RAF Silverstone

Royal Air Force Station Silverstone or more simply RAF Silverstone is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station, the site is now used as Silverstone Circuit. It straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border and is named after the nearby village of Silverstone. It is 10 miles (16 km) south west of Northampton, 11.1 miles (17.9 km) west of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and 13.9 miles (22.4 km) east of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England and was opened in 1943 during the Second World War.

RAF Silverstone

RAF Silverstone in 1945.
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
LocationNear Silverstone, Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire
Built1942 (1942)
In use1943-1947 (1947)
Elevation AMSL512 ft / 156 m
Coordinates52°04′19″N 001°00′44″W
Websitehttp://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/silverstone
Map
RAF Silverstone
Location on the Bucks/Northants border
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02/20 5,487 1,672 Asphalt
06/24 3,840 1,170 Asphalt
14/32 3,567 1,087 Asphalt

History

The station was the base for No. 17 Operational Training Unit RAF[1] operating the Vickers Wellington bomber.

Current use

Today the airfield is a major racing circuit known as Silverstone Circuit. The circuit hosted the first ever Formula One World Championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix, held on 13 May 1950. Since 1987 the track has hosted the British Grand Prix every year. The airfield's three runways, in a standard World War II era triangle, lie within the outline of the classic racetrack; after recent development of a new section of track, the main runway is transected by the circuit.[2] Sections of two runways are used for the smaller south circuit.

The circuit is home to the Silverstone Heliport.

See also

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.