Hullavington Airfield

Hullavington Airfield
IATA: none – ICAO: EGDV
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Hullavington, Wiltshire
Built	1937
In use	1937-present
Elevation AMSL	201 ft / 104 m
Coordinates	51°31′30″N 002°08′00″W / 51.52500°N 2.13333°WCoordinates: 51°31′30″N 002°08′00″W / 51.52500°N 2.13333°W
Map
EGDV Location in Wiltshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 06/14 3,460 1,070 06/15 3,490 1,250 Asphalt

Hullavington Airfield (IATA: —, ICAO: EGDV) is an airfield in Hullavington, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. The site is the former RAF Hullavington ^[1] a Royal Air Force station.

The airfield is due to close in the coming years.^[2]

History

The site was opened on 9 July 1937 as a Flying Training School. Leonard Cheshire V.C. trained here in 1939.^[3]With the beginning of the Second World War top officers from allied nations came to Hullavington to share ideas and ways of using aircraft. An effective Met. Office was also stationed at Hullavington. An aircraft which left every day at dawn flew at various heights in order to send data back for the Met. Office to assess the weather.^[4]

In 1970 RAF Hullavington hosted the World Aerobatic Championships.^[5]

Units posted to the station

The station has performed many different roles; these are summarised with dates below:

Royal Air Force

• No. 9 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit RAF between June 1937 and July 1942.^[6]
• No. 9 Maintenance Unit RAF between 8 July 1938 and 31 December 1959 (renamed No. 10 MU during February 1939)^[6] as an Aircraft Storage Unit with Airspeed Oxfords and Avro Ansons.^[7]
• No. 10 Group Communications Flight was formed here on 1 June 1940^[8] and used multiple aircraft types.^[9]
• No. 88 Gliding School disbanded here during May 1948.^[10]
• No. 114 Squadron RAF was reformed here on 20 November 1958 with the de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 and stayed until 15 December 1958 when the squadron moved to RAF Nicosia.^[11]
• No. 622 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS).^[12]
• No. 625 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS)^[12] between 1992 and 2013.
• No. 1532 BAT Flight.^[8]
• Balloon Operations Squadron.^[8]
• Bristol University Air Squadron.^[8]
• Empire Central Flying School between 1 April 1942 and 7 May 1946.^[13]
• Empire Flying School between 7 May 1946 and 31 July 1949.^[13]
• Parachute Support Unit.^[8]
• Primary Flying Squadron.^[8]
• No. 1 Air Navigation School was disbanded here on 1 May 1954.^[14]
• No. 2 Flying Training School RAF with the Hunting Percival Provost T.1 between May 1954 and 1957.^[6]
• Air Electronics School between 1957 and 1962.
• No. 2 Air Navigation School between 1962 and 15 September 1965, when it transferred to RAF Gaydon.
• No. 16 Parachute Heavy Drop Company Royal Army Ordnance Corps from 1971 until it disbanded 1 September 1976.
• Parachute Packing Unit/Parachute Servicing Flight between 1967 and 1992.
• No. 4626 (Aeromedical Evacuation) Squadron RAuxAF between 1986-1995.^[15]

Royal Air Force Regiment

• No. 5 Wing RAF Regiment between 1982 and 1990.
• No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment between 1983 and 1988.
• 2 & 15 Sqn RAF Regiment from 1986 until RAF Hullavington was closed.

Air Transport Auxiliary

• No. 8 Ferry Pilot Pool between November 1940 and March 1941.
• No. 1427 (Ferry Training) Flight between 18 May and 5 September 1942.

Defence Codification Data Centre

The Defence Codification Data Centre (DCDC) lodged in a purpose-built computer suite at RAF Hullavington from its establishment in 1966 until its dispersal to Glasgow in 1986, where it merged with its parent body, the Defence Codification Authority.

Current usage

Today the barracks of the site (east of the airfield) is the home of 9 Theatre Logistic Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC)^[16] and it was renamed in 2003 to Buckley Barracks after the VC winner John Buckley.^[17]

The airfield, west of the barracks, is still referred to as "Hullavington Airfield" after its RAF origins.^[16] In 1992 and 1993 two Volunteer Gliding Schools moved in,^[18] operating the 'Viking' - a modified version of the civilian Grob 103.^[19] During 2013, 621 VGS and 625 VGS merged to form 621 VGS.^[18]

The airfield is due to close in the coming years.^[2]

Hangar 88 is currently used by Karting Hullavington.^[20]

In early 2016, the UK Government announced that the site was one of 12 that will be sold as part of the strategy for the MOD estate, although no date for the sale was given.^[21]

References

Citations

1. UKGA about EGDV
2. "Defence Minister Mark Lancaster announces release of MOD sites for development". MoD. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
3. "Obituary: Lord Cheshire VC", Aug. 1, 1992, "The Independent,"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lord-cheshire-vc-1537228.html
4. 'Personal Memories of Two World Wars', Raymond Welcomme (January 1987)
5. "1970". German Aerobatics. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
6. "RAF Hullavington airfield". Control Towers. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
7. Lake 1999, p. 135.
8. "Hullavington". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
9. Lake 1999, p. 120.
10. Lake 1999, p. 113.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
12. Lake 1999, p. 116.
13. Lake 1999, p. 64.
14. Lake 1999, p. 19.
15. "On a wing and a prayer". Wiltshire Life. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
16. "Home". 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
17. "Barracks to salute hero". This is Wiltshire. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
18. "The History of Hullavington Airfield". 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
19. "Aircraft at 621VGS". 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
20. "Intro". Karting Nation. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
21. "Defence Minister Mark Lancaster announces release of MOD sites for development". Retrieved 18 January 2016.

Bibliography

• Jefford MBE, Wg Cdr C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.

External links

• BBC History