RAF Bruntingthorpe
Encyclopedia
RAF Bruntingthorpe was a Royal Air Force
station in Leicestershire
between 1942 and 1962.
. Bruntingthorpe was not used between 1946 and 1957 when it transferred to the United States Air Force
as a satellite of RAF Alconbury
. A new longer runway was built in 1959 when the 100th Bomb Wing
of Strategic Air Command
moved in operating the Boeing B-47 Stratojet
. From August 1959 the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
's 19th TRS was based at the station operating the Douglas RB-66B
. RAF Bruntingthorpe was closed when the USAF left in 1962.
The airfield is now known as Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome
, and is no longer the home of the airworthy Avro Vulcan
XH558, the aircraft leaving at the start of the 2009 display season, she is currently at RAF Lyneham
.
It is also home to the Lightning Preservation Group whose pair of Lightning F6
s can be seen carrying out fast taxi and takeoff runs on open days.
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 in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
between 1942 and 1962.
History
The station was opened in 1942 as home of 29 Operational Training Unit operating the Vickers WellingtonVickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. Bruntingthorpe was not used between 1946 and 1957 when it transferred to the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
as a satellite of RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
. A new longer runway was built in 1959 when the 100th Bomb Wing
100th Air Refueling Wing
The 100th Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, England. It is also the host wing at RAF Mildenhall....
of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
moved in operating the Boeing B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
. From August 1959 the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
10th Air Base Wing
The 10th Air Base Wing is a non-flying United States Air Force unit that is the host wing for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Components:...
's 19th TRS was based at the station operating the Douglas RB-66B
B-66 Destroyer
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
. RAF Bruntingthorpe was closed when the USAF left in 1962.
The airfield is now known as Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome
Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome
Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground is a privately owned airport in Leicestershire near the village of Bruntingthorpe. It was opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe in 1942.- United States Air Force use:...
, and is no longer the home of the airworthy Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
XH558, the aircraft leaving at the start of the 2009 display season, she is currently at RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No...
.
It is also home to the Lightning Preservation Group whose pair of Lightning F6
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
s can be seen carrying out fast taxi and takeoff runs on open days.
External links
- middle of runwaySee also
- Strategic Air Command in the United KingdomStrategic Air Command in the United KingdomDuring the mid- to late 1940s the United States Air Forces in Europe was occupied with supporting the movement of men and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command to bases in England.-Early Cold War Tensions:...