Ex RAF Airfields and the current users

[Vulcanone]

Morning all,

With all the current rumbling about future bases closing, it got me thinking about the ones that we have already closed in the last 20-25 years, the most obvious was my former local Binbrook, which is now farmland

But I thought over the weekend what has become of the others?

Finningley, Now an Airport
Abingdon, Army
Coltishall, Partly a prison
St. Mawgan, Now an Airport
Chivenor, Royal Marines base (airfield used by Sea Kings)
Brawdy, Army
Church Fenton, abandoned apart from a UAS unit
Wattisham, Army
Bruggen, (Army)?
Laarbruch, Now an Airport
Wildenrath Now the Siemens train test track!!
Gutersloh (Army)?

At the same time I wondered about the fate of the ex USAF bases,

Alconbury, Freight depot
Upper Heyford, (Test track and Storage)
Hahn, Now an Airport

What are Bitburg Zweibrucken and others now used for, any ideas/additions?

[wokka]

Greenham Common, now a green common! Still has the control tower, but the runways although visible are just common land with grazing. Recently the bunkers have come up for sale as commercial storage. The whole area is now a thriving nature reserve.
just googled it and found this:

[garethbrum]

Aren't there offices / industrial units at Binbrook too? PlanesTV's address is Binbrook Airfield............

Bitburg AFB is Bitburg Airport and has been since the mid 90s I think. Zweibrucken is also an airport and an industrial estate.

[Vulcanone]

Gareth,

I haven't been on Binbrook since 1997, when i went to a Lightning association rally. I guess the communal areas are still there, and in use, but it was pretty depressing when you looked at some buildings that had been vandalised

I was thinking more about the flying side of the bases which in this case it has been lost forever

Tim S

[John Cooper]

RAF Sutton Heath Woodbridge [ex USAF] is now Army

RAF Bentwaters [ex USAF] now a mix of industries but the airfield id still usuable [eg Grace Spitfire]

RAF Martlesham Heath [closed in the 60s] now totally built on as a housing development

RAF Nacton/Ipswich Airport [closed in the 90s] now totally built on

[Sparts99]

Isn't West Raynham a race track now ? And BT have got a lot of R&D facilities on the Martelsham Heath site. Holmelsy South in the New Forest is now a Forestry Commission campsite, you can see the airfield layout still but no buildings remain at all.

[350biker]

With regard to Church Fenton I don't think you would call it abandoned if you had to call up Fenton Radar for a MATZ penetration in a PA28 Cherokee! It gets pretty busy sometimes.

[RJ79]

An aggregates site has set up on West Raynham now (by the looks of it), half the runway has been dug up and it wouldn't surprise if the taxiways on the far side of the field have gone/are going as well. As for the rest of it, it seems to be a mixture of storage and nothing. Oh there are some sheep on the grassed areas too! RAF Watton is now a mixture of housing and 611VGS uses the runway. The runway section is up for sale so I would think when things pick up that will go for housing too.

[headset 57]

although not an airfield, LATCC / RAF West Drayton is well into being demolished, i lived on a new etstae on the old officers site and they knocked down the reception last week, RAF Uxbridge is being sold off too

http://www.inlandplc.com/portfolio/westdrayton.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

now Drayton Gdn village

http://www.draytongardenvillage.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MacksAviation]

RAF Martlesham Heath [closed in the 60s] now totally built on as a housing development

And BT research establishment !

[viper3111]

Waterbeach is home to the Royal engineers if any one was interested

RAF Mepal, once home to stirlings and the the Thor missiles is now Industry and agriculture

Newmarket heath were there was also stirlings is mostly gone but there is still a hangar left which I believe is used for storage

Bottisham is now the A-14 with housing estates, but there is some of it left like the gym/canteen and part still on the main airfield on the old new market road with the old ammo storage on the road to quy but you will have to look hard for it

Ely RAF hospital is still there and is where my doctors is, so Ive sadly been spending more time than I would like up there but its given me a chance to have a mooch round the old place

[NAM Updater]

RAF Winthorpe - 'White Goods' Logistics Centre; Housing; Agricultural Showground; Indoor Bowls; Go-Karting ...

....oh I almost forgot Aviation Museum!

[davedubya]

RAF Wethersfield - still largely intact and used for all sorts of things:

- MOD Plod Training School and
- MOD Firearms Training Wing
- 614 Air Cadet gliding school
- fire investigation training

I'm told there's also an emergency large-scale temporary mortuary over there...for when avian flu finally kicks in properly.

[viper3111]

I almost forgot the elephant cage at RAF chicksands, now that was a sight to see that thing

Still in use by the DISC

[22A]

Gareth,
I haven't been on Binbrook since 1997, when i went to a Lightning association rally. I guess the communal areas are still there, and in use, but it was pretty depressing when you looked at some buildings that had been vandalised
I was thinking more about the flying side of the bases which in this case it has been lost forever
Tim S

Until August there were some railway shunting engines stored at Binbrook. According to the official rail industry computer, the location for these locos was not RAF but MoD Binbrook. In August the engines were moved to Manby Airfield which suggests the land at Binbrook is needed.

[neilscott]

RAF Worksop is nothing more than farmland, Drove down the runway back in 1984 in my dads car, when he was teaching me to drive.
Flown into Wildenrath on a forces charter from Gatwick I think back in 1975 my uncle was based there in the RAF and visited Coltishall as a youngster when he was there,
Neil

[beefsteak]

RAF Woodall Spa is now being excavated for agregates but gradually is being returned to nature and a golf course; although there is a small area still in use (As RAF Woodall Spa) for engine modification
RAF Swinderby is next for the same treatment by the same company
RAF Newton is derelict, amidst rumours of it being turned into an asylum seakers holding base.
RAF Metheringham is farm land

[roughcutter]

RAF Burtonwood, erased! Well the runway is underneath the M-62.

[beefsteak]

RAF Burtonwood, erased! Well the runway is underneath the M-62.

Well half of it, there's still a chunk and some old runway in use by a HGV training company

[Sparts99]

RAF Membury (?) now the site of some services on the M4, there is still a hangar that can be seen when travelling Eastbound.