Raf Staverton

RAF Staverton was a Royal Air Force station about 4mi northeast of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The station was used for training and operations from 1936 until the 1950s. The site is now Gloucestershire Airport. HistoryFrom 1931 there was an airfield near Down Hatherley, and plans were in place pre-war to develop the new site. The RAF took over the site as a training school on 16 July 1936 for training until August 1946. Flying training was conducted at the site on de Havilland Tiger Moths, but for the first 18 months, during construction, the practical element of the course had to be undertaken at the relief landing ground at RAF Worcester. No. 31 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School was based at Staverton between 29 September 1938 and 3 September 1939. During the Second World War a number of units and flights were based at the airfield including No. 44 Group Communication Flight RAF, which operated between 15 August 1941 and 9 August 1946. No. 6 Air Observers Navigation School RAF was also based at Staverton from 1 November 1939 until 17 January 1942. A satellite strip of Staverton hosted the first flight of the Gloster 1 jet aircraft. Various testing took place at Staverton, including a plan for Lancasters to tow Spitfires from their airfields to targets such as Tokyo; the Japanese surrendered before this method was implemented.

RAF Staverton was a Royal Air Force station about 4mi northeast of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The station was used for training and operations from 1936 until the 1950s. The site is now Gloucestershire Airport. HistoryFrom 1931 there was an airfield near Down Hatherley, and plans were in place pre-war to develop the new site. The RAF took over the site as a training school on 16 July 1936 for training until August 1946. Flying training was conducted at the site on de Havilland Tiger Moths, but for the first 18 months, during construction, the practical element of the course had to be undertaken at the relief landing ground at RAF Worcester. No. 31 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School was based at Staverton between 29 September 1938 and 3 September 1939. During the Second World War a number of units and flights were based at the airfield including No. 44 Group Communication Flight RAF, which operated between 15 August 1941 and 9 August 1946. No. 6 Air Observers Navigation School RAF was also based at Staverton from 1 November 1939 until 17 January 1942. A satellite strip of Staverton hosted the first flight of the Gloster 1 jet aircraft. Various testing took place at Staverton, including a plan for Lancasters to tow Spitfires from their airfields to targets such as Tokyo; the Japanese surrendered before this method was implemented.