RAF Langford Lodge
Encyclopedia
RAF Langford Lodge is a former Royal Air Force
station near Belfast, Northern Ireland
. Today the airfield is owned by RLC (UK) a subsidiary of RLC Engineering Group which is head quartered in the Isle of Man. Langford Lodge is located on the eastern shores of Lough Neagh
and close to RAF Aldergrove
/Belfast International Airport
and the former RAF Nutts Corner
.
, as such thousands of aircraft were processed on their way to active service in Britain, North Africa
, the Mediterranean and mainland Europe
.
Langford Lodge was a target in Operation Grün (Ireland), a second front to Operation Sea Lion, which was the planned Nazi
invasion of Britain. German paratroopers were to capture Langford Lodge, Aldergrove and Nutts Corner while RAF Long Kesh
, Lisburn
was to be destroyed.
Some of the wartime airfield facilities used to house the Ulster Aviation Society's Heritage Centre. Exhibits included a Blackburn Buccaneer
, a Hawker Sea Hawk
and a Westland Wessex
. The Society has now moved out and is finding a new home for the collection.
Notably, on 2 March 1989 a Dan Air BAe 748, bound for Belfast International Airport
, mistakenly landed at Langford Lodge.
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 near Belfast, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Today the airfield is owned by RLC (UK) a subsidiary of RLC Engineering Group which is head quartered in the Isle of Man. Langford Lodge is located on the eastern shores of Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
and close to RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area...
/Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
and the former RAF Nutts Corner
RAF Nutts Corner
RAF Nutts Corner was a Royal Air Force station in County Antrim near Belfast. It was originally a civil airfield, then it became a military airfield and subsequently Northern Ireland's main civil airport until the 1960s.-Civil operations:...
.
History
Opened in 1942 the base was an air depot for the United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, as such thousands of aircraft were processed on their way to active service in Britain, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, the Mediterranean and mainland Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Langford Lodge was a target in Operation Grün (Ireland), a second front to Operation Sea Lion, which was the planned Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
invasion of Britain. German paratroopers were to capture Langford Lodge, Aldergrove and Nutts Corner while RAF Long Kesh
RAF Long Kesh
RAF Long Kesh was a Royal Air Force station at Maze, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, from 1941 until 1971.Various aircraft operated from the base during World War II, including the Supermarine Seafire and Spitfire....
, Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
was to be destroyed.
Some of the wartime airfield facilities used to house the Ulster Aviation Society's Heritage Centre. Exhibits included a 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...
, a Hawker Sea Hawk
Hawker Sea Hawk
The Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm , the air branch of the Royal Navy , built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its origins stemmed from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk became the...
and a Westland Wessex
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 "Choctaw", developed under license by Westland Aircraft , initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force...
. The Society has now moved out and is finding a new home for the collection.
Notably, on 2 March 1989 a Dan Air BAe 748, bound for Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
, mistakenly landed at Langford Lodge.