RAF Abingdon
Encyclopedia
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force
station near Abingdon
, Oxfordshire
. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps.
The barracks is named in honour of James Langley Dalton
, a Victoria Cross
winner at the Rorke's Drift
Mission Station, Natal, South Africa
, in January 1879 (as seen in the film Zulu
). Dalton was a member of the Army Commissary Corps, a predecessor of the Royal Logistic Corps
. Eleven Victoria Cross
es were awarded for this action.
The Army now uses the base for three regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps, the 3 and 4 and 12 Regiments that support the 3rd Division.
. It continued in this role throughout World War II
. Between 1940 to 1942, Abingdon's station commander was Herbert Massey
.
After World War II
RAF Abingdon became part of RAF Transport Command
, and also became the home of No 1 Parachute Training School which is now stationed at RAF Brize Norton
. The Parachute Training School, and RAF Abingdon generally, featured heavily in the 1953 Alan Ladd film "The Red Beret
" (aka "Paratrooper" in the USA), and the Parachute Training School was used as a location for some scenes for the films "Carve Her Name With Pride
" (1958) and "Operation Crossbow
" (1965) as well as the French comedy "Babette s'en va-t-en guerre" (1959) which starred Brigitte Bardot. On 14 June 1968 a royal review was conducted at RAF Abingdon by Queen Elizabeth II
to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF.
Circa 1948/49. No.47 Group Headquarters, of RAF Transport Command was located at RAF Abingdon and the station, its personnel and aircraft (Yorks and Hastings)were involved in the Berlin Airlift.
1952: Units at RAF Abingdon: Ferry Unit. Aircraft Mosquito
, Hornet
, Meteor
, Vampire
and Spitfire
s. 15 Sabres were ferried from Canada
, only 12 arrived. After checks and servicing the Sabres went to RAF Germany.
1953: All flying units dispersed to other units to make way for Nos 24 and No.47 Squadron
s operating Handley Page Hastings Marks 1,2 and 4. The three Mark 4 Hastings (shiny fleet} belonged to 24 Squadron, serialled WD324, 326 and 500.
1953: RAF Abingdon received the freedom of Abingdon
.
1955: 47 Squadron changed its Hastings for the Blackburn Beverley
. Later 24 Squadron moved to RAF Colerne
. It was replaced by No. 53 Squadron RAF
operating the Beverley.
Besides London University Air Squadron, the Oxford University Air Squadron was based at RAF Abingdon. Abingdon was also the home of no 6 AEF (Air Experience Flight) operating between 6-8 DHC Chipmunks for ATC/CCF Air Cadet flight experience training. 6 AEF was one of a very few locations that offered air cadets the "Air Cadet Navigator" training course, leading to the award of Cadet Navigation Wings.
In the late 1960s the Blackburn Beverley's hangars had dormer extensions put in the roof to take the extra height of the Belfast Transporter
's tail plane then taken on by 47 squadron. Once the nose of the Belfast was in the hangar the nose had to be lifted to get the tail fin under the lip of the roof. The nose was then lowered and the tail fin rose up into the dormer roof for that parking position. 46 squadron was also at Abingdon at this time flying Andovers" one of their roles being to support "UK MAM'S" ( United Kingdom, Mobile Air Movements.)Also based there. A small Army Air Dispatch unit was also supported by the airfield at this time.
From 1975 through to the 1990s Abingdon became a maintenance field, with A.M.S. ("Aircraft Maintenance Squadron") servicing BAE Hawk
, SEPECAT Jaguar
and Blackburn Buccaneer
Mk.S2B aircraft. In the early 80s the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster bomber spent a couple of winters at RAF Abingdon to undergo major refurbishment. During this period, RAF Abingdon was also home to "Field Repair Squadron" (later "Repair & Salvage Squadron") which included "Aircraft Repair Flight", "Salvage and Transportation Flt" (formerly 71 MU "Crash & Smash") and "Battle Damage Repair Flight". From 1981 many ex-airline Vickers VC10
s were stored at the base following their purchase by the MoD
. By the early 1990s the aircraft were either converted to tanker configuration or scrapped.
From 1986 to 1988 RAF Abingdon became home to the Thames Valley Police Air Support Unit, flying a helicopter
in support of police operations. It was also the home of the London University Air Squadron
in the seventies. An annual airshow
took place at RAF Abingdon until the late eighties.
The RAF purchased the remaining VC10 aircraft from British Airways
(BA) and prior to conversion to VC10 K Mk4 Tankers, these aircraft were stored for several years on the airfield at RAF Abingdon. It was intended that 3 Air Maintenance Support (3AMS) unit would move from RAF Brize Norton
, only a few miles away, to undertake the major servicing of the VC10 military fleet. This would have involved the modification of a number of hangers to raise the roof to allow access for the VC10 high tail section at a cost of £5m. A white paper to review defence requirements "Option for Change" recommended the closure of RAF Abingdon and that a new hanger, known as "Twin Peaks" be built at RAF St Athan with the reforming of 3 AMS, from RAF Brize Norton
to 1 AMS at RAF St Athan in August 1992.
The station was closed in December 1992. It was taken over by the British Army
and renamed Dalton Barracks, home to 3 & 4 regiments Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) transport; formally Royal Corps of Transport (RCT). RAF Benson
continues to use Abingdon as a diversion airfield and for helicopter training. No. 612 Volunteer Gliding Squadron
also continues to fly Grob Vigilant Motorgliders from Abingdon. The Gliding School allows members of the Air Cadets to take part in flying, such as a basic Gliding Induction Course (which normally lasts 3 flights), then allows cadets over 16 to progress onto a Gliding Scholarship, which over a number of weeks (or a week continuously), allows cadets to learn to fly the aircraft. This culminates in them undertaking in a solo circuit at the controls of the aircraft. Cadets can then take a longer course which includes navigational skills and advanced flight techniques. This leads to a higher class of Scholarship wings.
The two regiments that are based at Abingdon, are spilt down into four squadron each.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station near Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps.
The barracks is named in honour of James Langley Dalton
James Langley Dalton
James Langley Dalton VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
winner at the Rorke's Drift
Rorke's Drift
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers, immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of...
Mission Station, Natal, South Africa
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
, in January 1879 (as seen in the film Zulu
Zulu (film)
Zulu is a 1964 historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War....
). Dalton was a member of the Army Commissary Corps, a predecessor of the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
. Eleven Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es were awarded for this action.
The Army now uses the base for three regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps, the 3 and 4 and 12 Regiments that support the 3rd Division.
History
The base was opened in 1932, initially as a training station for RAF Bomber CommandRAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
. It continued in this role throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Between 1940 to 1942, Abingdon's station commander was Herbert Massey
Herbert Massey
Air Commodore Herbert Martin Massey CBE DSO MC was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during World War II. After being captured by the Germans, Massey became the Senior British Officer at Stalag Luft III....
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
RAF Abingdon became part of RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
, and also became the home of No 1 Parachute Training School which is now stationed at RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
. The Parachute Training School, and RAF Abingdon generally, featured heavily in the 1953 Alan Ladd film "The Red Beret
The Red Beret
The Red Beret is a 1953 British made Technicolor war film starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen. It deals with the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War. It is notable as the first film made by Warwick Films with many of the crew working on various Warwick Films and Albert R....
" (aka "Paratrooper" in the USA), and the Parachute Training School was used as a location for some scenes for the films "Carve Her Name With Pride
Carve Her Name with Pride
Carve Her Name with Pride is a 1958 British drama film based on the book of the same name by R.J. Minney. Set during World War II, the film is based on the true story of the heroism of Special Operations Executive agent Violette Szabo, with Virginia McKenna in the lead role.The film includes the...
" (1958) and "Operation Crossbow
Operation Crossbow
Crossbow was the code name of the World War II campaign of Anglo-American "operations against all phases of the German long-range weapons programme—operations against research and development of the weapons, their manufacture, transportation and their launching sites, and against missiles in flight"...
" (1965) as well as the French comedy "Babette s'en va-t-en guerre" (1959) which starred Brigitte Bardot. On 14 June 1968 a royal review was conducted at RAF Abingdon by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF.
Circa 1948/49. No.47 Group Headquarters, of RAF Transport Command was located at RAF Abingdon and the station, its personnel and aircraft (Yorks and Hastings)were involved in the Berlin Airlift.
1952: Units at RAF Abingdon: Ferry Unit. Aircraft Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, Hornet
De Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...
, Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
, Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
and Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s. 15 Sabres were ferried from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, only 12 arrived. After checks and servicing the Sabres went to RAF Germany.
1953: All flying units dispersed to other units to make way for Nos 24 and No.47 Squadron
No. 47 Squadron RAF
No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.-First formation:No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 1916 as a home defence unit, protecting Hull and East Yorkshire against attack by German...
s operating Handley Page Hastings Marks 1,2 and 4. The three Mark 4 Hastings (shiny fleet} belonged to 24 Squadron, serialled WD324, 326 and 500.
1953: RAF Abingdon received the freedom of Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
.
1955: 47 Squadron changed its Hastings for the Blackburn Beverley
Blackburn Beverley
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
. Later 24 Squadron moved to RAF Colerne
RAF Colerne
RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield or AEF Colerne is a former World War II RAF Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield located on the outskirts of the village of Colerne, Wiltshire...
. It was replaced by No. 53 Squadron RAF
No. 53 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 53 squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadron, it was sent to France to operate reconnaissance in December that year. The squadron was equipped with BE2Es—swapped for the RE8 in April 1917...
operating the Beverley.
Besides London University Air Squadron, the Oxford University Air Squadron was based at RAF Abingdon. Abingdon was also the home of no 6 AEF (Air Experience Flight) operating between 6-8 DHC Chipmunks for ATC/CCF Air Cadet flight experience training. 6 AEF was one of a very few locations that offered air cadets the "Air Cadet Navigator" training course, leading to the award of Cadet Navigation Wings.
In the late 1960s the Blackburn Beverley's hangars had dormer extensions put in the roof to take the extra height of the Belfast Transporter
Short Belfast
The Short Belfast is a heavy lift turboprop freighter built by Short Brothers at Belfast. Only 10 were built for the British Royal Air Force with the designation Short Belfast C.1. When they were retired by the RAF, five went into civilian service with the cargo airline HeavyLift Cargo Airlines...
's tail plane then taken on by 47 squadron. Once the nose of the Belfast was in the hangar the nose had to be lifted to get the tail fin under the lip of the roof. The nose was then lowered and the tail fin rose up into the dormer roof for that parking position. 46 squadron was also at Abingdon at this time flying Andovers" one of their roles being to support "UK MAM'S" ( United Kingdom, Mobile Air Movements.)Also based there. A small Army Air Dispatch unit was also supported by the airfield at this time.
From 1975 through to the 1990s Abingdon became a maintenance field, with A.M.S. ("Aircraft Maintenance Squadron") servicing BAE Hawk
BAE Hawk
The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
, SEPECAT Jaguar
SEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet ground attack aircraft, originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Armée de l'Air in the close air support and nuclear strike role, and still in service with several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force...
and Blackburn Buccaneer
Blackburn Buccaneer
The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British low-level subsonic strike aircraft with nuclear weapon delivery capability serving with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force between 1962 and 1994, including service in the 1991 Gulf War...
Mk.S2B aircraft. In the early 80s the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster bomber spent a couple of winters at RAF Abingdon to undergo major refurbishment. During this period, RAF Abingdon was also home to "Field Repair Squadron" (later "Repair & Salvage Squadron") which included "Aircraft Repair Flight", "Salvage and Transportation Flt" (formerly 71 MU "Crash & Smash") and "Battle Damage Repair Flight". From 1981 many ex-airline Vickers VC10
Vickers VC10
The Vickers VC10 is a long-range British airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, and first flown in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance routes with a high subsonic speed and also be capable of hot and high operations from African airports...
s were stored at the base following their purchase by the MoD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. By the early 1990s the aircraft were either converted to tanker configuration or scrapped.
From 1986 to 1988 RAF Abingdon became home to the Thames Valley Police Air Support Unit, flying a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
in support of police operations. It was also the home of the London University Air Squadron
University Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which primarily provide basic flying training, force development and adventurous training to undergraduate students at British universities...
in the seventies. An annual airshow
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
took place at RAF Abingdon until the late eighties.
The RAF purchased the remaining VC10 aircraft from British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
(BA) and prior to conversion to VC10 K Mk4 Tankers, these aircraft were stored for several years on the airfield at RAF Abingdon. It was intended that 3 Air Maintenance Support (3AMS) unit would move from RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
, only a few miles away, to undertake the major servicing of the VC10 military fleet. This would have involved the modification of a number of hangers to raise the roof to allow access for the VC10 high tail section at a cost of £5m. A white paper to review defence requirements "Option for Change" recommended the closure of RAF Abingdon and that a new hanger, known as "Twin Peaks" be built at RAF St Athan with the reforming of 3 AMS, from RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
to 1 AMS at RAF St Athan in August 1992.
The station was closed in December 1992. It was taken over by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and renamed Dalton Barracks, home to 3 & 4 regiments Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) transport; formally Royal Corps of Transport (RCT). RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
continues to use Abingdon as a diversion airfield and for helicopter training. No. 612 Volunteer Gliding Squadron
Volunteer Gliding Squadron
Volunteer Gliding Squadrons are Royal Air Force Flying Training Units , operating military Viking TX.1 and Vigilant T.1 gliders to train Air Cadets from the Combined Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps....
also continues to fly Grob Vigilant Motorgliders from Abingdon. The Gliding School allows members of the Air Cadets to take part in flying, such as a basic Gliding Induction Course (which normally lasts 3 flights), then allows cadets over 16 to progress onto a Gliding Scholarship, which over a number of weeks (or a week continuously), allows cadets to learn to fly the aircraft. This culminates in them undertaking in a solo circuit at the controls of the aircraft. Cadets can then take a longer course which includes navigational skills and advanced flight techniques. This leads to a higher class of Scholarship wings.
The two regiments that are based at Abingdon, are spilt down into four squadron each.
- 3 Logistic Support Regiment
- 21 Support Squadron
- 31 Support Squadron
- 32 Support Squadron
- 35 Headquarters Squadron
- 4 Logistic Support Regiment
- 4 Close Support Squadron
- 33 General Support Squadron
- 60 Close Support Squadron
- 75 Headquarters Squadron
Accidents and incidents
- 5 March 1957, a 53 SquadronNo. 53 Squadron RAF-History:No. 53 squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadron, it was sent to France to operate reconnaissance in December that year. The squadron was equipped with BE2Es—swapped for the RE8 in April 1917...
Blackburn BeverleyBlackburn BeverleyThe Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
crashed on approach1957 Sutton Wick Beverley accidentThe Sutton Wick air crash occurred on 5 March 1957, when a Blackburn Beverley C Mk 1 heavy transport aircraft, serial number XH117, of 53 Squadron Royal Air Force, crashed in the village of Sutton Wick, Drayton, Berkshire, England, near RAF Abingdon, Abingdon, following the failure of two of its...
at Sutton WickSutton Wick, OxfordshireSutton Wick is a village located near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England.-Air crash:A Blackburn Beverley C.Mk 1 heavy transport aircraft on a flight from RAF Abingdon crashed at Sutton Wick on 5 March 1957. All but four of the 22 people on board died in the accident, and two people were killed on the...
two miles from the airfield. Three crew, 15 passengers (including RAF Police and also their dogs) and two civilians on the ground were killed. - On 6 July 1965, an RAF Handley Page HastingsHandley Page HastingsThe Handley Page H.P.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force...
departing on a Parachute Drop crashed at Little Baldon1965 Little Baldon Hastings accidentThe Little Baldon air disaster occurred on 6 July 1965 when a Handley Page Hastings C1A transport aircraft operated by No. 36 Squadron Royal Air Force, registration TG577, crashed into a field in Little Baldon, near Chiselhampton, Oxfordshire, shortly after taking off from RAF Abingdon...
, with the loss of 41 lives. - On 23 September 1988, a McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 crashed at the airfield while practising for the annual airshow.
- On 14 September 1989, a Panavia TornadoPanavia TornadoThe Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
crashed near the base. - On 14 June 2009, an RAF Grob Tutor and a civilian gliderGlider (sailplane)A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
crashed near the airfield, killing an Air Training CorpsAir Training CorpsThe Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
cadetCadetA cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
and their instructor. The glider pilot managed to parachute from the aircraft in time and was unharmed.