RAF C Type Hangars
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: North of Watford, South of Watford Gap
Age: 68
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Was there really an official item "Shed, Aeroplane, for the parking of"?
The firm which made the canvas Bessonneau Hangars from the First World War - some still in use in the late 1980s - was based in the French town of Angers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessonneau_hangar. Despite the French origin of the word 'hangar' I always wondered whether some RFC erk saw "Bessonneau, Angers" and pronounced the second word with a hard G...
As far as I'm aware, Farnborough only ever had one 'C' Type whch was 'B' Shed, now demolished but in use from at least '74 as the main stores. It was behind the also demolished 'A' Shed next to where the old control tower(s) used to stand.
Only 2 other original aircraft sheds remain, these being 'N' and 'D' Sheds which are between West 1 and West 2 Aprons.
'H' Shed was a T1 type on the south side next to a department known as 'Special Weapons' and it was used during wartime to house the first jet powered aircraft. As such I suggested it be retained and 'listed' status be applied for but as usual I was ignored and tragically it too has been demolished but building may have already started on a new hangar complex nearby to house a new maintenance facility.
Other Sheds all now demolished were :-
'C' Type T2 in west area
'E' Type T2 abutting the hill on which the airshow 'terraces' are built thus only useable from one end.
'F' Type T2 south side often known as 'ETPS Hangar'
'G' Robin or Type T1 north of what is now South 2 Apron.
'L' Type T2 in west area north of 'C' shed.
'M' Large Robin or possibly Type T1 on West Apron west of 'C' Shed (doors were just wide enough for the Aero Club Cherokee G-BBKX)
'Q' Type T2 constructed post war where 'Flight Safety International' now stands.
Two I'm not sure of are 'J' Shed; it could have been a Robin at the western end of 'A' Shed or it might have been the 'companion' black shed to 'K' Shed; the other is 'P' Shed and I have no idea where that might have been.
There were also one or two 'blisters' dotted around but as far as I'm aware, these were never included in the 'lettered' series although I suppose as one was next to 'Q' Shed, maybe that was 'P' Shed?
Last edited by chevvron; 12th Apr 2020 at 09:35.
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: North of Watford, South of Watford Gap
Age: 68
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
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1 Post
There were also one or two 'blisters' dotted around but as far as I'm aware, these were never included in the 'lettered' series although I suppose as one was next to 'Q' Shed, maybe that was 'P' Shed?
When I was at RAE (1982-84) Q shed housed the RAE Gliding and Aero Clubs, and a couple of Sea Vixens which I think were for apprentice training. I remember the adjoininng blister which we used as a workshop and had a phone with which got the daily forecast from a Stonehenge number. I was very disappointed that the met person never answered with "Chief Druid speaking"! I don't remember the Blister having a formal name.
'Stonehenge' was, I think, the exchange covering Boscombe Down so you were talking to the forecaster there as Farnborough's own met office was only contracted for mon-fri 8-5.
Last edited by chevvron; 12th Apr 2020 at 09:55.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Any comments on the design of the hangar? I heard that the services, water, power, drainage were split to each end. That the doors were intended to reduce the blast effects for a bomb outside or contain a blast inside. Also the roof could blow off.
Any truth?
Any truth?
