RAF Benson

RAF Benson

Infobox Airport
name = RAF Benson
nativename =
nativename-a =
nativename-r =



image-width = 280px
caption =
IATA = BEX
ICAO = EGUB
type = Military
owner = Ministry of Defence
operator = Royal Air Force
city-served =
location = Benson
elevation-f = 226
elevation-m = 69
coordinates = Coord|51|36|59|N|001|05|45|W|type:airport
website = [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson/ www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson]
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 01/19
r1-length-f = 5,981
r1-length-m = 1,823
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

:"BEX redirects here. For the airline that operated under that name from 1984 to 2000, see Business Express Airlines.RAF Benson Airport codes|BEX|EGUB is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC1 and the Merlin Mk3 and Mk3a.Benson is currently home to 28 (AC) Squadron and 33 Squadron and also to Oxford University Air Squadron and 6 Air Experience Flight. In January 2008, 78 Squadron was formally stood up at RAF Benson to create, alongside 28 (AC) Squadron, a Merlin Force. 78 Squadron were previously a Sea King/Chinook Squadron based at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands). Previous units once based there include the Queen's Flight.

The Thames Valley Police helicopter (a Eurocopter EC135) and the Thames Valley and Chiltern air ambulance helicopter (a Bölkow 105, call sign "Helimed24") are also both based at Benson.

The airfield is a well-known frost hollow.

History

Building work for RAF Benson began in 1937. RAF Benson was officially opened on 1 April 1939 and its first aircraft were 2 squadrons of Fairey Battle light bombers which arrived on 3 April 1939.

The King's Flight moved from RAF Hendon and would stay (renamed as the Queen's Flight after the death of King George VI) until after the war, moving to RAF Northolt in 1995.

The Battles, were replaced in December 1940 with Vickers Wellington medium bombers. At the same time the Spitfires of No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit RAF an RAF Coastal Command unit arrived. It gained considerable fame as the home of photographic reconnaissance for the remainder of World War II.

References

External links

*WAD|EGUB
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/RAFbenson/ Official RAF Benson website]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • RAF Odiham — RAF Odiham …   Wikipedia

  • Benson — may refer to: Places Places in England: * Benson, OxfordshirePlaces in the United States: * Benson, Arizona * Benson, Illinois * Benson, Minnesota * Benson, Nebraska * Benson, New York * Benson, North Carolina * Benson, Pennsylvania * Benson,… …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Medmenham — was a Royal Air Force unit based at Danesfield House near Medmenham, in Buckinghamshire, England. The unit specialized in photographic intelligence, and was once the home of the RAF Intelligence Branch. RAF Medmenham was to imagery intelligence,… …   Wikipedia

  • Benson, Oxfordshire — infobox UK place country= England latitude= 51.6210 longitude= 1.1106 official name= Benson population= civil parish= Benson shire district= South Oxfordshire shire county= Oxfordshire region= South East England constituency westminster=Henley… …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Coastal Command order of battle during World War II — This article lists the order of battle of RAF Coastal Command throughout the Second World War in the European Theatre of World War II. Contents 1 3 September 1939 2 1 November 1940 3 12 February 1942 …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Abingdon — Royal Air Force Abingdon …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Brize Norton — Not to be confused with Bz2. RAF Brize Norton Transire Confidenter IATA: BZZ – …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Little Rissington — Infobox Airport name = RAF Little Rissington nativename = nativename a = nativename r = image width = caption = IATA = ICAO = EGVL type = Military owner = operator = Royal Air Force city served = location = Bourton on the Water elevation f = 730… …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Mount Farm — Infobox Military Structure name= Royal Air Force Station Mount Farm USAAF Station 234 location= Located Near Dorchester, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom coordinates=coord|51|37|48.70|N|001|07|54.16|W| caption= Mount Farm Airfield 3 January 1946 type …   Wikipedia

  • RAF Transport Command — Infobox Military Unit unit name = Royal Air Force Transport Command caption = Command crest start date = 25 March 1943 1 August 1967 country = United Kingdom allegiance = branch = Royal Air Force type = Command role = controlling Transport… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”