Wye Aerodrome

Royal Air Force Station Wye
Located near Wye, Kent, England
Royal Air Force Station Wye
Coordinates	51°11′30″N 0°55′32″E / 51.1917°N 0.9255°E / 51.1917; 0.9255
Type	Airfield
Site information
Condition	Closed
Site history
Built	1916
Built by	Vickers / RFC
In use	1916–1919
Battles/wars	First World War
Garrison information
Occupants	Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force Station Wye was a temporary First World War training airfield at Wye, Kent.

Wye aerodrome was opened in May 1916 by the Royal Flying Corps as a training airfield, it had a grass landing field and was located on 86 acres (35 ha) of low-lying meadow between the main Canterbury to Ashford road and the railway line. No. 20 Reserve Squadron moved from nearby Dover on 1 June 1916, it operated the Avro 504 biplane trainer, the Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 a two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber and the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 reconnaissance biplane. In January 1917 No. 51 Reserve Squadron arrived as the demand for aircrew for the Western Front increased and in May 1917 a third squadron (No. 66 Reserve Squadron) was formed from personnel and equipment from the two squadrons. At the end of May the Reserve Squadrons (now renamed Training Squadrons) moved out of Wye when the aerodrome was allocated for use as an Anglo-American training airfield.

Three metal-clad aeroplane sheds were erected to join the original portable Bessonneau hangar and in May 1917 65 Squadron was based with Sopwith Camels for four months before it moved to France. No. 86 Squadron moved in from Dover with Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel biplane fighters to train at the end of 1917. In December 1917 No. 42 Training Squadron arrived and continued to train British pilots which were joined in the mid-1918 by Americans trainees. Following the Armistice with Germany the Americans departed but the training carried on, albeit not at the same pace until the training squadron was disbanded on 1 February 1919.

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