RAF Weston-super-Mare
Encyclopedia
RAF Weston-super-Mare was a Royal Air Force
station on a civilian airfield in Weston-super-Mare
, Somerset
, England.
It was set up as a municipal civilian airport in the 1930s before being taken over by the RAF in World War II
for training and technical services. It was also the site of an aircraft production facility. In the postwar period it was used by Westland Helicopters
. It is now home to the Helicopter Museum
.
had encouraged local authorities to build airfields as part of his 'Municipal Aerodromes Scheme' in the late 1920s. In May 1936, scheduled air services were started by Railway Air Services
using the de Havilland Dragon
and de Havilland Express
to fly from Plymouth
to Haldon
, then across the Bristol Channel
to Cardiff Municipal Airport before recrossing the Bristol Channel to Weston and then flying on to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport
. The distance from Cardiff
to Weston is less than 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) across the water, however the road journey would have been around 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) or a trip on the Aust Ferry
before the Severn Bridge
opened in 1966, although the Severn Tunnel
enabled rail travel between South Gloucestershire
and South Wales
.
By 1938, a passenger terminal and administration building had been completed, along with a side opening hangar, and Western Airways started services using de Havilland Dragon Rapide
s and a de Havilland Dragonfly
, for a scheduled service via Birmingham to Manchester. On October 18, 1938, the Straight Corporation, headed by Whitney Straight
purchased control of Norman Edgar (Western Airways), Ltd. and renamed it Western Airways, Ltd.
opened a School of Technical Training at RAF Locking
, that did not have an airfield, but was only a mile from the Weston-super-Mare site. This was followed in 1939 by the establishment of No. 39 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS) at the airport, using Miles Magister
s and the Audax and Hind variants of the Hawker Hart
. In September 1939, the No. 39 ERFTS was disbanded and replaced by the No. 5 Civil Air Navigation School (CANS); both were run by the Straight Corporation, until the RAF took it over and renamed it No. 5 Air Observers Navigation School and, in 1940, transferred to Oudtshoorn, South Africa
, and were replaced by No. 10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School.
On 1 May 1940, the RAF formally took over the airfield, and a main runway of 4197 feet (1,279.2 m) was laid, with shorter runways of 2950 feet (899.2 m) and 2260 feet (688.8 m) on the grass. On the west of the airfield at Oldmixon, a factory was built by the Ministry of Aircraft Production
to manufacture the Bristol Beaufighter
, that were then flown out of the airfield. A Q-decoy site
was set up at Bleadon
, in an attempt to protect the factory from bombing by the Luftwaffe
.
In October 1942, it became the headquarters of No 286 Squadron RAF that operated a variety of aircraft, including Hawker Hurricane
s, Boulton Paul Defiant
s and Airspeed Oxford
s, to provide targets for anti-aircraft gun practice in the west country of England. 286 Squadron was replaced in November 1943 by a detachment of No. 116 Squadron RAF
its main task was the calibration of predictors and AA radar used by numerous Anti-aircraft
batteries in the UK. In March 1944, an Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit was added, that used ranges in the Bristol Channel for testing, and stayed at Weston until 1949.
It was latterly as the Polish Air Force
Staff College from April 1944 to April 1946.
Helicopter Division, headed by helicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner
, that transferred there from Filton. Production at the site included the Sycamore
, that was the first British
-designed helicopter
to fly and serve with the Royal Air Force, that used it for search and rescue
and anti-submarine warfare
. The Belvedere
followed, a twin-engine, tandem rotor
military helicopter
. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation. It was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1969. In 1960, the factory was taken over by Westland
, and served as a logistics supply station, until closure in 1987.
The airfield was the home to Number 87 Glider Squadron (No 87 GS), that had been set up at Weston in 1943, and later became Number 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron
(No 621 VGS) staying at the site until 1993, when it moved to RAF Hullavington
.
Today there is an operational heliport
on site, used occasionally by the RAF Search and Rescue service. The former Westland site, that closed in 2002, houses The Helicopter Museum
that took over part of the site in 1978 including a second world war armoury building and air-raid shelter.
In 2011 a housing development, to be named Winterstoke Village after the Hundred of Winterstoke
, was proposed.
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 on a civilian airfield in Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
It was set up as a municipal civilian airport in the 1930s before being taken over by the RAF in 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...
for training and technical services. It was also the site of an aircraft production facility. In the postwar period it was used by Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
. It is now home to the Helicopter Museum
The Helicopter Museum (Weston)
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military...
.
First airport
The airport was started by Weston-super-Mare Urban District Council in the 1930s. Sir Alan CobhamAlan Cobham
Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC was an English aviation pioneer.A member of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, Alan Cobham became famous as a pioneer of long distance aviation. After the war he became a test pilot for the de Havilland aircraft company, and was the first pilot for the newly...
had encouraged local authorities to build airfields as part of his 'Municipal Aerodromes Scheme' in the late 1920s. In May 1936, scheduled air services were started by Railway Air Services
Railway Air Services
Railway Air Services was a British airline formed in March 1934 by four railway companies and Imperial Airways. The airline was a domestic airline operating routes within the United Kingdom linking up with Imperial's services....
using the de Havilland Dragon
De Havilland Dragon
|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...
and de Havilland Express
De Havilland Express
The de Havilland Express was a four-engined passenger aircraft from the 1930s manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:...
to fly from Plymouth
Plymouth City Airport
Plymouth City Airport is an airport located within the City of Plymouth north northeast of the city centre in Devon, England. The airport opened on this site in 1925 and was officially opened by the Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, in 1931...
to Haldon
Haldon
The Haldon Hills, usually known simply as Haldon, is a ridge of high ground in Devon, England. It is situated between the River Exe and the River Teign and runs northwards from Teignmouth, on the coast, for about until it dwindles away north west of Exeter at the River Yeo, just south of Crediton...
, then across the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
to Cardiff Municipal Airport before recrossing the Bristol Channel to Weston and then flying on to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport
Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport
Bristol Airport, also known as Whitchurch Airport, was a municipal airport in Bristol, England, three miles south of the city centre, from 1930 to 1957. It was the main airport for Bristol and area...
. The distance from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to Weston is less than 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) across the water, however the road journey would have been around 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) or a trip on the Aust Ferry
Aust Ferry
Aust Ferry or Beachley Ferry was a ferry service that operated across the River Severn between Aust and Beachley both in Gloucestershire, England. Before the Severn Bridge opened in 1966, it provided a daily service for road traffic crossing between the West Country and South Wales...
before the Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
opened in 1966, although the Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
enabled rail travel between South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
and South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
By 1938, a passenger terminal and administration building had been completed, along with a side opening hangar, and Western Airways started services using de Havilland Dragon Rapide
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
s and a de Havilland Dragonfly
De Havilland Dragonfly
-References:*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing.*Hayes, P & King, B. de Havilland biplane transports. Coulsden: Gatwick Aviation Society ISBN 0 95304132 8...
, for a scheduled service via Birmingham to Manchester. On October 18, 1938, the Straight Corporation, headed by Whitney Straight
Whitney Straight
Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight CBE, MC, DFC was a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator, businessman, and a member of the prominent Whitney family of the United States....
purchased control of Norman Edgar (Western Airways), Ltd. and renamed it Western Airways, Ltd.
RAF use
On 2 January 1939, the Royal Air ForceRoyal 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...
opened a School of Technical Training at RAF Locking
Raf locking
RAF Locking was a Royal Air Force base at Locking just outside Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.Slightly north of the base is the site of Locking Castle a motte and bailey castle on Carberry Hill...
, that did not have an airfield, but was only a mile from the Weston-super-Mare site. This was followed in 1939 by the establishment of No. 39 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS) at the airport, using Miles Magister
Miles Magister
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Amos, Peter. Miles Aircraft = The early years. Tonbridge: Air-Britain, 2009. ISBN 978 0 85130 410 6...
s and the Audax and Hind variants of the Hawker Hart
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft...
. In September 1939, the No. 39 ERFTS was disbanded and replaced by the No. 5 Civil Air Navigation School (CANS); both were run by the Straight Corporation, until the RAF took it over and renamed it No. 5 Air Observers Navigation School and, in 1940, transferred to Oudtshoorn, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and were replaced by No. 10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School.
On 1 May 1940, the RAF formally took over the airfield, and a main runway of 4197 feet (1,279.2 m) was laid, with shorter runways of 2950 feet (899.2 m) and 2260 feet (688.8 m) on the grass. On the west of the airfield at Oldmixon, a factory was built by the Ministry of Aircraft Production
Minister of Aircraft Production
The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II...
to manufacture the Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
, that were then flown out of the airfield. A Q-decoy site
Starfish site
Starfish sites, or bombing decoy sites, were deliberately created simulations of burning towns that were constructed in Britain during World War II. The name came from the code name for one of the sites, "Starfish", itself from the original code, SF, for Special Fire.Starfish sites were used to...
was set up at Bleadon
Bleadon
Bleadon is a village and civil parish in the historic countyof Somerset, England. It is about south of Weston-super-Mare and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 1,068.-History:...
, in an attempt to protect the factory from bombing by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
In October 1942, it became the headquarters of No 286 Squadron RAF that operated a variety of aircraft, including Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s, Boulton Paul Defiant
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
s and Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
s, to provide targets for anti-aircraft gun practice in the west country of England. 286 Squadron was replaced in November 1943 by a detachment of No. 116 Squadron RAF
No. 116 Squadron RAF
No. 116 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, was formed on 1 December 1917 at Andover and was intended to become a night bomber unit but the end of the war resulted in the Squadron's disbandment on 20 November 1918....
its main task was the calibration of predictors and AA radar used by numerous Anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
batteries in the UK. In March 1944, an Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit was added, that used ranges in the Bristol Channel for testing, and stayed at Weston until 1949.
It was latterly as the Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
Staff College from April 1944 to April 1946.
Post war use
RAF training in conjunction with RAF Locking continued after the World War II, but also civilian flights resumed. In 1955, the old Beaufighter factory at Oldmixon was converted for use by the Bristol Aeroplane CompanyBristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
Helicopter Division, headed by helicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner
Raoul Hafner
Raoul Hafner, , was an Austrian-born British helicopter pioneer and engineer.Raoul Hafner, FEng, FRAes, a pioneer of rotating wing aircraft design, died as a result of a yachting accident, was an Austrian who made a distinctive contribution to the British aerospace industry, particularly the...
, that transferred there from Filton. Production at the site included the Sycamore
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
, that was the first British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-designed 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...
to fly and serve with the Royal Air Force, that used it for search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
and anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
. The Belvedere
Bristol Belvedere
The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation...
followed, a twin-engine, tandem rotor
Tandem rotor
Tandem rotor helicopters have two large horizontal rotor assemblies mounted one in front of the other. Currently this configuration is mainly used for large cargo helicopters....
military 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...
. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation. It was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1969. In 1960, the factory was taken over by Westland
Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
, and served as a logistics supply station, until closure in 1987.
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....
(No 621 VGS) staying at the site until 1993, when it moved to RAF Hullavington
RAF Hullavington
RAF Hullavington was a Royal Air Force station in Hullavington, near Chippenham, Wiltshire.RAF Hullavington has switched regiments. At the current time it is RLC-Royal Logistic Corps.-History:Opened on 9 July 1937 as a Flying Training School....
.
Today there is an operational heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
on site, used occasionally by the RAF Search and Rescue service. The former Westland site, that closed in 2002, houses The Helicopter Museum
The Helicopter Museum (Weston)
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military...
that took over part of the site in 1978 including a second world war armoury building and air-raid shelter.
In 2011 a housing development, to be named Winterstoke Village after the Hundred of Winterstoke
Hundred of Winterstoke
The Hundred of Winterstoke is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was...
, was proposed.