Longmoor Camp
LONGMOOR CAMP: Military airstrips and helipad/helicopter landing area
(also known as GYPSY HOLLOW and GIPSY HOLLOW)
Two seperate sites
Note: The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
Operated by: The Army
Locations: N and S of the A3 in the Longmoor Camp area, about 2.5nm W of Liphook
Period of operation: Probably 1950s to 1990s?
Runway: Longmoor Camp: 02/20 220 hard(?)
This picture from Google Earth © shows the location of the GYPSY HOLLOW airstrip.
GYPSY HOLLOW: Roughly 06/28 4 to 500m grass
NOTES: The GYPSY HOLLOW airstrip was originally used by Army AOP Austers, later by DHC.2 Beavers. It appears that plans were once made to extend the strip for use by Short Skyvans on parachuting duties.
This subject is interesting because a look at Google Earth in 2018 appears to show a runway, clearly defined, and possibly hard, with turning circles at both ends. This being listed as LONGMOOR CAMP. It could of course have been gravel or grass back in the 1970s. Although short at 220 metres, could this have been acceptable for STOL practice by Beavers and AOP Austers?
Indeed, someone has posted a comment on the Flyer magazine Forum stating that he flew a Hawker Siddeley HS780 Andover C.1 in from No.46 Squadron at THORNEY ISLAND to see if it was suitable for them to use for STOL practice. This being GYPSY HOLLOW.
It appears they stopped with just a few feet to spare, so the exercise wasn't repeated. He also thought the runway was around 1800 to 2000 feet long, (550 to 610 metres), so it clearly wasn't the 'runway' - if it is a runway - that I have identified. Perhaps somebody can kindly offer advice?
SOME INTERESTING NEW INFORMATION
In September 2022 I was kindly contacted by Terry Clark, a good friend of this 'Guide', with information regarding GYPSY HOLLOW. He tells us:
"Position about half a mile east of Longmoor Camp, south of the present A3(M). Grass strip about 4-500m long, roughly 06/28. In use before 1970 (probably built in the days of Austers, i.e. 1950s)."
"I remember Beavers using it in the '70s but it then seemed little used for some time. I drove along there, (the Longmoor Military Railway was still in place), several times as it was accessible to the public; there were signs at the edge in several places saying 'DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS THE RUNWAY' as it was like a bowling green and the surface looked pristine."
"Yes, there was a trial involving landing an Andover there; would have been about 1976/6 just before Thorney Island closed.In the early '90s, there were plans to extend the runway in order to use it as a mounting point for paras dropping from Short Skyvans at nearby Hankley Common DZ and these were well advanced, (they showed us plans), when suddenly the army decided to move Nos.1 and 3 Para to Colchester,"
"They then built the A3(M) between the airstrip and the old railway line and next time I visited (mid '90s?), someone had driven across the airstrip causing horrendous ruts and totally spoiling the surface, what a crying shame. I don't know what the short tarmac strip with turning circles was but it does look like a small airfield; maybe there were plans to put a Harrier in there at some time."
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