RAF Sydenham

54°36′51″N 005°52′37″W / 54.61417°N 5.87694°W / 54.61417; -5.87694TypeRoyal Air Force stationSite informationOwnerAir Ministry
AdmiraltyOperatorRoyal Air Force
Royal NavyControlled byRAF Flying Training Command
Fleet Air ArmSite historyBuilt1939 (1939)In use1939-1970 (1970)Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Cold WarAirfield informationElevation1 metre (3 ft 3 in) AMSL

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
04/22	Asphalt
00/00	Concrete

Royal Air Force Sydenham or more simply RAF Sydenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s it was the main servicing base for Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft, employing 650 civilian workers.^[1]

History

The following units were posted here at some point:^[2]

Royal Air Force

• No. 88 Squadron RAF
• No. 226 Squadron RAF

Units

• No. 3 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit RAF (March 1957 – June 1958)^[3]
• Detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF (1943)^[4]
• No. 8 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA (March 1941 – May 1942) became No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA (May 1942 – August 1945)^[5]
• No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF
• No. 23 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (September 1939)^[6]
• No. 24 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (January – September 1939)^[6] became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)^[7]
• No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF (June 1940 & February – April 1941)^[8] became No. 31 Wing RAF (April – June 1941)^[9]
• No. 79 Wing Calibration Flight RAF
• No. 203 Gliding School RAF (September 1949 – November 1952)^[10]
• Detachment of No. 1480 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (September 1942)^[11]
• No. 1494 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April 1942 – April 1943)^[12]
• Belfast University Air Squadron (January – May 1941) became Queens University Air Squadron (May 1941 – December 1945 & March 1947 – January 1992)^[13]
• RAF Northern Ireland Communication Flight RAF (October 1940 – October 1942 & December 1945 – December 1946)^[14]

Current use

The site is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

External links

• Northern Ireland base closes, Flight International, 15 April 1978, v. 113, no. 3604, p. 1035.