Airport type Military 04/22 5,879 Year built 1940 | In use 1941 – 1948 5,879 1,792 Owner Air Ministry | |
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Fsx raf honiley
Royal Air Force Honiley or RAF Honiley is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wroxall, Warwickshire, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Coventry, England.
Contents
- Fsx raf honiley
- Royal Air Force use
- Squadrons
- Other units
- Facilities
- Post Royal Air Force use
- Present day
- References
The station closed in March 1958, and after being used as a motor vehicle test track, it has been subject to planning permission from the Prodrive Formula One team for development of their Fulcrum test and development facility however this has been cancelled.
From September 2014 the site has been used by Jaguar Land Rover for heritage driving experiences with the location being known as Fen End.
Royal Air Force use
Originally called Ramsey, it was renamed RAF Honiley in August 1941, and used by a variety of squadrons defending the Midlands during the Second World War.
Squadrons
Other units
From April 1957, the station was placed on Care and Maintenance until closure.
Facilities
The airfield had 15 hangars; there were three Bellmans and 12 Blister hangars. There was also a cinema and technical workshops.
Post Royal Air Force use
After being taken over by LucasVarity for vehicle testing, current residents include Prodrive, Marcos and TRW.
In addition to their existing automotive consultancy business, already based at the site since 2001, in March 2006 motor racing company Prodrive announced its intent to build a £200 million, 200-acre (0.8 km2) motorsport facility called The Fulcrum. Prodrive's statement in the planning application for the facility – which could house as many as 1,000 staff – boasted of "a motorsport complex which could eventually house Prodrive's new British Prodrive F1 team", further cementing Managing Director David Richards' intention to return to F1 in 2008.
As of 3 August 2006, Prodrive has won the support of the Warwick District Council planning committee for development of The Fulcrum. The permission covers a highly advanced engineering research and development campus, a conference facility called the Catalyst Centre and new access road, a roundabout, infrastructure, parking and landscaping. The plans still have to be presented and agreed by the British government's Department for Communities and Local Government, and there is local opposition via the Fulcrum Prodrive Action Group (FPAG) to protect the rural nature of the community and the safety of the people that live within it.
However, following rule changes banning so-called 'customer' cars from competing in F1, and legal proceedings undertaken by existing F1 manufacturer teams, Prodrive's F1 plans have been shelved indefinitely. There is no information relating to the effect this may have had on continuing with any part of the site's redevelopment. Prodrive's core motorsport business remains based at their existing Banbury headquarters.
It is also the site of the HON (Honiley) VOR-DME navigation aid, which is positioned to the south of the track.
The old administration buildings, previously used by Lucas Automotive have been left by Prodrive in the same state they were when Lucas first vacated the site and have become a popular site for Urban Explorers.
Present day
The site was purchased by Jaguar Land Rover in 2014 who moved their Heritage Driving Experience operations to it from their Gaydon facility based at the former RAF Gaydon.