| RAF Henlow | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: EGWE | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military Grass Airfield, Private, Helicopters, Gliders |
||
| Owner | Royal Air Force | ||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||
| Location | Henlow,Shefford,Bedfordshire | ||
| Elevation AMSL | ft / 45 m | ||
| Coordinates | 52°00′55.65″N 0°18′11.71″W / 52.0154583°N 0.3032528°W | ||
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals museum and the 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
Contents |
History
Henlow was chosen as a military aircraft repair depot in 1917. The Officers Engineering School moved there in 1927. During World War II Henlow was used as a repair base. Hawker Hurricane fighters were dismantled there to be shipped to Malta. After the war Henlow became the RAF Signals Engineering Establishment, but was reduced to a Radio Engineering Unit in 1980.
A major RAF technical training college was also formed at Henlow after World War II and this was amalgamated with RAF College Cranwell in 1965. The RAF Officer Cadet Training Unit then moved in, but this also moved to Cranwell in 1980. In 1983 the Land Registry took over part of the site.
Present
Today, RAF Henlow houses the Directorate of Engineering Interoperability (DEI), which is part of the Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA) within the Defence Logistics Organisation. In addition it houses the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG), HQ Specialist Police Wing (including the newly-formed Tactical Provost Wing), the RAF Centre for Aviation Medicine (RAF CAM) and No 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron which operates Vigilant T1 motor gliders. A civilian airstrip and flying school also operate from the site.
Administratively RAF Henlow is now part of a combined base, RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow.
Facilities
Facilities include a fully fitted gym and swimming pool, small bowling alley and a 9 hole golf course, open to the public.
Cadets
RAF Henlow is also home to 2482 (Henlow) Sqn Air Training Corps.
Operational units
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- RAF Centre for Aviation Medicine
- Joint Arms Control Implementation Group
- Tactical Provost Wing (TPW)
- No 1 Specialist Police Wing
- No 8 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ
- Bowman Training and Advisory Group (Joint)
External links
- RAF Henlow outline history
- History of RAF Henlow - Official RAF site
- 2482 (Henlow) Sqn Air Training Corps
- RAF Henlow at Google Maps
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