Royal Air Force Station Sturgate was an airfield located 10 miles north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

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Royal Air Force

The airfield was opened in 1944 at Royal Air Force Station Sturgate. Originally used for blind flying training two operational Lancaster squadrons arrived in June 1945 but both then moved to RAF Waddington

RAF Waddington

RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....

 in January 1946. The station closed to flying between 1946 and 1953.

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 50 Squadron RAF No. 50 Squadron RAF No. 50 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed during the First World War as a home defence fighter squadron, and operated as a bomber squadron during the Second World War and the Cold War. It disbanded for the last time in 1984....	1945-1946	Avro Lancaster Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...	I & III	Four-engined heavy bomber
No. 61 Squadron RAF	1945-1946	Avro Lancaster	II	Four-engined heavy bomber

United States Air Force

In 1953 the station was allocated for use by 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...

 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...

 and the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing operating the Republic F-84 Thunderjet

F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...

. It was also used to house SAC bombers on temporary duty (TDY) from the United States. The airfield was closed in 1964.

Civil use

A corner of the original airfield is now used as an unlicensed aerodrome for civil use as Sturgate Airfield

Sturgate Airfield

Sturgate Airfield is an aerodrome located 10 miles north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. Originally opened in 1944 as RAF Sturgate, the airfield was planned as an operational bomber air station, but opened too late to see active use...

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