Dunsfold
DUNSFOLD: Military aerodrome Later private company airfield and later stiil a civil aerodrome
DUNSFOLD PICTURES
Note. Pictures by the author unless specified. See also my article on air-shows for more pictures.
Military users: WW2: RAF Fighter Command 11 Group
RCAF: 400, 414, 430 Sqdns (Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks and North American P.51 Mustangs)
98 & 180 Sqdns (Originally flying Douglas A-20 Bostons)
Then RAF 139 Wing: 98, 180 & 320 DNAS (Dutch Naval Aviation Service) Sqdns, all flying it seems, (North American B-25 Mitchells)
Later: 83 Group Support Unit (Spitfires, Typhoons & Tempests) Mosquitos seen here
Post WW2:
Civil: From 1946 to 1950: Skyways (Avro Lancastrians & Yorks, DH Doves & Rapides and Douglas C-54 Skymasters)
Operated by: WW2: Air Ministry as a military airfield
1946 to 1950: Skyways
In 1950 Hawker Aircraft acquired the lease to the site. In 1975 (?) became Hawker Siddeley, then BAC (British Aircraft Corporation) and later British Aerospace Aircraft and Aerostructures before closing in 2000. At one point also the Folland factory too.
Air Show venue in about 1985?
Since 2004 with some limited GA activity plus air show venue again. Storage site for a few wide-bodied types and today best known for hosting the ‘Top Gear’ motoring programme.
Location: 1nm S of B2130, just NW of Alford Crossways village, 8nm S of Guildford
Period of operation: 1942 to 2000 Reopened for GA use in 2004?
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: 07/25 1829x46 hard 12/30 1280x46 hard
03/21 1280x46 hard
1990: 07/25 1896x46 hard
Last known details: 07/25 1880x46 hard
Short grass strip available (?)
NOTES: When WW2 in Europe ended DUNSFOLD became a reception centre for British PoWs being flown back from Europe. 38 Group Stirlings were certainly ferrying back PoWs here.
A NEW BEGINNING
Of interest I think, is that the Avro 707 VX790 undertook some one hundred hours of test flying here in 1951. In 1953 Airwork used this site to refurbish RAF Supermarine Attackers and USA F-86 Sabres. From 1961 Folland Aircraft Ltd moved their Gnat trainer flight testing here after the CHILBOLTON (HAMPSHIRE) factory closed. Folland was of course later absorbed into Hawker Siddeley Aviation. The Gnat T.1 was built at HAMBLE (HAMPSHIRE) and transported with wings attached by road to DUNSFOLD. As I have driven around this area with a large truck for over thirty years I’ll take my hat off and salute this enterprise. The Gnat was diminutive with a span of just 22ft and one inch, but even today the roads to DUNSFOLD are really quite narrow. A fairly circuitous route must have been used (?) as Surrey and Sussex are generally very backward Counties with regards to road infrastructure development and the few dual-carriages currently available did not exist.
THE HAWKER ERA
The Harrier jump jets and predecessors were built and flight tested here as were Hawker Hunters and Folland Gnats. The first Hawker Hunter flew from BOSCOMBE DOWN (WILTSHIRE) in July 1951 but the first production example, WT555, flew here on the 16th May 1953. It is probably worth remembering that the Hunter was, with some 1,985 built, (others reckon 1,972), a very successful export going to Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, Rhodesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. How the world has changed since! In a similar vein from 1957 surplus Fleet Air Arm Sea Furys were refurbished here selling to Burma, Cuba and West Germany.
THE P.1127 STORY (FORERUNNER OF THE HARRIER)
DUNSFOLD is, it must be said, the home of the ‘Jump Jet’ which in aviation history is every bit as significant a type as the ‘Jumbo Jet’ in that the concept re-wrote the rule book - nothing like it had ever been seen before. The defining difference between all previous VTOL fixed-wing aircraft being the Bristol Pegasus vectored-thrust engine.
Elsewhere in this Guide I have been highly critical of Bristol Aero engines produced since WW2 and I still believe this is largely justified – it took a long time before they got things sorted out but in the end they did produce one world-beater, the Pegasus, albeit with a lot of help from the Hawker design team based here and at Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey.
However, it appears the initial concept of vectored thrust did not derive from Bristol Aero engine designers. According to Robert Jackson in his excellent book Britain’s Greatest Aircraft: “In 1956 Michel Wibault, a French engineer, approached Bristol Aero engines with a proposal for a short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft in which the thrust could be moved through an arc or ‘vectored’ from horizontally rearward to vertically downward. The power unit for Wibault’s ‘Ground Attack Gyropter’ consisted of an 800hp Bristol Orion turboprop driving four centrifugal blowers, the exhaust casings of which could be rotated to direct the jet of compressed air, and hence the reaction, or thrust, through ninety degrees.”
“Following engineering studies at Bristol, the thrust vectoring idea was developed into the first BE53 configuration of 1957, using the Orpheus engine as a central power generator. It was this form of the BE53 that was first studied by the Hawker design team at Kingston. Since only part of this engine’s thrust output could be vectored, it did not provide a satisfactory basis for a useful V/STOL military aircraft. However, research discussions between the aircraft and engine design teams rapidly resulted in the BE53 configuration being changed in order to make the concept more adaptable to a practical fighter. It was given the designation P.1127.”
LOOKING BACK
Looking back is it not remarkable to view what was going on in those days. The English Electric Lightning had first flown in 1957, the requirements leading up to TSR-2 were being drawn up, the Boeing 707 airliner first flew that year, and here was a team of designers working on what would transpire to be the worlds most successful V/STOL fighter/bomber. As per normal, it wasn’t a simple affair. As Robert Jackson points out: “By the end of 1958, the first flight configuration of the P.1127 had been defined. However, although 75 per cent of the funding for the engine was supplied by the US Government through the Mutual Weapons Development Agency in Paris, no service sponsor could be found for the aircraft. It was not until early 1960, when the British government finally decided to support the project, that funding was made available. At this stage, the first prototype P.1127 was about half complete.”
At around this time, certainly in the early 1960s, the British government were also deciding to pull the plug on TSR-2. It is hard to make any sense of this given that the ‘Cold War’ was still a major consideration. Put very simply a combination of a V/STOL fighter/bomber and TSR-2 would have provided a formidable combined deterrent unequalled elsewhere in the West. And, the Soviets had virtually no defence system capable to resist. As the eighteen year old Mathias Rust proved many years later on the 28th May 1987 by flying a Cessna 172 from Finland and landing very near Red Square in Moscow. Without much doubt Rust could have been intercepted and shot down but the command system wasn’t configured for this happening. The same applies today generally speaking. Having military aircraft deployed from numerous make-shift locations, flying at very low level, are virtually impossible to both detect and intercept successfully given the speed they are travelling at. But now of course we have mostly reverted to military strike aircraft being generally capable of operating from huge air bases (and naval carriers) with all the infrastructure required.
THE P.1127 STORY CONTINUED
Two P.1127 prototypes were built, XP831 and XP836. XP831 made its first flight on the 21st October 1960 and XP836 on the 7th July. It appears the first tethered hover occurred on the 21st October 1960. Isn’t that amazing? Just fifteen years after WW2 ended! The first free hover occurred less than a month later on the 19th November 1960. According to Robert Jackson the first conventional flights took place in March 1961 and: “Transitions to and from wing-borne flight were accomplished in March 1961, and in December that year the P.1127 became the world’s first V/STOL aircraft to go supersonic in a dive.”
Perhaps, looking back, it is quite incredible the P.1127 succeeded in being developed given the attitudes of successive British governments during that era? It really is so incredibly difficult to explain why some brilliant British designs were scrapped, like the TSR.2, but this type succeeded. As also did, for example, the Avro Vulcan and I don’t think any other nation built a bomber that could get anywhere near the performance of that design? On the other hand the same could be said of the Vickers VC.10 airliner, a superb performer in every respect, but which singularly failed to sell in the global market. Why?
WORLD BEATING INNOVATION
There can be no doubt that the British designers of the period following on from the end of WW2 could produce aircraft of exceptional capabilities and world-beating in innovation. This in itself appears to have led, in some quarters, to a false impression that they could do nothing wrong - they knew it all. The de Havilland company being a prime example, (but far from the only example), building a succession of fatally flawed designs. The DH.106 Comet and first jet airliner being a prime example. It is often claimed the DH.106 Comet airliner flew very well from the start, and please dismiss any reports saying it flew beautifully - because it didn’t. It was in fact a heavily flawed design in many major aspects, including pilot handling aspects for regular airline use.
TEETHING TROUBLES
One point which I would like to make, is that the P.1127 was an absolute sod to try and fly. Indeed, one example crashed in a most embarrassing manner at the Paris Air Show in 1963. It appears that all of three P.1127 prototypes crashed! Yet somehow the programme continued. As Robert Jackson points out: “From 1960 to 1964, many problems were overcome in the development of the P.1127. The military services continued to show little more than polite interest in the aircraft’s puny operational capability, although by this time the programme had the benefit of considerable government support, mainly on the basis of research contracts.”
It appears that something needs to explained here. By 1964 the Labour government under Harold Wilson had decided that the TSR-2 project, very obviously a winner – would be scrapped. If anything resources would be ploughed into the development of the V/STOL programme led solely by the P.1127 which metamorphosed into the P.1154, a supersonic V/STOL type also destined for the waste paper bin. In other words they scrapped an obvious winner to pur resources into a design, which, at that time, was very far from proving itself.
FLYING ONTO AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
Once again I will quote from Robert Jackson’s book Britain’s Greatest Aircraft: “The Royal Navy received a practical demonstration of the V/STOL potential on 8 February 1963, when Bill Bedford, at that time Hawker’s chief test pilot, flew the P.1127 prototype, XP831, to a deck landing on the aircraft carrier Ark Royal in Lyme Bay, off Portland.” (My note: Portland is in DORSET). “Between 8 and 13 April 1963, Bedford and Hugh Merewether, neither of whom had any carrier experience, took XP831 through the full range of vertical and short take-offs and landings without experiencing any difficulties. Contrary to naval preconceptions, the P.1127 met no ‘cliff-edge’ downdraught effects in hover crossing the catwalks, island turbulence produced no problems and the deck neither buckled nor got red-hot.”
Can you now strain to believe this? “Unfortunately, the Royal Navy regarded the whole demonstration as something of a non-event. The Fleet Air Arm’s senior admiral commented that for the first time in his experience of a new jet coming aboard, the ‘fright factor increment’ was negative.” Any yet it appears that nobody in charge, in the Royal Navy, realised the astonishing potential of this type of aircraft. As a nation, we all seem mostly very happy to still allow such numpties to arrange our defence requirements. But, isn’t hindsight such a wonderful commodity which we all possess in copious quantities.
THE KESTREL
The six P.1127 prototypes were followed by nine FGA.1 Kestrel examples for the short-lived ‘Tripartite Squadron.’ Again from Robert Jackson: “In the spring of 1962, the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany negotiated a tripartite agreement to continue the P.1127 development programme and to provide nine aircraft and eighteen engines for a joint evaluation of V/STOL operations in the strike fighter role, using the aircraft in the field, away from conventional air bases.” Today in 2013 I need to pinch myself to take this in – this was in 1962!
Typically there appears to be some degree of debate about exactly which aircraft was the first Kestrel. Robert Jackson says: “British Ministry of Defence FGA D&P was produced to define the requirements for the Evaluation Squadron, of which the sixth P.1127, XP984, was extensively modified during its manufacture in 1963 to become the prototype. The new aircraft was given the name Kestrel….It was the first jet V/STOL aircraft to be granted a Release for Service Flying, in 1964.”
Probably it was the first production Kestrel (XS688) which some claim first flew, presumably from here, on the 7th March 1964. It seems rather unlikely that the prototype and first production example both had first flights within days? What seems remarkable today is that by today’s standards this was an incredibly short gestation period for such a complex type. The Tripartite Kestrel Evaluation Squadron was formed at RAF WEST RAYNHAM in NORFOLK operating during 1965.
THE HARRIER STORY
Here again Robert Jackson provides a very convenient précis: “Even as the P.1154 programme was being wound up early in 1965, Hawker Siddeley at Kingston was instructed by the British government to modify the Kestrel to take a 19,000lb thrust version of the Pegasus, fit the avionics systems then being developed for the P.1154, less the radar, change the aircraft to accommodate a considerable weapons load and deliver the resulting attack fighter to the RAF in four years time.” A task which, I strongly suspect, would be considered quite impossible to achieve today? They did it but we must remember that in those days we still had engineers and designers who really were highly professional and very capable in traditional engineering and design methods.
“The result was the Harrier, which, representing a more than 90 per cent redesign of the Kestrel, was committed to production in 1967. In its single-seat close support and tactical reconnaissance version, the aircraft was ordered into production for the RAF as the Harrier GR.Mk.1, the first of an initial order of seventy-seven machines flying on the 28 December 1967.”
Here again there seems room for debate. Some say the first Harrier prototype XV276 first flew on the 31st August 1966 but the first production GR. Mk.1 Harrier, XV738, made its first flight on the 28th December 1967. For those of us of a certain age it might well seem incredible to remember that the type first entered service on the 1st April 1969 at RAF WITTERING. Can it really be so long ago? And who exactly decided such a date for entry into service? April Fool’s Day it most certainly was not. The Harrier very quickly became legendary – in a class of its own.
A TABLE OF TYPES AND DATES
Because of the importance, and significance of this aircraft family, I was tempted to produce yet another table of the variants of the basic type. But decided against it for the simple reason that many of them did not first fly from this site, or indeed even from a UK site. Then I changed my opinion, quickly realising this lot will need sorting out!
TYPE Reg/Serial 1st Flight Notes
P.1127 XP831 21.10.60 This was a tethered hover, the first conventional take-off and landing was at RAE BEDFORD on 13 March 1961.
Kestrel FGA.1 XS688 07.03.64
Harrier XV276 31.08.66 Development aircraft
Harrier GR.Mk.1 XV738 28.12.67 1st into RAF service
Harrier AV.8A ? 1971 For the U S Marine Corps
Harrier AV.8B ? ? For the U S Marines and Italian Navy
Harrier AV-8S ? ? For the Spanish Navy, later to Thai Navy
Harrier EAV-8B ? ? For the Spanish Navy
Harrier TAV-8B ? ? For the U S Marines and Italian Navy
Harrier TAV-8S ? ? For the Thai Navy
Harrier TAEV-8B ? ? For the Spanish Navy
Sea Harrier FRS1 XZ450 20.08.78 1st into Royal Navy
Harrier II GR.Mk.5 ZD318 30.04.85
Sea Harrier FRS.2 ZA195 19.09.88
Harrier II GR.Mk.7 ? 29.11.89
Harrier T.2 XW269? ?
Harrier T.4 ? ? For the RAF and Indian Navy
Harrier T.6 ? ?
Harrier T.8 ? ?
Harrier II Plus ? 22.09.92 For the U S Marine Corps, Spanish Navy and Italian Navy
Sea Harrier FA2 ? 02.04.93
Harrier T.10 ? 07.04.94 First flown at WARTON (LANCASHIRE)
Sea Harrier Mk.51 ? ? For the Indian Navy (They also had a two- seater)
In all nearly 900 types and variants were built over a period of forty years.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT?
Is there something rather odd about the British government withdrawing the Harrier from service during a period in time when, if anything, most potential enemy action now comes from groups of people, mainly Islamic fundamentalists in persuasion, pocketed around in various invariably isolated locations if the propaganda is correct? Would it not then make quite a lot of sense, to have the capability to station V/STOL aircraft in remote locations, to counter and attack such locations? Or is this now the task consigned to operators of ‘Drones’ having probably no local knowledge, no particular interest, and generally regarding the operations as being some form of computer game?
As was learnt in WW2, (and after), when the population at large are denied knowledge and the facility to comment, those in charge are very often content to commit the most appalling atrocities. As witnessed, even in the UK, by at least two Prime Ministers. Tony Blair being the worst example by far as a war-monger par excellence; the consequences of his decisions still slaughtering thousands of people each year in the Middle East.
PRAISE FOR THE HAWK
Having given all this praise and attention to the Hunter and the Harrier ‘Jump Jet’ the Hawk really must be mentioned, not least for sentimental reasons as the Red Arrows still use the type, and they are, according to the BBC and other UK ‘experts’ the finest aerobatic display team in the world. As is our education and health service also – the best in the world according to our politicians. Disregarding the opinions of such fools, the Red Arrows are indeed a very good display team and, now as supposedly being a basically bankrupt nation, we can indeed be very proud of them. (This being written in 2012). Later, in 2014, it was mooted that we can no longer afford to support the Red Arrows and the team would be disbanded. However, it still appears that the British public at least, would not support such short term and small minded financial savings.
The first Hawker Siddeley HS.1182 Hawk trainer, XX154, first flew here on the 21st August 1974. A single-seat version, the Hawk 200 – private venture, (XG200), first flew on the 19th May 1986. The Hawk has followed in the tradition of the Hunter in being a significant export success, selling to - at the last count; Abu Dhabi, Australia, Canada, Dubai, Finland, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, the U S Navy and Zimbabwe.
ANY DESPOT WITH THE CASH WILL DO
Golly gosh old chap, doesn’t this list make you proud to be British? We still have the stuff of Empire in our veins and can still do deals with any despot or utterly corrupt regime in order to make a quid or two and, allegedly, oil the wheels with a timely donation of baksheesh. Only a few million spondulicks of course, just to ease the contract. And quite right too as surely no upstanding and self-serving government could possibly envisage a better way? Or am I being far too cynical?
On a less contentious note I believe it is correct to say that today the aircraft itself is only part of a package? Perhaps having a relatively minor role in the overall deal? The integrated overall support programme being the concluding factor? It must also be remembered that production of the Hawk was transferred to the BAe facilities at Preston and WARTON ( LANCASHIRE) after DUNSFOLD closed in 2000.
A FAR HAPPIER MEMORY
It appears that on a foggy morning in February 1978 Mr Christopher David Cyster, (RAF Flight Lieutenant, with Lightnings, Phantoms and Gnats logged), flew his DH.82A Tiger Moth G-ANRF, from here to Australia in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bert Hinkler’s first solo flight to Australia in 1928, flying the Avro Avian G-EBOV in which he reduced the previous record of 28 days to 15½ days . Incidentally, Amy Johnson made her historic solo flight to Australia in 1930 and she only took 19 days, quite remarkable for a low hours amateur private pilot. It appeared that in 2013, looking at the GINFO website, that Mr Cyster still owned this aeroplane and so, quite possibly, still flies it?
Note: The proximity of Dunsfold to the western edge of the Gatwick CTA is clearly shown here.
SPOTTERS NOTES
In the early 1980s, the DH.104 Dove 8 G-ASMG operated by Hawker Siddeley Aviation was based here, and also the HS 1182 Hawk G-HAWK and the Harrier T.52A G-VTOL too.
SURELY A LOVELY IDEA?
Many people have conducted very serious ‘round the world’ flights but I think the flight by Patrick and Linda Elliot deserves a mention, not least because they weren’t chasing any records. Patrick was a BA captain and had spent sixteen years building the Long-EZ G-LGEZ. On his retirement they flew to Australia, the original plan. In the event the plan eventually changed and, flying up via Indonesia, the Philipinnes and Taiwan they hit a problem. They couldn’t fly into Japan. So - they shipped the Long-EZ to Vancouver and flew a zig-zagged route into the USA before returning via Canada, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands route to land in the Shetland Isles. Then a few short hops via Aberdeen, Dundee, Sturgate and Manston before arriving back at Dunsfold.
I just love hearing of this kind of adventure. What a wonderful thing to achieve. They flew 32,498nm in 241.22 hours. And, they confirmed my experience that tailwinds only occur if you are only flying in the opposite direction to your intended destination!
TEST PILOTS
Perhaps a good place to point out a few aspects regarding famous test pilots of the 1940s and 1950s. During and after WW2, into the 1950s certainly, test pilots were major celebrities, their names appearing in the news almost weekly breaking new records or flying amazing first flights in astonishing aircraft. In the early 1950s they performed these duties for remarkably small renumeration. £40 a week if you flew for de Havilland, half that with the RAF or Royal Navy. The average wage is said to have been £10 a week in 1952. Yet these pilots had a life expectancy mostly measured in months if not weeks! Indeed, it is stated that by 1952 there had been eighty-two flight test fatalities since January 1946.
Four names are applicable to DUNSFOLD; Neville Duke, Bill Bedford, Hugh Merewether and later John Farley. The former for the Hawker Hunter, the latter three for the P.1127 and Harrier programme. Other big names for the 1940s/50s period from my personal ‘hero’ list are: Bill Waterton (Gloster), John Derry and John Cunningham (de Havilland), Mike Lithgow (Vickers/Supermarine), Peter Twiss (Fairey), Roland Beaumont (English Electric) and Roland Falk (Avro). Have I missed one out? I suspect I have, and not just one either.
Picture by the author.
ANOTHER CLAIM TO FAME
As pointed out at the top of listing, in recent years, although probably most viewers don’t realise it, DUNSFOLD has achieved considerable fame by being the main testing venue for the hugely successful ‘Top Gear’ TV programme.
A PERSONAL MEMORY
In August 2004 I was given the job of delivering the Vans RV8 (G-RVAL) here. The Vans types are quite easy to transport and over the years I carried many Vans types in my truck. To the extent that, towards the end I was, tongue in cheek of course, considering renaming our business as 'Vans Removals'.
ANOTHER VISIT IN NOVEMBER 2023
The reason for this visit was to watch, (and take some pictures), of a young relative driving three 'super cars' as a birthday present. The weather could hardly have been worse - low cloud base - but at least the rain had become a drizzle.
Even so, I did take these two pictures. I was surprised in two ways. Firstly to see an ex-RAF VC.10, and secondly to find a BA 747 still painted in the previous colour scheme.
Terry Clark
This comment was written on: 2018-01-07 01:03:55Re the Control Tower photo which, by the way, is of the 'old' tower which was superseded by a newer one in 1980 and which,being situated in the middle of the arfield, gave a much better view of aircraft in the circuit. Anyway my frst visit to Dunsfold ATC was in 1974, myself and another 'new' controller at Farnborough had to visit as part of our radar training as the two airfields, Farnborough and Dunsfold, worked in close liaison with each other. We arrived and entered the tower by the door at bottom left in your photo and embarassingly standing there was a guy with no trousers on! In the absence of a sign saying 'Entrance', we had managed to find the door to the test pilot's changing room and 'met' the USMC test pilot who was preparing to carry out a flight in an AV8A. On two later occasions, I flew in using a Cessna 150 belonging to 3 Counties Aero Club, once just before the 'new' tower was occupied then again just after. Years later after I retired from Farnborough, rather than just get bored, I took up a job as a FISO at Fairoaks and then discovered a private company was intending to re-establsh Ayr Traffic Control at Dunsfold. I offered my services and spent 2 months in early 2012 doing part time A/G Radio from the 'new' tower. Top Gear filg was taking a holiday at this time however McLarens make extensive use of the runway to test their production sports cars so we divised a simple means of 'sharing' the runway; if we had an aircraft movement, we would turn the runway lights on and this meant cars had to vacate the runway. Simple and it worked.
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