RAF Dishforth

RAF Dishforth
The Control Tower
IATA: none – ICAO: EGXD
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force (RAF) Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
Location	Dishforth, North Yorkshire
Built	1936
In use	1936-1992
Elevation AMSL	118 ft / 36 m
Coordinates	54°08′14″N 001°25′13″W / 54.13722°N 1.42028°WCoordinates: 54°08′14″N 001°25′13″W / 54.13722°N 1.42028°W
Map
RAF Dishforth Location in North Yorkshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 1,362 4,469 Asphalt 15/33 1,858 6,096 Asphalt

Royal Air Force Station Dishforth or RAF Dishforth is a former Royal Air Force station located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Ripon, North Yorkshire and 11.5 miles (18.5 km) north east of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.

The airfield opened in 1936 as use by Royal Air Force (RAF) until 1943 when the Royal Canadian Air Force took over but the airfield was returned in 1945 before the site was handed over to the British Army in 1992 and became Dishforth Airfield.

History

Second World War

RAF Dishforth opened in 1936.^[1] At the beginning of the Second World War it became part of 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command, and was used for recruit training. Between September 1939 and April 1941, No. 78 Squadron RAF used it to launch night operations using Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bombers. Between 1943 and 1945 the station was used by No. 6 (RCAF) Group Bomber Command and was a sub-station of RAF Topcliffe. Immediately after the war the station was used to convert aircrew to the Douglas Dakota transport aircraft.^[2]

Post war

In the late 1950s RAF Transport Command operated Handley Page Hastings and from 1957 30 Squadron operated the Blackburn Beverley from Dishforth.

From 1962 to 1966 Dishforth was home to Leeds University Air Squadron flying the Chipmunk T Mk 10.

RAF Dishforth was home to No. 60 Maintenance Unit RAF between 1 March 1962 and 2 February 1966.^[3]

RAF Dishforth was used as a Relief Landing Ground for the Jet Provosts of RAF Leeming with personnel deployed from RAF Leeming on a day-to-day basis.

Dishforth was transferred from the RAF to Army Air Corps use by 9 Regiment AAC in 1992.

Vulcan aircraft were dispersed to Dishforth during exercises, and would have been dispersed from RAF Scampton during any hostilities during the cold war.

During the 70's and 80's part of the base was used as a police training centre for northern English police forces from Northumbria down to Lincolnshire

Current use

The airfield is now called Dishforth Airfield and is operated by the Army Air Corps component of the British Army.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• List of Royal Air Force Maintenance units

References

Citations

1. "Dishforth". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 00.
3. "RAF Dishforth". Air of Authority. Retrieved 20 November 2012.

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

• Airport information for EGXD at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.