RAF Kemble
Encyclopedia
RAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force
airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows
, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there. In 1983 the Red Arrows moved operations to RAF Scampton
and the base was used by the US Air Force as a maintenance facility for A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft.
Although the base is now officially closed as an RAF station, and is instead used as a civilian flying ground, the base is still owned by the Ministry of Defence
.
The airfield has a tarmacadam runway which can accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747
. Curiously, there is a cafe/bar on site called AV8 (a pun on "aviate") which can only be reached from the entrance gate by crossing the main runway. Traffic lights warn when an aircraft is about to take off or land.
The current airport at the site was renamed Cotswold Airport in 2009, having previously operated as "Kemble Airport" or "Kemble Airfield".
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...
airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there. In 1983 the Red Arrows moved operations to RAF Scampton
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Station Scampton is a Royal Air Force station situated north of Lincoln in England, near the village of Scampton, on the site of an old First World War landing field.-First World War:...
and the base was used by the US Air Force as a maintenance facility for A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft.
Although the base is now officially closed as an RAF station, and is instead used as a civilian flying ground, the base is still owned by the Ministry of Defence
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....
.
The airfield has a tarmacadam runway which can accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
. Curiously, there is a cafe/bar on site called AV8 (a pun on "aviate") which can only be reached from the entrance gate by crossing the main runway. Traffic lights warn when an aircraft is about to take off or land.
The current airport at the site was renamed Cotswold Airport in 2009, having previously operated as "Kemble Airport" or "Kemble Airfield".