Cold War airfields C.1970

[Stockportcounty]

Woodford ?

[Innominate]

Was Rufforth still active as a RLG in 1970? Brough had no military presence by then.

[bobward]

Try Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust - UK or www,forgottenairfields.com, either of which may be helpful.

Also Horsham St Faiths, now Norwich International Airport would seem to fit your list. Although the RAF moved out in the mid-1960's jets from Coltishall had a habit of dropping in from time to time.

[DaveReidUK]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet:




Some of the location info is a bit iffy, but it's a mine of information nevertheless.

[DeepestSouth]

What about RAF Rufforth? Opened in, I think, 1941 and was still open, with hard runways, in the early 1970s and still has a gliding club using part of it. When things got busy at Church Fenton we'd decamp to Rufforth and operate there for the day.

[Archertwo]

Retford Gamston Airport
‘Still operating
EGNE

[Union Jack]

Originally Posted by Phileas Fogg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Airport

"In 1952 the runway was extended to 6000 ft to handle the Vampire FB5s operated by the resident 603 Squadron; and an aircraft arresting barrier net was installed to protect traffic on the adjacent A9 road. The net remained in place until the early 1970s and was used to stop one of the Ferranti Flying Unit Buccaneers which had over ran the runway. A further use was in 1970 when a Meteor TT20, operated by the RN Fleet Requirement Unit, overran the runway and ended up in the net."

If we're adding the dreaded FB5 single-seat trainer, I understand that RAF Turnhouse was also used as a temporary home for RAF Leuchars aircraft whilst runways at the latter were being surfaced, which probably brought more types into the mix.

Jack

[Douglas Bahada]

Middle Wallop?

[SilverFearn]

RAF Woolsington (Newcastle Airport), RAF Usworth (Sunderland Airport - now Nissan)

[bsmasher]

Halfpenny Green. I thing is would have been Bobbington when originally built

[Phileas Fogg]

Originally Posted by chevvron

Originally Posted by Phileas Fogg View Post
Bishops Court
Holme-On-Spalding Moor Not military in 1970
Dounreay
Portland Heliport only
Stansted Mountfitchet Civil since the late '50s
North Weald "
Duxford Civil since the '60s
Hemswell
Biggin Hill Civil since the 60s
Kenley
Aston Down

Dunsfold and Warton both civil since the '50s too.

What the OP asked for were military airfields that served during the cold war, wef 1947, and remained as active airfields until circa 1970 that had surfaced runways that one could make an approach to and land on, he didn't specify that they needed to remain military thru until circa 1970 nor if the approach and land would be in a fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, only airfields that had served as military during the cold war which excludes any airfields whose military serving ended pre 1947.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Douglas Bahada

Middle Wallop?

Not hard surface.

[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by chevvron

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phileas Fogg View Post
Bishops Court
Holme-On-Spalding Moor Not military in 1970
Dounreay
Portland Heliport only
Stansted Mountfitchet Civil since the late '50s
North Weald "
Duxford Civil since the '60s
Hemswell
Biggin Hill Civil since the 60s
Kenley
Aston Down

Dunsfold and Warton both civil since the '50s too.

chevvron you may have missed that RNAS Portland/HMS Osprey certainly had a runway, most of which is still there. Regardless that it was a helicopter base!

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

Regardless that it was a helicopter base!

Helicopters often use runways for takeoff, if one is available, for performance reasons.

[Phileas Fogg]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

chevvron you may have missed that RNAS Portland/HMS Osprey certainly had a runway, most of which is still there. Regardless that it was a helicopter base!

That is all of the runway that is still there, even if it has white white (disused) 'X's painted on it, the OP asked for surfaced runways that one could approach/land on and a chopper or Harrier would have no probs, indeed I know of a Twotter pilot or few that would have a go

[Hangar_9]

Thank you to everybody that has responded so far! I have updated the initial post to reflect the missing airfields mentioned by your inputs.

[Vendee]

The Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Norfolk has a 1200 ft concrete runway which was build for the Harrier force in the 70's/80'S
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.54.../data=!3m1!1e3

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[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

Helicopters often use runways for takeoff, if one is available, for performance reasons.

Goodness, thank you for that. I’ve only 53 years of driving them around the world, both Mil and Civ.

Originally Posted by Hangar_9

My interest is that of RAF / RN / AAC / USAF airfields (or any military), in the UK that were active and still open until circa. 1970.

I'd like to create a comprehensive list of all airfields with a concrete or asphalt runway that were in use in any way at all. It could be a training field (i.e Oakington) through to front line (Leuchars). The emphasis is on a physical in-use hard runway at this location.

I would have thought that RNAS Portland met those requirements, especially as a base for many frontline Naval Air Squadrons heavily involved in the Cold War.

[Phileas Fogg]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

Goodness, thank you for that. I’ve only 53 years of driving them around the world, both Mil and Civ.



I would have thought that RNAS Portland met those requirements, especially as a base for many frontline Naval Air Squadrons heavily involved in the Cold War.

Thank you

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

Goodness, thank you for that. I’ve only 53 years of driving them around the world, both Mil and Civ.

While my observation on helicopters and runways quoted your post, it wasn't necessarily for your benefit.

Incidentally, the eagle-eyed may have noticed that the Portland runway was realigned by around 11° at some point in the past, for reasons that aren't immediately obvious: