RAF Desford
| RAF Desford RFC Peckleton.[1]  | |||||||||||||||||||
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| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator |
Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Peckleton, Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1916 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1916-1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 387 ft / 118 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°36′40″N 001°17′28″W / 52.61111°N 1.29111°WCoordinates: 52°36′40″N 001°17′28″W / 52.61111°N 1.29111°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  RAF Desford Location in Leicestershire | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Station Desford or RAF Desford is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.0 mile (1.6 km) south of Desford, Leicestershire and 6.7 miles (10.8 km) south west of Leicester, Leicestershire, England.
History
Geoffrey Wellum, Battle of Britain pilot and author of First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain, which later became a television show, took his initial flying training here.
- No. 3 Air Observers Navigation School.[1]
- No. 3 Civil Air Navigation School.[1]
- No. 5 Basic Flying Training School.[1]
- No. 7 Elementary & Refresher Flying Training School.[1]
- No. 7 Elementary Flying Training School.[1]
- No. 7 Reserve Flying School.[1]
- No. 9 Maintenance Unit RAF.[1]
- No. 664 Squadron RAF was reformed at the airfield on 1 September 1949 with no aircraft. The squadron moved to RAF Hucknall on 17 January 1953.[2]
- No. 1969 (Reserve AOP) Flight.
- Leicester Aero Club.
Current use
The site is currently used by Caterpillar Inc. as an design office and assembly facility for Caterpillar Backhoe Loaders and Compact Wheel Loaders
See also
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Desford (Leicester) (Peckleton)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 104.
Bibliography
- Jefford, C.G, MBE,BA ,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Desford. |
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