00/00 Sommerfeld Tracking Elevation 130 m Owner Air Ministry | In use 1941-1948 (1948) 00/00 Sommerfeld Tracking Year built 1941 | |
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Type Royal Air Force station | ||
Royal Air Force Castle Combe or more simply RAF Castle Combe is a former Royal Air Force station located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England.
Contents
History
The Castle Combe airfield opened in May 1941. The land which the airfield occupied belonged to the Castle Combe estate, which was owned by the Gorst family.
It was used as a practice landing ground by nearby RAF Hullavington, home of No. 9 Service Flying Training School RAF. Flying training expanded considerably and the facilities were upgraded. Waterlogging was a frequent problem for the grass surface, so two runways of Sommerfeld Tracking were laid and a tarmac perimeter track constructed around the field. There were five hangars on the eastern and south-eastern side of the site; the control tower is still extant.
No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF and No. 3 Flying Instructors School RAF was also present at some point.
The airfield functioned for seven years before being decommissioned on 18 October 1948.
Current use
The perimeter track of the airfield was opened to motor racing in 1950 as Castle Combe Circuit.