Moi Air Base

Last updated
Moi Air Base
RAF Eastleigh
Air Force Ensign of Kenya.svg
Eastleigh, Nairobi in Kenya
Kenya adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Moi Air Base
Shown within Kenya
Coordinates 1°16′37.9″S036°51′44.3″E / 1.277194°S 36.862306°E / -1.277194; 36.862306
TypeAir Base
Site information
Owner Kenya Defence Forces
Operator Kenya Air Force
Site history
Built1936 (1936)
In use1936-present
Airfield information
Identifiers ICAO: HKRE
Elevation1,632 metres (5,354 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
06/242,380 metres (7,808 ft)  Asphalt

Moi Air Base, formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport( ICAO : HKRE) is a military airport located to the east of Nairobi, in the Eastleigh suburb. The airport is used by the Kenya Air Force. Additionally, the airfield is the home of the East African School of Aviation run by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which was established at the airport in 1954 as the DCA training school. The airport is also used to train Kenyan Air Cadets.

Contents

Due to its military status, the airport is not shown in any official map of Nairobi. Instead, the area is left blank. This does not affect Google Earth, though.

History

RAF Eastleigh was a Royal Air Force airfield in Kenya, in the Eastleigh suburb of Nairobi. The name "RAF Eastleigh" was also used during 1935 for the airfield in England that became RAF Southampton in 1936.

A detachment of No. 45 Squadron RAF arrived in December 1929. [1] The detachment was reportedly equipped with Fairey III reconnaissance biplanes. The RAF Unit, Kenya, was established on 14 December 1935. On 15 December 1936, "B" Flight, 45 Squadron, by that time equipped with Fairey Gordon aircraft, was expanded into No. 223 Squadron RAF.

223 Squadron stayed until 17 September 1939. By January 1940 No. 223 Squadron was located at Gordon's Tree, in the south of Khartoum, in the Sudan. [2]

The first RAF elements listed on "Air of Authority" for the originally named RAF Nairobi were: [1]

Eastleigh was the primary RAF station for East Africa, and home to Air Headquarters East Africa after force reductions in the 1950s.

No. 1340 Flight RAF arrived at Eastleigh on 27 March 1953, commanded by Squadron Leader Charles G. St. David Jefferies, [3] [4] for anti-Mau Mau rebellion operations. It was equipped with 12 Noorduyn Harvard IIBs, eight operational and four in reserve, with two being serviced any one time. [5]

The aircraft were fitted with bomb racks under the wings to take eight 20 lb (9.1 kg) fragmentation bombs [6] [7] and a single Browning .303 machine gun under the starboard wing, [8] [4] with the ammunition carried inside the wing. [9] Because of the wooded terrain, the Harvards weren't used for two months because General Hinde thought they would be ineffective. [3]

However, because of its high elevation and short runways (which could not be extended because of its location close to the city), from the arrival of No. 208 Squadron RAF in the late 1950s with its Hawker Hunters, jet fighters and bombers had to operate out of nearby Embakasi Airport.

From 1945 to 1958, Eastleigh also operated as Nairobi's main international civilian airport. British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and East African Airways operated flights from Eastleigh until the opening of Embakasi Airport (now Jomo Kenyatta International) nearby in 1958. Beforehand, the suitability of Eastleigh to post-War commercial airliners became a burning question; it retained a dual military-civilian role while a site was sought for a more modern, bigger civil airport. Funding the new airport became a major hurdle. [10]

During World War 2, it was the location for No. 1414 (Meteorological) Flight RAF equipped with Gloster Gladiator, Boulton Paul Defiant, Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Percival Proctor and No. 1569 (Meteorological) Flight RAF equipped with Hurricanes. [11] After the war No. 21 Squadron RAF, No. 30 Squadron RAF, No. 82 Squadron RAF (perhaps between 1947 and 1952, carrying out aerial surveying) and a Communications Flight operated from the base.

After Kenyan independence in December 1963, the Kenya Air Force was formed in 1964. After the coup attempt by a group of KAF officers on 1 August 1982, the Kenya Air Force was disbanded and placed under the control of the Kenyan Army. During this period, KAF Eastleigh was renamed "Moi Air Base."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomo Kenyatta International Airport</span> International airport in Nairobi, Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is an international airport serving Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport. JKIA is located in the Embakasi suburb 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Nairobi's central business district, the airport has scheduled flights to destinations in over 50 countries. Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport's name was changed in 1978 after Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first President and Prime Minister. The airport served over 7 million passengers in 2016, making it the seventh busiest airport in passenger traffic on the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairey Battle</span> Light bomber family by Fairey

The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hind biplanes. The Battle was powered by the same high-performance Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various contemporary British fighters such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. As the Battle, with its three-man crew and bomb load, was much heavier than the fighters, it was therefore much slower. Though a great improvement over the aircraft that preceded it, its relatively slow speed, limited range and inadequate defensive armament of only two .303 (7.7 mm) machine guns left it highly vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Gibraltar</span> Royal Air Force station in Gibraltar

Royal Air Force Gibraltar or more simply RAF Gibraltar is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF and aircraft of other NATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stopovers, exercises, or other temporary duty. Administered by British Forces Gibraltar, the station is a joint civil-military facility that also functions as the Rock's civilian airport – Gibraltar Airport, with the civilian airport's passenger terminal building and apron facilities located on the north side of the runway while the apron and hangar of RAF Gibraltar are located on the south side of the runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Kenyas military

The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or Swahili: Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya.

RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS <i>Daedalus</i>) Former Royal Naval Air Station in Hampshire, England

Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent,, is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Andover</span> Former Royal Air Force flying base in Hampshire, England

RAF Andover is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Andover, Hampshire. As well as RFC and RAF units, units of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Transport Auxiliary were also stationed at the airfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seletar Airport</span> Minor commercial and general aviation airport in Singapore

Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north from the main commercial city-centre.

Royal Air Force Ringway or more simply RAF Ringway is a former Royal Air Force satellite station in Ringway, Cheshire, England, near Manchester. It was operational from 1939 until 1957. The site of the station is now occupied by Manchester Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAC Wirraway</span> 1937 Australian trainer aircraft

The CAC Wirraway is a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of the North American NA-16 training aircraft. The Wirraway has been credited as being the foundation of Australian aircraft manufacturing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Waltham Airfield</span> Airport in White Waltham, Berkshire, England

White Waltham Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located at White Waltham, 2 nautical miles southwest of Maidenhead, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Airport (New South Wales)</span> Airport serving Sydney, New South Wales,Australia

Camden Airport is an aerodrome located on the outskirts of Sydney, 1 nautical mile northwest of Camden, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is located approximately 60 km (37 mi) from Sydney's central business district. Camden is used as a general aviation overflow airport for the busier Bankstown Airport, and provides facilities for gliding and ballooning. The aerodrome has one grass runway and one paved runway and two glider airstrips. It is in the south-west corner of the designated Sydney flight training area.

Number 88 Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 223 Squadron RAF</span> Military unit

No. 223 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Originally formed as part of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the Squadron flew in both World Wars.

Air Headquarters East Africa was a command of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) formed on 19 October 1940 by expanding AHQ RAF Nairobi. On 15 December 1941, the command was reduced to Group status as No. 207 Group. On 16 November 1942, Air H.Q. East Africa was reformed by raising No. 207 Group back to Command status again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laikipia Air Base</span>

Laikipia Air Base is a Kenya Air Force base located approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west-northwest of Nanyuki, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">777 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

777 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit in West Africa during the Second World War. Throughout most of 1943, the squadron was responsible for the air defence of Sierra Leone. It disbanded at HMS Spurwing, RNAS Hastings, Sierra Leone, during December 1944. The squadron reformed in May 1945, from 'B' Flight of 778 Naval Air Squadron, as a Carrier Trials Unit operating aboard HMS Pretoria Castle, and using shore bases at HMS Siskin, RNAS Gosport, and HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford in England, and HMS Wagtail, RNAS Ayr, in Scotland. 777 Naval Air Squadron number was assigned to the aircraft collection at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in April 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">788 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

788 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded during June 1945. The squadron formed at RN Air Section China Bay in Ceylon, in January 1942, as the British Eastern Fleet's Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Pool, however it lost half its strength during the heavy raids by Japanese carrier-borne aircraft in the April. The squadron regrouped at RNAS Tanga in Tanganyika, East Africa to become a Fleet Requirements Unit and relocating almost immediately to RN Air Section Port Reitz, in Mombasa, where it remained operational for the next three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">795 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

795 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at RNAS Ford, in Sussex, during March 1947. Originally formed as the Eastern Fleet Fighter Pool at RNAS Tanga, in Tanganyika, in June 1942, it’s 'A' Flight's supported the invasion of Madagascar, from HMS Illustrious, before being detached at Majunga on anti-submarine patrols as part of the Royal Air Force’s No. 207 Group. The squadron later moved to RNAS Mackinnon Road, in Kenya, before disbanding during August 1943. It reformed as a Refresher Training Squadron at RNAS Eglinton, in Northern Ireland, in August 1946 as part of the Fleet Air Arm’s 52nd Training Air Group and later included a couple of deployments in HMS Implacable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">796 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

796 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at RNAS Culdrose in October 1958. 796 Naval Air Squadron formed as the Eastern Fleet Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Pool, at RN Air Section Port Reitz, in Mombasa, in July 1942, it provided a detachment embarked in HMS Illustrious in August to support the invasion of Madagascar. This Flight also disembarked to Majunga in September to join 207 Group of the Royal Air Force and later rejoined the squadron at RNAS Tanga, in November and added operational training unit to its roles until disbanding in April 1944. It reformed in November 1947 at HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, as the Aircrewman Training School, for conversion of T.A.G.'s to aircrewman standard. Its task changed to Observer School Part II in January 1950. The squadron moved to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose, in November 1953 and in 1957 took on the task of the disbanded 765 Naval Air Squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 1340 Flight RAF</span> Military unit

No. 1340 Flight RAF was a flight of the Royal Air Force. In its first formation in India it was equipped with Vultee Vengeance Mk. IIIs and a single North American Harvard. In its second formation in Kenya it flew Harvards built under licence in Canada by Noorduyn.

References

First ever flight to Bombay, Eastleigh Airport, 20 November 1950. First ever flight to Bombay. Eastleigh Airport Nairobi. 20 Nov 1950.jpg
First ever flight to Bombay, Eastleigh Airport, 20 November 1950.
  1. 1 2 Eastleigh
  2. ↑ "Stations-G".
  3. 1 2 Chappell 2011, p. 87.
  4. 1 2 Ritchie 2011, p. 34.
  5. ↑ Wilson 2015, p. 69.
  6. ↑ "British Explosive Ordnance - Introduction and Fragmentation Bombs: Fragmentation Bombs". WW2 Equipment Data. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Picture of bomb racks at Grant, Peter (23 August 2014). "More on the T-6 Texan's combat service". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "British Military Aviation 1953". RAF Museum. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Buckmaster, Derek (22 September 2012). "CAC Wirraway Technical Details". Design Bureau. Retrieved 5 February 2018. Info from a page about the CAC Wirraway, similar to the Harvard, both developed from the NA-16 trainer.
  10. ↑ Pirie, Gordon: "Nairobi's airports -- windows on Kenya's colonial past and top-down planning".
  11. ↑ David Lee, Flight from the Middle East, 1980, 295-7. Appendix A is the RAF Order of Battle in AHQ Persia and Iraq, AHQ East Africa and HQ British Forces, Aden, in November 1945, pp295-298. See also Lake 1999, pp 87, 95.
Flag of Kenya.svg Airport symbol.svg

This article about an airport in Kenya is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.