Cranfield Airport
Encyclopedia
Cranfield Airport is an airfield just outside the village of Cranfield
, 7 NM south-west of Bedford
in Bedfordshire
, England. It was originally a World War II aerodrome, RAF Cranfield.
Cranfield Aerodrome has a CAA
Ordinary Licence (Number P803) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Cranfield University
) situated next to the site.
Cranfield is used extensively by fixed-wing and helicopter flight training organisations, of which there are many who operate out of the field. Additionally, general aviation
, small business aircraft and private jets make use of the facilities. The airfield is 3 mi (4.8 km) from the M1 motorway
and the city of Milton Keynes
, making it the nearest to the town. Although the length of the runway means that Cranfield can handle some larger airliners, the rest of the immediate infrastructure is not geared up for passenger flights. The nearest such airport is London Luton Airport
.
Facilities for pilots include Non-directional beacon
'CIT 850' which is located 3.5 NM to the north-east of the aerodrome and 'ICR 108.9' Instrument landing system
for runway 21. New to Cranfield airport is they now have DME serviceable for runway 21.
in 1935 as Britain re-armed to face the growing threats on the continent. It was formally opened on 1 June 1937 and initially became the base for No. 62 Squadron RAF
and No. 82 Squadron RAF
of No. 1 (Bomber) Group
, flying the already obsolescent Hawker Hind
biplanes.
Both squadrons converted to Blenheim 1s in 1938. 62 Squadron was moved to Singapore
in August 1939 where it was destroyed by the invading Japanese. RAF Cranfield's grass airstrip was replaced with three hardened runways in the winter of 1939 and spring of 1940 and became a target for enemy action in the late summer of that year, with mines, bombs and incendiaries dropped on it and the nearby village of Cranfield
.
Aircraftsman Vivian Hollowday
, serving at the airfield, won the George Cross
for the attempted rescue of two crews which crashed there in July and August 1940.
August 1941 saw the fast developing station become a night fighter training centre with the arrival of No. 51 Night fighter Operational Training Unit. This was disbanded after the end of the war in Europe in June 1945 and the airfield became the site for a new College of Aeronautics
. This college helped develop the highly successful Harrier Jump Jet
and has serviced the Hurricane
s and Spitfire
s of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
. The UK's sole remaining airworthy Avro Lancaster
was based at Cranfield until 1964.
Cranfield
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District....
, 7 NM south-west of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England. It was originally a World War II aerodrome, RAF Cranfield.
Cranfield Aerodrome has a CAA
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London Borough of Camden...
Ordinary Licence (Number P803) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
) situated next to the site.
Cranfield is used extensively by fixed-wing and helicopter flight training organisations, of which there are many who operate out of the field. Additionally, general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, small business aircraft and private jets make use of the facilities. The airfield is 3 mi (4.8 km) from the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
and the city of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, making it the nearest to the town. Although the length of the runway means that Cranfield can handle some larger airliners, the rest of the immediate infrastructure is not geared up for passenger flights. The nearest such airport is London Luton Airport
London Luton Airport
London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...
.
Facilities for pilots include Non-directional beacon
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
'CIT 850' which is located 3.5 NM to the north-east of the aerodrome and 'ICR 108.9' Instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
for runway 21. New to Cranfield airport is they now have DME serviceable for runway 21.
RAF Cranfield
It was built on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of farmland acquired by the Air MinistryAir Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1935 as Britain re-armed to face the growing threats on the continent. It was formally opened on 1 June 1937 and initially became the base for No. 62 Squadron RAF
No. 62 Squadron RAF
-World War I:No. 62 Squadron RAF was formed on 8 August 1916, at Filton from No. 7 Training Squadron. In May 1917 it equipped with the Bristol F2B, before being posted to France in January 1918. The squadron operated as fighter-reconnaissance unit until disbanding on 31 July 1919. Its wartime...
and No. 82 Squadron RAF
No. 82 Squadron RAF
No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as a Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile unit...
of No. 1 (Bomber) Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
, flying the already obsolescent Hawker Hind
Hawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
biplanes.
Both squadrons converted to Blenheim 1s in 1938. 62 Squadron was moved to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in August 1939 where it was destroyed by the invading Japanese. RAF Cranfield's grass airstrip was replaced with three hardened runways in the winter of 1939 and spring of 1940 and became a target for enemy action in the late summer of that year, with mines, bombs and incendiaries dropped on it and the nearby village of Cranfield
Cranfield
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District....
.
Aircraftsman Vivian Hollowday
Vivian Hollowday
Corporal Vivian Hollowday was a British recipient of the George Cross, the highest British medal for gallantry not in the face of the enemy...
, serving at the airfield, won the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
for the attempted rescue of two crews which crashed there in July and August 1940.
August 1941 saw the fast developing station become a night fighter training centre with the arrival of No. 51 Night fighter Operational Training Unit. This was disbanded after the end of the war in Europe in June 1945 and the airfield became the site for a new College of Aeronautics
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
. This college helped develop the highly successful Harrier Jump Jet
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...
and has serviced the 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 and Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
. The UK's sole remaining airworthy 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...
was based at Cranfield until 1964.
External links
- Official site
- Cranfield Airport from the air
- Facility for Airborne Atmospheric MeasurementsFacility for Airborne Atmospheric MeasurementsThe Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements , based on the Cranfield University campus alongside Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire, England, is an organisation formed by a collaboration between the Met Office and the Natural Environment Research Council .-Applications:The FAAM was...
- Control Towers Website: RAF Cranfield