Cold War airfields C.1970

[XV490]

Bovingdon shut in 1968.

[PaulH1]

I believe there was another small aerodrome nearby called Little Snoring. Several pilots had entries of Little Snoring to Sleap in their logbooks!

[ORAC]

RAF Benbecula. RAF radar site (CRP Benbecula) at the end of the runway, still in use as a civil airfield.

RAF Stornaway. RAF ECM Evaluation Unit (112SU). Runway still in use as civil airfield.

[Pontius Navigator]

Middle Wallop
Swanton Morley
Debden

[Bigpants]

Tangmere, had a trip in a glider there c1973 and apparently aircraft from RAF Thorney Island had used the runways for circuit training.

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

[Sleeve Wing]

RNAS Milltown, Morayshire. Satellite (MADDLS) for RNAS Lossiemouth
RAF Honiley. RAFVR unsure when it closed. 1957 ?
Wymeswold . Operated by Fields Aviation in the middle 60s but used as a satellite by RAFC Cranwell and occasionally Wittering for Harrier deployments
RAF Andover. Grass.

[Peter G-W]

St Davids, crash diversion for Brawdy.

[Phileas Fogg]

Bishops Court
Holme-On-Spalding Moor
Dounreay
Portland
Stansted Mountfitchet
North Weald
Duxford
Hemswell
Biggin Hill
Kenley
Aston Down

[major_tom]

If anyone has photos that would be neat

Love looking at some nostalgia

[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by Pontius Navigator

Prestwick, 2 bomber dispersal

RNAS Prestwick/HMS Gannet was also home to 819NAS from 1971 when they moved from Ballykelly, IIRC. 819’s main task was to sanitise vast areas of oggin to facilitate the departure from Faslane of SSBNs on patrol, a very Cold War occupation.

HMS Gannet at Prestwick continued as home to Sea Kings of 771 until a few years ago when MilSAR was privatised; it’s now a support base.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by simple9

Sorry that I post on your threat, while it may not be related to it but... can anyone tell me trainer military aircrafts based on edinburgh between 1945 and 1980?

Chipmunks.

[Rowley Birkin]

Found this on Airfield Information Exchange....
STARVE ACRE: N51.19.19/W00.47.25. A strip here was used from circa 1964 by the AAC to teach Tactical Field landings etc( using Beavers ). and for AOP9 ops.Other aircraft seen to land there were Army helicopters including Allouettes. Harriers were reported to have also used the strip on rare occasions.Sources state that no use was reported after circa 1998.Runways (two ) are believed to have been gravel covered with tarmac. The tarmac has now been removed.

[Phileas Fogg]

Originally Posted by simple9

Sorry that I post on your threat, while it may not be related to it but... can anyone tell me trainer military aircrafts based on edinburgh between 1945 and 1980?

Thank you

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."

[FantomZorbin]

I believe that Watton was being used by USAF until quite recently (within the last 5 years) for air-dropping.

[Phileas Fogg]

Originally Posted by FantomZorbin

I believe that Watton was being used by USAF until quite recently (within the last 5 years) for air-dropping.

Having been stationed at Watton and a member of a 'Pheasant Pluckers' fb group I feel reasonably up to date, Watton camp is now a residential housing estate complete with corner shops, the hangars are gone (I think) and with much, if not all, of the runway dug up in favour of agriculture.

The USAF never came dropping even when we were active but it was fun of a Friday afternoon when the likes of A10 pairs would give us a beat-up at Eastern Radar

You might be thinking of the nearby Stanford PTA, where all the outside filming of Dad's Army was filmed, a totally sealed off area and ideal for dropping

[Fareastdriver]

There is an app on Google Maps which shows all the wartime airfields. Google Earth Pro wont work on my W7 so I cannot show you how.

[Union Jack]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

Chipmunks.

Yes indeed, and on which my elder brother learned to fly before he could drive!

Jack

[Pontius Navigator]

Kirton Lindsey, another of the Lincolnshire ridge airfields.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Pontius Navigator

Kirton Lindsey, another of the Lincolnshire ridge airfields.

The OP specifically asked for 'hard runway' airfields. Kirton is not neither is Swanton Morley, Andover and several others mentioned.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Phileas Fogg

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.