Redhill Aerodrome is an operational

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

located south-east of Redhill, Surrey, England, in green belt land. Redhill Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P421) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Redhill Aerodrome Limited). It is serviced by a brasserie and coffee house called The Pilot's Hub which is situated within Hangar 9 at the aerodrome. The Pilot's Hub is open 7 days a week and is open to the public. It has a large outdoor viewing area and seating area as well as indoor seating and conference room hire. Hangar 9 itself is full of light aircraft, many of them historic, and visitors to The Pilot's Hub can walk around the hangar to see the aircraft close up.

Early history

The airfield came into use in the 1930s for private flying and it was used as an alternative airfield to Croydon Airport by

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...

. No. 15 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF was formed at Redhill on 1 July 1937. Training continued at the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

using the Miles Magister. The school was renamed to the No. 15 Elementary Flying Training School RAF on 3 September 1939. The

Fairey Battle 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 ...

was also flown particularly for use with the Polish Grading and Testing Flight which was formed hereon 14 March 1940. With the threat of a German attack on the airfield the Flying Training School moved to northern England in June

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

RAF Redhill

With the withdrawal of the Flying Training School the airfield became an operational

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

station. First to move in were 16 Squadron operating the

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...

. The Lysanders did not stay long and RAF Redhill had many short-term deployments of mainly fighter squadrons. In August 1942 the airfield had five squadrons based. By the end of 1943 the fighter squadrons had moved on and the airfield was used by support units until the end of the war.

Squadrons

Units

Postwar

The airfield returned to civilian use in 1947 but was suspended in 1954. In 1959 flying resumed at Redhill when the Tiger Club moved in. The following year Bristow Helicopters started to use Redhill as an operating base and carry out helicopter maintenance for the next 40 years. The airfield is still operated for private flying and training, with an emphasis on helicopter operators, and additionally functions as an important

reliever airport A relief airport or reliever airport is an airport that is built or designated to provide relief or additional capacity to an area when the primary commercial airport(s) requires additional capacity, on a long-term or temporary basis. Reliever a ...

for

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

. Pilots can use three grass runways. Information on the aerodrome's state can be found on the operator's, Redhill Aerodrome Limited, website. The aerodrome has its own Air Traffic Control and fire and rescue services. The airfield has also been the venue for the flying displays and aviation trade shows, including the annual Redhill Airshow in the past, which was focused around a charitable cause. Redhill (EGKR) Runway 26L From A Piper Cherokee

Redhill (EGKR) Runway 26L From A Piper Cherokee

On 17 May 2012 it was announced that the owners of Redhill Aerodrome had again submitted a planning application for a hard runway after the previous plan had been rejected in 2011. Opponents at the time, including local MP

Sam Gyimah Samuel Phillip Gyimah (; born 10 August 1976) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey from 2010 to 2019. First elected as a Conservative, Gyimah rebelled against the government to block a no-deal Bre ...

, argued that the runway would "create an unacceptable level of noise and pollution and destroy the landscape". In June 2013 the second application was also refused. In February 2014 the aerodrome lost a planning appeal; it was appealing against the June 2013 decision to reject the planning application. At the start of 2013, the Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance service relocated its helicopter to Redhill from

Dunsfold Aerodrome Dunsfold Aerodrome (former ICAO code EGTD) is an unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It extends across land in the villages of Dunsfold and Alfold. It was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contracto ...

in order to enable it to provide a night flight service across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. On 24 December 2013, the aerodrome suffered storm damage and flooding, with some light aircraft overturned.

Redhill Airshow

The Redhill Airshow was a "

garden party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

" style event held at Redhill Aerodrome until 2006. The show has seen

flypast A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used. Flypasts are often tied in wi ...

s by the Red Arrows and displays from the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

solo display teams, the

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events c ...

including the

Lancaster Bomber The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling ...

and other popular

warbird A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or th ...

s. In June 2015, a smaller airshow was introduced under the title of the Redhill Aviation Festival.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Redhill Airports in England Transport in Surrey Airshows in the United Kingdom Airports in South East England