RAF Staverton
Encyclopedia
RAF Staverton was a Royal Air Force
station near Cheltenham
, Gloucestershire
.
An airfield previously existed at Down Hatherley, and plans were in place pre-war to develop the new site. The RAF took over the site as a training school RAF Training from 10 September 1939 until August 1946. Flying training was conducted at the site on Tiger Moths, but for 18 months during construction the practical element of the course had to be undertaken at the relief landing ground at RAF Worcester.
No. 6 Air Observers Navigation School was also based at Staverton.
The Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog School was formed in late 1942, located at Woodfold in Down Hatherley
. In 1946 the unit, by now called the RAF Police Dog Training School, moved from Woodfold to RAF Staverton. In February 1951, the School left RAF Staverton and moved to RAF Netheravon.
During WW2, it was a satellite strip of Staverton that hosted the first flight of the Gloster 1 jet aircraft. Various testing took place at Staverton, including a plan for Lancasters to tow Spitfires from their bases to targets such as Tokyo. This plan of course was not needed following the surrender of the Japanese after two A-Bomb attacks.
In civil usage the site was known as Staverton Airport and is now called Gloucestershire Airport
.
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 Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
An airfield previously existed at Down Hatherley, and plans were in place pre-war to develop the new site. The RAF took over the site as a training school RAF Training from 10 September 1939 until August 1946. Flying training was conducted at the site on Tiger Moths, but for 18 months during construction the practical element of the course had to be undertaken at the relief landing ground at RAF Worcester.
No. 6 Air Observers Navigation School was also based at Staverton.
The Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog School was formed in late 1942, located at Woodfold in Down Hatherley
Down Hatherley
Down Hatherley is a civil parish and village in Tewkesbury near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It has approximately 165 houses and a population of 450....
. In 1946 the unit, by now called the RAF Police Dog Training School, moved from Woodfold to RAF Staverton. In February 1951, the School left RAF Staverton and moved to RAF Netheravon.
During WW2, it was a satellite strip of Staverton that hosted the first flight of the Gloster 1 jet aircraft. Various testing took place at Staverton, including a plan for Lancasters to tow Spitfires from their bases to targets such as Tokyo. This plan of course was not needed following the surrender of the Japanese after two A-Bomb attacks.
In civil usage the site was known as Staverton Airport and is now called Gloucestershire Airport
Gloucestershire Airport
Gloucestershire Airport , formerly Staverton Airport, is located at Staverton, in the Borough of Tewkesbury within Gloucestershire, England. It lies west of Cheltenham, near the city of Gloucester and close to the M5 motorway. According to the sign at the airport's entrance it is Gloucestershire's...
.