Brough Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Brough Aerodrome is located at Brough
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
.
The site was first used by the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company
during World War I
for the testing of seaplanes.
Brough played its part in preparing future WW2 fighter pilots for the Battle of Britain. Yorkshire members of The Few including local Spitfire pilot Ronald Berry, and for a short spell high scoring fighter ace James Ginger Lacey, honed their flying skills whilst at the Brough Flying Training School on Blackburn B-2 biplanes.
In 1949, the company changed name to Blackburn & General Aircraft Limited, which built a number of aircraft at Brough, including the Blackburn Beverley
transport aircraft and the Blackburn Buccaneer
maritime strike aircraft.
In the 1960s, the company became part of Hawker Siddeley Aviation and the site continued with the production of the Buccaneer.
The company became part of British Aerospace
and later BAE Systems
and the site continues to build and support military aircraft. Until the end of production, BAE Harriers
were built at Brough. The airfield closed in the early 1990s after the daily shuttle flights to BAe Warton ended due to cost-cutting. Continuing to this day, variants of the BAe Hawks are built at Brough, but initially had to be transported by road to BAe Warton for test flying.
On 7 September 2007, however, the company announced that it intended to fly all future Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft from Brough to Warton at a rate of two per month. It is unsure whether the airfield will become fully operational though. On 28 January 2008 flying resumed with the take off of a demonstration version of the Hawk. Around the 30 April 2009, an F-35 Lightning II
static test airframe arrived at Brough Aerodrome. It is the first such aircraft to be delivered to the UK.
On 27th September 2011 the company announced that it intended the manufacturing of aircraft at Brough to end, effectively closing the worlds oldest aircraft factory. A Battle for Brough campaign was immediately launched to save the historic site.
Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire
Brough , or Brough-on-Humber, is a small town in the civil parish of Elloughton-cum-Brough in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town has a population of around 7,000.-Location:...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, 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...
.
The site was first used by the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company
Blackburn Aircraft
Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
for the testing of seaplanes.
Brough played its part in preparing future WW2 fighter pilots for the Battle of Britain. Yorkshire members of The Few including local Spitfire pilot Ronald Berry, and for a short spell high scoring fighter ace James Ginger Lacey, honed their flying skills whilst at the Brough Flying Training School on Blackburn B-2 biplanes.
In 1949, the company changed name to Blackburn & General Aircraft Limited, which built a number of aircraft at Brough, including 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:...
transport aircraft and the 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...
maritime strike aircraft.
In the 1960s, the company became part of Hawker Siddeley Aviation and the site continued with the production of the Buccaneer.
The company became part of British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
and later BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
and the site continues to build and support military aircraft. Until the end of production, BAE Harriers
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
were built at Brough. The airfield closed in the early 1990s after the daily shuttle flights to BAe Warton ended due to cost-cutting. Continuing to this day, variants of the BAe Hawks are built at Brough, but initially had to be transported by road to BAe Warton for test flying.
On 7 September 2007, however, the company announced that it intended to fly all future Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft from Brough to Warton at a rate of two per month. It is unsure whether the airfield will become fully operational though. On 28 January 2008 flying resumed with the take off of a demonstration version of the Hawk. Around the 30 April 2009, an F-35 Lightning II
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
static test airframe arrived at Brough Aerodrome. It is the first such aircraft to be delivered to the UK.
On 27th September 2011 the company announced that it intended the manufacturing of aircraft at Brough to end, effectively closing the worlds oldest aircraft factory. A Battle for Brough campaign was immediately launched to save the historic site.