RAF Linton-on-Ouse

RAF Linton-on-Ouse Station
Characteristics
ICAO code	EGXU
IATA code	HRT
Coordinates	54 ° 2 '56 "  N , 1 ° 15' 10"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 2 '56 "  N , 1 ° 15' 10"  W
Height above MSL	16 m (52  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center	15 km northwest of York
Street	7 km to the
Basic data
opening	1937
operator	Royal Air Force
Runways
04/22	1834 m × 46 m asphalt
10/28	1338 m × 46 m asphalt

The Royal Air Force Station Linton-on-Ouse , RAF Linton-on-Ouse for short , is a military airfield of the British Royal Air Force near Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire , England , about 15 km northwest of York . It was an important pilot training center until the 2010s and one of the busiest airfields of the RAF, to which RAF Topcliffe and RAF Dishforth had two satellite airfields in the past few decades.

RAF Linton-on-Ouse is slated to close in 2020.

history

The RAF Linton-on-Ouse station was one of around fifty airfields that were built in the period of armament before World War II. Construction began in 1936 and the opening for the RAF Bomber Command took place in May 1937. However, it took until April 1938 for the first two bomber squadrons, the 51st and 58th Squadron, to arrive. The base also housed the staff of No. 4 Bomber Group , which was later commanded by the later commander in chief of bomber command, Arthur T. Harris .

Immediately after the outbreak of war, on the night of September 3rd to 4th, 1939, leaflets were dropped from Linton's Whitley bombers over Nazi Germany, the RAF's first night mission in German airspace. The first bombing raids flew two bombers each from Linton in April 1940 on Oslo and Aalborg after the Wehrmacht had begun the occupation of Denmark and Norway . The first target in the territory of the German Reich was Mönchengladbach in the following month , with three aircraft being used.

Between December 1940 and August 1942, the station housed the first Halifax- equipped RAF squadron, the 35th Squadron. In the course of the war, the bombers stationed in Linton were fully integrated into the Allied air offensive against Germany, from June 1943 onwards they were Canadian Lancasters and later Halifax again, which were used by the 408th and 426th Squadron. The last attack took place on April 25, 1945 on the island of Wangerooge ( see article: Air raid on Wangerooge on April 25, 1945 ).

After the war and the withdrawal of the Canadians, the station was briefly under the RAF Transport Command and came under the control of the RAF Fighter Command in June 1946 . The local fighter squadrons initially flew piston-engine aircraft such as Hornets and Mosquitos and later then jet fighters of the Meteor , Saber and Hunter types . In addition, from March 1953, the base housed the RAF's rescue helicopter squadron, the Sycamore- equipped 275th Squadron, for almost two years . As a result of the reduction in the fighter squadrons, flight operations in Linton were temporarily suspended in March 1957.

On September 1, 1957, the station was subordinated to the RAF Flying Training Command and has been home to No. 1 Flying Training School (FTS). At the time, their task was to train Royal Navy pilots. The Provost was initially used for basic training , which was replaced by the Jet Provost in October 1960 , and the Vampire was used for advanced training . In addition, from the end of 1961 there was basic training for future helicopter pilots of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) at Chipmunk . The advanced training for the Navy was transferred to Brawdy from the end of 1963 . The vampires of No. 1 AGVs were used to train RAF as well as foreign and Commonwealth flight students until they were awarded No. 7 AGVs were relocated at RAF Church Fenton .

Due to the foreseeable end of the operation of large aircraft carriers , the basic training of future FAA pilots ended in June 1969. From then on, the Jet Provosts also served the training of the RAF and student pilots from various other countries, while the basic training of naval helicopter pilots also went to Church Fenton was relocated. The training of future FAA pilots for fixed-wing aircraft was resumed in 1976 and the first female flight student began her flight training in 1990.

In 1993 the Jet Provost were replaced by Short Tucanos and in 2002 the two school squadrons were named 72nd and 207th (Reserve) Squadron. Prince William completed his basic aviation training here in early 2008. Between 2007 and 2011 there was also a third Tucano season, the 76th season serving for navigation training and the 207th season was also disbanded in early 2012. The training on the Tucano ended in autumn 2019 and the flight training on the successor Texan has carried out the 72nd season since then in RAF Valley .

Todays use

RAF Linton-on-Ouse is currently (2019) the home of the No. 1 AGV.

Satellite airfields

RAF Topcliffe

The Royal Air Force Station Topcliffe , or RAF Topcliffe for short , is located about 20 km north-northwest of Linton-on-Ouse, was also opened as a bomber base in 1940 under the control of the RAF Bomber Command .

Between the mid-1970s, when the greater part of the area was taken over by the British Army as Alanbrooke Barracks , and the late 2010s, it was mainly used for pilot training. Today there is only a school relay of motor sailers left here.

RAF Dishforth

The Royal Air Force Station Dishforth , RAF Dishforth for short , about 15 km northwest of Linton-on-Ouse, was opened as a bomber airfield in 1936. After the war it was used to train transport pilots.

history

The Army Air Corps was the main user between 1988 and 2016 . Dishford Airfield , as the Army Aviation is called , was home to the 9th Regiment from February 1991. It was equipped with Lynx for most of the time , but between 2003 and 2007 it flew Apache . The last Lynx AH.7 were delivered in 2014 and the 9th Regiment was decommissioned as the last pure Lynx AH.9A unit on May 12, 2016. The flight operations in Dishforth were thus discontinued.

The area is still an Army barracks; it has been home to the 6th Regiment of the Royal Logistics Corps since summer 2016 . This regiment was previously the last British task force at Gütersloh Airport .

Incidents

• On November 17, 1947, came at a Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force ( Air vehicle registration MW284 ) at RAF Dishforth station during the go-around with only three engines running at a stall . The machine belly landed and caught fire. Still, all of the inmates survived.

• On May 4, 1951, a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VW828) was destroyed during a night landing at RAF Dishforth air base when it struck a lighting pole in front of the runway. All inmates survived.

Web links

Commons : RAF Linton-on-Ouse  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Website of the RAF Linton-on-Ouse station

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "... cease using Linton in 2020." BBC, July 24, 2018
2. ↑ Final Graduation of RAF Tucano Pilots, RAF News, October 30, 2019
3. ↑ End of an era for Army aviation, The York Press, May 12, 2016
4. ↑ Farewell: Logisticians honored with flag ribbon, Die Glocke, June 17, 2016
5. ↑ accident report Avro York MW284 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 18 2020th
6. ↑ accident report Valetta VW828 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th