Read A Very Unusual Air War Online
Authors: Gill Griffin
A Very Unusual Air War (47 page)
| Piper PA 38 Tomahawk | Flown as a member of Wellesbourne Aviation Flying Club |
| A glider | At Bidford Gliding Club |
| Cessna C152 | At Wellesbourne Club |
| Katana DV 20 | At Wellesbourne Club |
| Slingsby Firefly | For aerobatics to celebrate my 80th birthday |
| Robin | |
| Warrior | Flown for BBC in connection with a News 24 item about FW 190s being built at Gamelsdorf, Germany |
Avro Anson (later flown as first pilot)
Avro Lancaster
Percival Q 6 (later flown as first pilot)
NA Mitchell B25 twin-engined day bomber
DC 3 Dakota
DC 4 (I believe it was called the ‘Pionnair’)
DC 8 DC10
Fuji Twin
DH Rapide
BAC 111
Boeing 727
Boeing 737
Boeing 747
Boeing 767
Concorde (most of this flight was spent on the Flight deck with the crew)
Airbus (various versions)
Tristar
Bristol Britannia (the Banana Bomber of Monarch Airlines)
AERODROMES AT WHICH I
LANDED OR FROM WHICH
I OPERATED
| Desford (Leics) | 30–09–1940 |
| Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) | |
| | |
| Braunston (Leics) | 01–10–1940 |
| Derby | 08–11–1940 |
| Satellite for practice navigation | |
| | |
| Cosford (Salop) | 13–11–1940 |
| For first solo cross-country flight | |
| | |
| Hullavington (Wilts) | 11–12–1940 |
| Service Flying Training School (SFTS) | |
| | |
| Chipping Norton (Oxon) | 05–04–1941 |
| Babdown Farm (Glos) | 30–03–1941 |
| Satellite for night flying training | |
| | |
| Upavon (Wilts) | 07–04–1941 |
| Hawarden | 25–04–1941 |
| Near Chester, OTU for Spitfire training | |
| | |
| Speke (Liverpool) | 25–04–1941 |
| Sealand | |
| Temporary use due to bombing of Hawarden and Speke | |
| | |
| Catterick (Yorks) | 11–06–1941 |
| Homebase of 41 Squadron | |
| | |
| Acklington (Northumbs.) | 11–06–1941 |
| Leeming Bar (Yorks) | 17–06–1941 |
| Spitfire Vb M Unit | |
| | |
| Thornaby | 24–06–1941 |
| 41 Sqdn Advance Base | |
| | |
| Greatham (Durham) | 24–06–1941 |
| (Satellite to Thornaby) | |
| | |
| Redhill (Surrey) | 27–06–1941 |
| 11 Group, for operations over France | |
| | |
| Kenley (Surrey) | 11–07–1941 |
| 602 Sqdn operational base & sector station | |
| | |
| North Weald (Essex) | 21–07–1941 |
| Merston (Sussex) | 22–07–1941 |
| Tangmere (Sussex) | 24–07–1941 |
| White Waltham (Berks) | 24–08–1941 |
| Little Rissington (Glos) | 10–10–1941 |
| Hendon (Middx) | 01–11–1941 |
| Manston (Kent) | 08–11–1941 |
| Shoreham (Sussex) | 07–12–1941 |
| Leysdown (Kent) | 07–12–1941 |
| Llandow (Glam. S Wales) | 17–12–1941 |
| Martlesham Heath (Suff) | 29–12–1941 |
| Bircham Newton (Norfolk) | 24–02–1942 |
| Langham (Norfolk) | 24–02–1942 |
| West Raynham (Norfolk) | 24–02–1942 |
| Duxford (Cambs) | 29–03–1942 |
| This was only a visit; I was not posted to AFDU Duxford until May ’42 | |
| | |
| Marham (Norfolk) | 12–05–1942 |
| Waddington (Lincs) | 16–05–1942 |
| Syerston (Notts) | 17–05–1942 |
| Scampton (Lincs) | 30–05–1942 |
| Famous as the home base of the Dam Busters | |
| | |
| Matlask (Norfolk) | 02–06–1942 |
| Woodhall Spa (Lincs) | 04–06–1942 |
| Bottesford (Lincs) | 07–06–1942 |
| Digby (Lincs) | 09–06–1942 |
| Reading (Berks) | 10–06–1942 |
| Ludham (Norfolk) | 18–06–1942 |
| Honnington (Suffolk) | 19–06–1942 |
| Stradishall (Suffolk) | 21–06–1942 |
| Boscombe Down (Wilts) | 22–06–1942 |
| Fowlmere (Cambs) | 23–06–1942 |
| Lympne (Kent) | 25–06–1942 |
| Wyton (Cambs) | 28–06–1942 |
| Waterbeach (Cambs) | 28–06–1942 |
| Oakington (Cambs) | 28–06–1942 |
| Methwold (Norfolk) | 29–06–1942 |
| Feltwell (Norfolk) | 01–07–1942 |
| Lakenheath (Suffolk) | 01–07–1942 |
| Heston (Middx) | 27–07–1942 |
| Farnborough (Hants) | 29–07–1942 |
| Dishforth (Yorks) | 04–08–1942 |
| Middleton St. George (Durham) | 05–08–1942 |
| Hucknall (Notts) | 19–08–1942 |
| Rolls-Royce Aero Engine Division | |
| | |
| Mildenhall (Suffolk) | 20–08–1942 |
| Upwood (Cambs) | 21–08–1942 |
| Colerne (Wilts) | 24–08–1942 |
| Cranfield (Beds) | 27–08–1942 |
| Nottingham | 02–09–1942 |
| Tempsford (Beds) | 03–09–1942 |
| Chelveston (Northants) | 03–09–1942 |
| Topcliffe (Yorks) | 06–09–1942 |
| Skipton (Yorks) | 10–09–1942 |
| Northolt (Middx) | 16–09–1942 |
| Thurleigh (Beds) | 23–09–1942 |
| Langley (Bucks, now Berks) | 24–09–1942 |
| The airfield adjoining the Hawker Aircraft factory. My nearest place for visiting the family at Slough | |
| | |
| Wolsingham (Durham) | 09–11–1942 |
| Henlow (Beds) | 13–11–1942 |
| Bourne (Lincs) | 27–11–1942 |
| Warboys (Hunts, now Cambs) | 01–10–1942 |
| Burtonwood (Ches) | 23–10–1942 |
| Langar (Notts) | 15–10–1942 |
| Lichfield (Staffs) | 15–10–1942 |
| A Wellington OTU, handy for visiting my brother’s family | |
| | |
| Fulbeck (Lincs) | 26–11–1942 |
| Foulsham (Norfolk) | 07–12–1942 |
| Hunsden (Herts) | 13–02–1943 |
| Bovingdon (Herts) | 13–02–1943 |
| Wittering (Cambs) | 15–02–1943 |
| The base for AFDU from March ’43 to Feb ’45 | |
| | |
| Ridgewell (Essex) | 03–03–1943 |
| Gransden Lodge (Cambs) | 24–03–1943 |
| Colleyweston (Northants) | 29–03–1943 |
| Joined to Wittering by a 3-mile runway cut between the two airfields to form an emergency landing strip for aircraft in trouble | |
| | |
| Coltishall (Norfolk) | 20–04–1943 |
| Ibsley (Hants) | 20–04–1943 |
| Hixon (Shrewsbury, Shropshire) | 03–05–1943 |
| North Luffenham (Rutland) | 13–05–1943 |
| Woolfox Lodge (Lincs) | 14–05–1943 |
| Worthy Down (Hants) | 21–05–1943 |
| Manby (Lincs) | 25–05–1943 |
| Westcott (Bucks) | 05–06–1943 |
| A Wellington OTU, nearest airfield for visiting the family at Poletrees Farm, Brill | |
| | |
| Hockley Heath (Warks) | 05–06–1943 |
| A small grass field for emergency landings – and visits to the folks in Redditch | |
| | |
| Castle Bromwich (W. Mids) | 20–06–1943 |
| Adjoining the Spitfire production factory; also useful for visits to Redditch | |
| | |
| Church Fenton (Yorks) | 27–06–1943 |
| Pershore (Worcs) | 11–07–1943 |
| The flying field for RRE (Radar Research Establishment) at Malvern, Worcs | |
| | |
| Northcotes (Lincs) | 17–07–1943 |
| Newmarket (Suffolk) | 06–08–1943 |
| A wartime FFTS in the middle of Newmarket racecourse | |
| | |
| Hornchurch (Essex) | 18–08–1943 |
| Biggin Hill (Kent) | 15–08–1943 |
| Exeter (Devon) | 22–08–1943 |
| Portreath (Cornwall) | 23–08–1943 |
| Aston Down (Glos) | 04–09–1943 |
| Benson (Oxon) | 05–09–1943 |
| The base for PRU where I met Air Commodore John Boothman, winner for Britain of the Schneider Trophy in 1931 | |
| | |
| Great Massingham (Norfolk) | 13–09–1943 |
| Rednal (Shropshire) | 15–09–1943 |
| Hibaldstow (Lincs) | 17–09–1943 |
| Eshott (Northumberland) | 19–09–1943 |
| Dunsfold (Sussex) | 23–11–1943 |
| Hartford Bridge (Hants) | 29–11–1943 |
| The first airfield to have FIDO (Fog Intensive Dispersal by Oil) Oil was sprayed under pressure from pipes laid each side of the runway and ignited. Landing was a most frightening experience | |
| | |
| Luton (Beds) | 03–01–1944 |
| Podington (Beds) | 05–02–1944 |
| Gravesend (Kent) | 22–02–1944 |
| Spanhoe (Northants) | 16–03–1944 |
| Sutton Bridge (Lincs) | 23–04–1944 |
| Catfoss (Yorks) | 20–06–1944 |
| Thorney Island (Sussex) | 13–07–1944 |
| Doncaster (Yorks) | 09–08–1944 |
| Another horseracing track used as an EFTS during the war | |
| | |
| Ouston (Northumberland) | 05–09–1944 |
| Swanton Morley (Norfolk) | 13–09–1944 |
| Millfield (Northumberland) | 29–09–1944 |
| Grimburgen, Belgium | 14–11–1944 |
| A large airfield used until a month earlier by the Luftwaffe; now the base for hundreds of USAAF & RAF fighters | |
| | |
| Antwerp, Belgium | 15–11–1944 |
| Rearsby (Leics) | 13–06–1947 |
| My final recorded flight as a pilot in the RAF. |
Len on a visit to Old Warden, sitting in the cockpit of a Spitfire that had flown in from Duxford.
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