RAF Fairlop

RAF Fairlop
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Fairlop, London
Built	1940
In use	1941-1945
Elevation AMSL	89 ft / 27 m
Coordinates
Map
RAF Fairlop Location in London
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 02/20 3,300 1,006 Concrete 06/24 1,600 1,465 Concrete & Asphalt 11/29 3,300 1,006 Concrete

Royal Air Force Station Fairlop or more simply RAF Fairlop was a Royal Air Force station situated near Ilford in Essex. Fairlop is now a district in the London Borough of Redbridge, England.

History

A site to the east of RAF Fairlop called "Hainault Farm" was used during the First World War, and saw service as a Royal Air Force Home Defence Flight Station. A small flying club used another nearby site between the wars and there were plans to build a commercial airport in the Fairlop area for London, but those plans were later abandoned due to the realization that smog and haze from the residential and industrial areas nearby would be a hazard to operations. A further three sites just to the north of Fairlop and Hainault Farm were used as civilian aerodromes mid-war (see "Fields of the First", by Paul A Doyle, 1997). The airfield at Fairlop was built in late 1940 when three concrete runways in an "A" pattern tilted 45 degrees anti-clockwise were constructed. The airfield became operational in September 1941 with the arrival of No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAF, flying Supermarine Spitfires, previously stationed at RAF Hornchurch. The adjacent Hainault Lodge was used as officer accommodation. In June 1944 RAF Fairlop became home to No. 24 Balloon Centre with four squadrons forming part of the balloon barrage around London. The balloons were manned by members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. No 24 Balloon Centre was disbanded in February 1945 and the airfield closed in August 1946.

It is believed that the site was one of the first RAF airfield to trial underground hangars (the remains of one of which could be seen on the east side of Feltwell, Norfolk up to the 1970s) but no trace of any such works have been located at Fairlop.

Squadrons

Squadrons stationed at RAF Fairlop:

• No. 19 Squadron RAF.
• No. 64 Squadron RAF.
• No. 65 Squadron RAF.
• No. 81 Squadron RAF.
• No. 122 Squadron RAF.
• No. 154 Squadron RAF.
• No. 164 Squadron RAF.
• No. 182 Squadron RAF.
• No. 193 Squadron RAF.
• No. 195 Squadron RAF.
• No. 239 Squadron RAF.
• No. 245 Squadron RAF.
• No. 247 Squadron RAF.
• No. 302 Squadron RAF.
• No. 313 Squadron RAF.
• No. 317 Squadron RAF.
• No. 350 Squadron RAF.
• No. 411 Squadron RCAF.
• No. 602 Squadron RAF.
• No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron.
• No. 24 Balloon Centre.

Current use

The site was used for gravel extraction and became a country park known as Fairlop Waters with sailing facilities and a golf course.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Bibliography

• Halpenny, B, B. Action Stations: Military Airfields of Greater London v. 8.Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1993. ISBN 1-85260-431-X.
• Jefford, C.G, MBE,BA ,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Doyle, P, A. Fields of the First: a history of aircraft landing grounds in Essex used during the First World War. Forward Airfield Research Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-95256-241-3.

External links

• David Martin - RAF Station Fairlop