Oakley

OAKLEY: Military aerodrome

Oakley in July 2003

Another view

Notes: Pictures by the author unless specified.

Military users: RAF Bomber Command 92 Group
11 & 13 OTU (Operational Training Units)

Location: 11nm WSW of Aylesbury

Period of operation: 1942 to 1946

Runways: 02/20 1829x46 hard 06/24 1280x46 hard
11/29 1554x46 hard

NOTES: It appears OAKLEY was a satellite airfield for the Bristol Blenheims of 13 OTU based at BICESTER from May to July 1942. From August 1942 it became a satellite airfield for 11 OTU flying Vickers Wellington bombers from WESCOTT and this activity apparently continued until the Station closed. It is claimed that after VE day OAKLEY was one of the airfields used in ‘Operation Exodus’ and roughly 15,000 British PoWs were repatriated here.

MARTIN-BAKER
In 1945 Martin-Baker started flight testing their ejector-seats, initially with a Bolton Paul Defiant, the seat taking the place of the rear turret. The companies first Meteor EE416 was delivered on the 6^th November 1945 along with EE415 to be used as a photographic platform or chase plane. It appears that the flight operation was moved to CHALGROVE in OXFORDSHIRE around mid 1946 where they remain to this day, still using two Meteors. These, WA638 and WL419, are the last in a line of nine Meteors used by Martin-Baker.

THE 70th ANNIVERSARY
Marking the 70^th anniversary of the opening of this airfield in 1942 the Bucks Microlight Club held a Microlight Fly-In and Historic Vehicle event on the 27^th May 2012.

PICTURE GALLERY 2017

View of runway 02/20 from the north. Just visible in the distance is the strip used by microlights

The entrance sign to 'The Hangar'

The 'Hangar' in July 2017 - see note below

View of the SW part of the airfield

View of the western end of runway 06/24

Part of the 'peri-track' on the N side of the airfield

The western end of runway 11/29

The 'hangar' where microlights are apparently kept - see note below

MICROLIGHT ACTIVITY
On a visit in July 2017 I was informed that microlight flying still takes place, mostly if not solely at the weekends. And that they are kept in the large 'agricultural shed' situated at the end of what was once runway 11/29. Certainly a 'proper' sized windsock was being displayed.

The 'strip' that is used is on the southern end of what was runway 02/20, just south of the intersection with the old runway 11/29. One striking feature, most unusual in microlight operations, was that it is quite a long way to taxy from where the aircraft are apparently stored to the airstrip. Are some aircraft brought in by trailer? If anybody can kindly provide advice, this will be most welcome.

'THE HANGAR'
It appears that the scene in the opening sequence to the James Bond 007 movie, Octopussy released in 1983, when Roger Moore 'flew' the 'microjet' Bede BD-5J through a hangar when pursued by a ground-to-air missile - the hangar was this one! Needless to say the scene of the hangar being blown up was pure artifice - created by special effects. You might need to view the clip a couple of times, or more, to see just how cleverly, even those days, the illusion was created. And of course, the Bede BD-5J was never actually flown through the hangar!

A link to the film sequence is: https://jalopnik.com/james-bonds-tiny-jet-is-on-the-auction-1666408939 (Click to view)

gerry bishop

This comment was written on: 2017-12-09 21:24:58

Have just watched the opening scene from Octopussy and thought I recognised the airfield by the line of monster pylons that go across it.A few years ago boot sales were held in that hangar.There used to be a scrap yard near the airfield and I can remember going inside the wreckage of a plane there.Whether it had crashed at that spot or taken therebto be dismantled.I believe there was a incident of a plane accident in that area during the war.Think these old airfields are fascinating places, so many in this area.

Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Gerry, Thanks for getting in touch. I shall keep your comment posted. Best regards, Dick

Jason Jones

This comment was written on: 2019-08-31 20:49:07

The aircraft wreckage that was in a local, now gone scrapyard was from 1 of 2 aircraft that collided near to RAF Oakley some time after the war, most of the wreckage came down on the old airfield and a large part of it went to this scrapyard and the other aircraft involved to a yard in Bicester. I remember Fred, the owner of the local scrapyard had the pilots seat in the shack which he lived in at the yard.

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