Aberporth Airport

Last updated

West Wales Airport

West Wales/Aberporth Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorWest Wales Airport Ltd.
Serves Cardigan
Location Aberporth
Elevation  AMSL 428 ft / 130 m
Coordinates 52°06′53″N004°33′34″W / 52.11472°N 4.55944°W / 52.11472; -4.55944
Map
Wales location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
EGFA
Location in Wales
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
08/261,2574,124 Asphalt
Sources: UK AIP at NATS [1]

Aberporth Airport( ICAO : EGFA) (Welsh : Maes Awyr Aber-porth) is situated southwest of Aberporth, Ceredigion, Wales. The airport is being developed as West Wales Airport for domestic flights. [2] It is also developing as a centre for the deployment of civil and military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as 'drones'. The airport underwent major improvements in 2008 which extended the length of the runway from 945 to 1,257 m (3,100 to 4,124 ft).

Contents

The site was previously RAF Aberporth, a former Royal Air Force satellite station which used by the RAF Army Cooperation Command, the site was also used the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), the Defence Research Agency (DRA) and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) under the control of the Ministry of Defence until 2001.

During 1956, a brand-new asphalt runway was built, with other extensions of the hangar apron occurring during 1968 and 1971. [3]

During the 1960s Aberporth was the HQ of the RAE Ranges Division. [4]

History

RAF Aberporth 1940-46 & 1959-84

The following military units were posted here at some point:

RAE Aberporth 1939-73

The following units were posted here at some point:

Polish Army Resettlement Corps Depot 1946-50

The airfield was used as a Polish Army Resettlement Corps Depot between 1946 and 1950. [23]

MOD Aberporth

The nearby range, MoD Aberporth started out as a Second World War British Army firing range. Due to the threat of Nazi Germany invasion, the Projectile Development Establishment moved from Fort Halstead to the range during 1940, with the Royal Air Force Combined Services Projectile Development Establishment being in existence between September 1943 and January 1945. [24] With the site being an outstation of PDE Fort Halstead and Royal Arsenal Woolwich.

The range was previously the Aberporth Anti-Aircraft Artillery Range and the Projectile Development Range [25] along with The Aberporth Range. [26] The Clausen Rolling Platform was built there to test radar and launchers against the rolling motion of ships at sea, without needing to go to sea.

It is used for testing rockets by the British military, as well as for launching civilian rockets for atmospheric research. The site is currently managed by QinetiQ [27] with air traffic services provided by NATS. [28]

Current use

The airport is mainly used for testing unmanned aerial vehicles in a area called the West Wales UAV Centre which is connected to the Welsh Government created ParcAberporth.

No. 636 Volunteer Gliding Squadron RAF was present between October 1996 and December 2001 [29]

Aberporth Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P859) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee. The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. [30]

The airfield is being used as a base for Thales Watchkeeper WK450 military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trials over Cardigan Bay. On 13 June 2018 a Watchkeeper crashed into a lane near the airfield; there were no injuries. [31] [32]

See also

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ "West Wales/Aberporth – EGFA". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  2. ↑ West Wales Airport
  3. ↑ Phillips 2006, p. 17.
  4. ↑ Jones 2007, p. 180.
  5. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 61.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 62.
  7. 1 2 3 Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 128.
  8. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 50.
  9. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 176.
  10. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 98.
  11. 1 2 3 Phillips 2006, p. 14.
  12. ↑ "Aberporth (Blaenannerch) (West Wales)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Phillips 2006, p. 13.
  14. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 285.
  15. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 259.
  16. 1 2 3 Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 170.
  17. 1 2 Delve 2007, p. 24.
  18. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 79.
  19. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 162.
  20. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 229.
  21. ↑ "The Central Timing Unit at RAE Aberporth". UK National Archives. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Recovery of projectiles at Guided Weapons Trials Wing Aberporth". UK National Archives. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Phillips 2006, p. 15.
  24. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 95.
  25. ↑ "Aberporth Anti-Aircraft Artillery Range and Projectile Development Range in the County of Cardigan byelaws 1941: revoked" (PDF). MOD. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "Aberporth Range byelaws 1976: to be reviewed" (PDF). MOD. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  27. ↑ "MOD Aberporth Facts and Figures". Qinetiq. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Aberporth: A very different kind of air traffic control". NATS. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  29. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 148.
  30. ↑ Civil Aviation Authority Aerodrome Ordinary Licences Archived 28 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ↑ Lewis, Mike (14 June 2018). "Fire crews called after drone crash near West Wales Airport". Cambrian News. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  32. ↑ Adam Lusher; Helen Hoddinott (21 June 2018). "A£1m military drone flew over a packed primary school sports day – then there was a crash" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2019.

Bibliography

  • Delve, Ken (2007). The Military Airfields of Britain - Wales and West Midlands. Marlborough, UK: Crowood Press. ISBN   978-1-86126-917-1.
  • Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
  • Jones, Ivor (2007). Airfields and Landing Grounds of Wales: West. Stroud, UK: Tempus Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7524-4418-5.
  • Phillips, Alan (2006). Military Airfields of Wales. Wrexham, UK: Bridge Books. ISBN   1-84494-019-5.
  • Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.
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