RAF Topcliffe

Near Topcliffe, North Yorkshire in England

Grob Vigilant T.1 motor glider. The glider is flown by 645 and 634 Volunteer Glider Squadron, which is based at Topcliffe.

EGXZ

Shown within North Yorkshire

Coordinates

54°12′20″N 001°22′56″W / 54.20556°N 1.38222°WCoordinates: 54°12′20″N 001°22′56″W / 54.20556°N 1.38222°W

Type

Royal Air Force station

Site information

Owner

Ministry of Defence

Operator

Royal Air Force

Site history

Built

1939/40

In use

1940-Present

Airfield information

Identifiers

ICAO: EGXZ, WMO: 03275

Elevation

28 metres (92 ft) AMSL

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
03/21	1,814 metres (5,951 ft) Asphalt
08/26	430 metres (1,411 ft) Asphalt
13/31	1,262 metres (4,140 ft) Asphalt

Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe (ICAO: EGXZ) is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England. It is a satellite station serving in the role of a Relief Landing Ground for Tucano aircraft of the Central Flying School (CFS) based nearby at RAF Linton-on-Ouse (one of two, the other being Dishforth Airfield). As such, no RAF personnel are based permanently at the airfield and airfield services are provided by personnel assigned to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

Topcliffe is also used by the Air Training Corps as a motor glider airfield for Gliding induction courses and Gliding scholarships.

Topcliffe opened in September 1940 as a bomber station in RAF Bomber Command and was home to 77 and 102 Squadrons flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley heavy bomber. There was a decoy site at Raskelf. 419 and 424 Squadrons (RCAF) moved in flying Vickers Wellington bombers and later, the Handley Page Halifax III. On 1 January 1943 the station was transferred to No. 6 Group RCAF and became a training station. The station, along with sub-stations at Wombleton, Dalton and Dishforth were designated as No. 61 (Training) Base in late 1943.

No.1 Air Navigation School was located here between March 1957 & December 1961. The Air Electronics school came in January 1962 and from 1967 became the Air Electronics & Engineers School flying Vickers Varsity T.1 aircraft.

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Wikipedia