Cool Old Airfield - Does Anybody Know?

[TSC.]

I have to drive to Liverpool quite often & for the last 6 years I kept passing some old 'hangar type' buildings next to the M62 (Junction 8 for a better reference). Anyway, I passed them again on Saturday & got curious again, so I looked up the area on Windows Live Local.

What I found was a cool old airfield that some muppet had built a motorway over the top of:


I love how you can still see where the runways were on these old airfields.

Does anybody know what this airfield used to known as?

Cheers,

TSC.

[C]

At first guess if it's near Liverpool with a motorway through it, then it's probably the former RAF Burtonwood - a large former USA(A)F base...

Double checked - it is RAF Burtonwood...

[Hagar]

Interesting. I reckon it's RAF Burtonwood. http://www.south-lancs-aviation.co.uk/raf_burtonwood_history.htm

PS. Charlie beat me to it.

[TSC.]

Thanks guys - i'll have a bit of a research into RAF Burtonwood.

PS: Thanks for the link Doug, at a quick glance it looks very informative, i'll have a proper read now.

Cheers,

TSC.

[Tweek]

Have a look around Lincolnshire, there's tonnes of old airfields scattered about. When driving to RAF Coningsby, we must have passed a great deal. I managed to identify the old control tower at RAF Coleby Grange (on the internet), after we'd stopped and turned round there.

[C]

Have a look around Lincolnshire, there's tonnes of old airfields scattered about. When driving to RAF Coningsby, we must have passed a great deal. I managed to identify the old control tower at RAF Coleby Grange (on the internet), after we'd stopped and turned round there.

Indeed. Coleby Grange (as well as several other ex RAF airfields in Lincs) have nicely placed signs by them - the one at Coleby must have been obscured. Couldn't be a more visible place for the tower to be though, probably the most visible in Lincolnshire - right on the A15. Sadly most of the remaining buildings on the other side of the road were disposed of a year or two back...

Here's a good site though...

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/Site%20Map.htm

[Drake_TigerClaw]

Over here in the states most runways that are in a triangle configuration are old USAAC and USAF fields I guess the RAF did the same and at first glance the triangle made me think military.

[beaky]

Odd that it hasn't been obliterated completely, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. It looks like a sad ghost.

[C]

Odd that it hasn't been obliterated completely, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. It looks like a sad ghost.

Old hangars = good storage/warehousing, generally with good access roads too...

Over here in the states most runways that are in a triangle configuration are old USAAC and USAF fields I guess the RAF did the same and at first glance the triangle made me think military.

It was the sensible way to move from the all grass fields of the 30s, to concrete. Obviously it was impacticable to make large concrete fields, so the triangle gave the best arrangement for always having an almost into wind runway. Most large UK airfields had a main of about 6000ft and two slightly shorter secondary runways. Postwar, most had the runway closest to running SW to NE lengthened to about 9000ft (generally for the V Bombers). There are exceptions to that rule though, such as RAF Fairford... In the case shown here, I believe the motorway follows the line of the old mainrunway - saved putting down a lot of hardcore!

[Tweek]

Here's a good site though...

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/Site%20Map.htm

Yes, that's where I got a positive I.D from, with a combination of map reading. There's a concrete area with plenty of room for pulling into and parking, or turning around. Perhaps one of the old pans on the airfield?

I believe this is it:

[C]

Yes, that's where I got a positive I.D from, with a combination of map reading. There's a concrete area with plenty of room for pulling into and parking, or turning around. Perhaps one of the old pans on the airfield?

It look like its been made by connecting two parallel access roads - the bottom of the two is seen continuing east of the A15, and seperating into seveal dispersals.

Coleby Grange stands out from most of the other airfields in its locality, along with Digby and Wellingore, as being a fighter base....

[61_OTU]

In Shropshire 2 sides of the triangular old Rednal airfield (Spitfire training unit) are now used as local roads, and a kart club use one end as a track.

The satellite field to Rednal, Montford Bridge, is still existing but is just two stretches of concrete in a cross among farm land. They have gravel chipped on end and use it for HGV lessons.

Atcham was a USAAF base, next to Attingham Park, but there are now no signs of it. The last remaining buildings were apparently pulled down quite recently  :(

All of these are a stones throw off the old A5 (London - Holyhead) road and played host to some famous fellows......If I had the money I'd buy and preserve each one