Fairford
FAIRFORD: Military aerodrome
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified.
You might also like to see my pictures taken during a couple of RIAT airshows held here - see ARTICLES - AIR SHOWS. (Comment 2015: More to come)
Military users: WW2: RAF Flying Training Command 23 Group
HGCU (Heavy Glider Conversion Unit)
38 Group
SOE duties: 190 & 620 Sqdns (Short Stirlings)
‘G’ Sqdn GPR (Army - Glider Pilot Regiment) (Airspeed Horsas)
No.22 HGCU (Heavy Glider Conversion Unit) (WACO Hadrians & Airspeed Horsas) with Armstrong Whitworth Albermarle tugs)
Post WW2: 47 Sqdn (Handley Page Halifaxs)
RAF Transport Command 10 Sqdn (Vickers VC.10s)
Location: SW of Whelford & NE of Dunfield villages, S of the A417, about 9nm N of Swindon
Period of operation: 1944 to - (continuous operation?)
Runways: WW2: 05/23 1829x46 hard 10/28 1280x46 hard
15/33 1280x46 hard
2000: 09/27 3047 hard
NOTES: In his most interesting book STIRLINGS IN ACTION WITH THE AIRBORNE FORCES Dennis Williams mentions, “The main runway, 6,000 feet long, was aligned approximately NE-SW, whereas the prevailing wind often made it necessary to use the E-W runway. The latter was only 4200 feet long when originally laid down, and not considered safe for Stirlings to take-off with gliders in tow……” I now wonder if there are other examples of WW2 airfields with main runways being laid down which weren’t into the prevailing wind? It is always of prime importance, even with very large tail-draggers, to try and take-off and land into wind.
It seems the arrival of 38 Group Stirlings to perform SOE duties from March 1944 signalled the opening of this aerodrome. But, it was soon obvious a major mistake had been made in constructing the runways. The main runway 05/23 was not into the prevailing wind! The E/W runway, then 10/28 was lengthened, (when?), to 10,000ft (3047) metres to safely allow Stirlings towing gliders to safely take off. But, were they sometimes towing two gliders? Dennis Williams makes no mention of this practice taking place. Elsewhere fully freighted Stirlings and Halifaxs were expected to get a loaded glider like a Horsa off from 1800 metre runways.
Also, when the Stirlings arrived the airfield facilities hadn’t been completed. I find this doubly ironic simply because, many of the WW2 buildings, (many intended to be very temporary), are still in use at FAIRFORD today.
ABORTED MISSIONS
What I found especially interesting in Mr Williams book is the large proportion of times that SOE missions having to be called off before departure or indeed aborted over the DZ (Drop Zone). In many cases often due to weather – especially low cloud or fog, or failing to see the friendly morse code being flashed, often due to a variety of enemy activities, including agents being captured. If these or SAS groups were captured they were invariably shot by the Germans as they regarded them as spies. In the latter cases espcially, having got that far into a mission, to have to abort was of course immensely frustrating for the aircrews.
Two other aspects of operational life for aircrews which Mr Williams draws attention to, (both aspects applying to all RAF and presumably USAAF aircrews), was; firstly the large amount of failures experienced with the aircraft, (especially engine ancillaries, pipework, electrics etc), and onboard equipment, (especially radio navigation aids), which were of course still in their infancy. The second aspect was the large frequency of returning aircraft being diverted or needing to land away from base mainly for a mix of four basic reasons: Bad weather at base and/or a crashed aircraft blocking the runway, battle damage and/or serious airframe/mechanical/systems failures, and/or having badly injured crew members.
Stirlings from both squadrons based here towed Horsas to Arnhem for operation ‘Market’, often referred to as ‘Market Garden’, but the USAAF did the ‘Garden’ part of those operations. The history of this hugely mishandled and bungled operation, (it was mainly the British part of it which went awry), starting on the 17th September 1944 is infamous of course and it must be remembered that the RAF aircrews flying mostly Stirlings and Dakotas, either towing gliders or on re-supplying missions, suffered huge losses and mostly in vain. Once again the British military top brass went into WW1 ‘trench’ warfare mode, slinging both Army and Royal Air Force ‘troops’ at the problem in huge numbers knowing full well about the attrition rate, and realising the bungled operation was a disaster from the second day.
Image derived from a photograph with BAe copyright, published by Sutton Publishing in Brian Trubshaw's 'Concorde-The Inside Story'.
CONCORDE BASE
In 1975 FAIRFORD was the main Concorde UK flight test base, although the site was still officially RAF. Indeed, having taken off from FILTON the first British Concorde then landed here on the 9th of April 1969.
At some periods during the flight development programme there were three Concordes based here, with a sizeable ground establishment. To speed up time spent travelling by road between FILTON and FAIRFORD and other BAe centres, plus Toulouse in France, British Aerospace purchased a Douglas DC-3 Dakota to supplement the DH.114 Heron and Beagle 206 already in use. This was at the suggestion of Brian Trubshaw, the British Chief Test Pilot whose book, 'Concorde - The Inside Story' often makes for fascinating reading - although quite a lot of the content is, by neccessity of course, quite technical.
A CHEEKY CHAPPY
On the other hand Trubshaw tells us this story about the car park laid out (at FAIRFORD) to cope with the considerable number of hopeful spectators wishing to see a Concorde, perhaps even airborne: "The cost of the car park fell to the Government and no one had the audacity to charge for its use by the public, who had had so much of their money through taxes pumped into the Concorde programme."
"This did not deter some 'sharp' character one weekend, who arrived in a peaked cap and jerkin adorned with 'National Car Parks' and sporting a bag of tickets for sale. After about 2 hours of relieving onlookers of their pound notes he departed before anyone caught up with him - and with a nice nest egg in his pockets. All efforts to find him failed and he disappeared without trace."
I suspect that with that amount of entreprenuership and lack of scruples, he probably went on to lead a major bank in the City of London?
THE RIAT YEARS
FAIRFORD has been the venue for the Royal International Air Tattoo from 1985, taking place every two years, until 1993. Then annually except for 2000 and 2001 when it was held at RAF COTTESMORE due to development works at FAIRFORD. The first ever Air Tattoo held in the UK was held at NORTH WEALD in ESSEX (when?), and the first International Air Tattoo was held in 1976, (where?). In 1977 the Queens Jubilee Air Tattoo at GREENHAM COMMON was simply fantastic. I was there and to then see so many military aircraft performing from so many Air Forces around the world was mind boggling.
Whilst being staged at FAIRFORD several records have been broken, perhaps the most notable being in 2003 when it became the biggest military airshow ever with 535 aircraft attending! I have been to FAIRFORD and these displays really are stupendous in every respect. But in my book still not a patch on the best of the Shuttleworth displays which for me these days, having the pleasure of hearing a puttering old piston engine. Something that can never be usurped by the ear shattering roar of a jet. This wasn’t always the case I have to admit, and as a youngster I loved having my eardrums turned to mulch.
FAIRFORD PICTURE GALLERY
Note: These pictures were taken by the author in 1993 and 1998. For more pictures see my article on Air Shows.
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