N 001°09′45″W / 53.38750°N 1.16250°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
 RAF Firbeck
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Royal Air Force Station Firbeck or more simply RAF Firbeck is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Firbeck, South Yorkshire, England.
The airfield was opened in September 1940 and was closed in 1948, during this time it was mainly used an relief landing ground (RLG) and small planes such as the Westland Lysander and the Taylorcraft Auster. After the Second World War had ended the airfield was used by two Royal Air Force (RAF) gliding schools.
The airfield was first constructed in 1935 in conjunction with a country club opening up at Firbeck Hall. Cyril Nicholson invested money into the Jacobean hall and its surroundings which attracted the rich and glamorous of that time. The then Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII) also flew into the airfield in his own Dragon rapide aircraft (the very aircraft that he flew to London on his accession to king in 1936). On the outbreak of war, the airfield was pressed into service for the Royal Air Force under the Emergency Powers Act.
The first squadron to use the airfield was No. 613 Squadron RAF which had moved from RAF Netherthorpe on 7 September 1940. The unit had detachments at various other airfields such as RAF Clifton, RAF Netherthorpe, RAF Sutton Bridge, RAF Doncaster and RAF Martlesham Heath initially flying the Westland Lysander Mk. II before the addition of the Mk. III in January 1941. The squadron moved to RAF Doncaster on 8 July 1941. A short time after this on 19 July 1941 No. 2 Squadron RAF moved in from RAF Sawbridgeworth flying the Lysander II for four days before moving back to Sawbridgeworth.
...
Wikipedia