Beccles Airport
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| Beccles Airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Beccles Airfield in 2007.jpg | |||
| IATA: none – ICAO: EGSM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Rain Air | ||
| Location | Beccles | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 80 ft / 24 m | ||
| Coordinates | 52°26′07″N 001°37′06″E / 52.43528°N 1.61833°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 09/27 | 696 | 2,283 | Concrete/Grass |
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] | |||
Beccles Airfield (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGSM) is located in Ellough, 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southeast of Beccles, Suffolk, England.
Beccles Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P837) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Rain Air (Beccles) Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use[2].
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[edit] Origin and war time use
Always known locally as Ellough Airfield, it was built for the USAAF and completed in 1943. It had the three concrete runway layout typical of many bomber airfields in East Anglia, and was allocated the airfield number 132. It is possible that Ellough was intended to be used by the 3rd Air Division, 95th Combat Wing. The 95th had two Bomber Groups, the 489th at RAF Halesworth and the 491st at RAF Metfield. Other Combat Wings had three Bomber Groups.
In the event the USAAF had no use for the airfield so it passed briefly to RAF Bomber Command before passing to Coastal Command in August 1944[3]. Until closure in 1945 the airfield was used by various RAF and FAA squadrons operating such diverse types as Vickers Warwick, Fairey Barracuda, Supermarine Walrus, Fairey Swordfish, Supermarine Sea Otter and Fairey Albacore on air-sea rescue and anti-shipping duties. The Fleet Air Arm used temporary lodging facilities at RAF Beccles under the stone frigate name HMS Hornbill II[3].
One of Ellough's few claims to fame is that in 1944 it was used by Mosquitos of 618 Squadron to practice dropping spinning bombs called 'Highball' which were a derivative of the bombs used by 617 Squadron to breach the dams. The use of 'Highball' is shown in the 1970 film Mosquito Squadron[3].
[edit] Post-war use
After the war the airport remained dormant until 1965 when it became Beccles Heliport serving North Sea oil rigs until that operation transferred to Norwich International Airport[3].
Ellough airfield has been home to RainAir since 1997 when Rainer Forster transferred his flight training operations from Swanton Morley[3].
[edit] Other uses
Much of the area of the airfield is now used for a variety of industrial uses. Beccles printing company William Clowes moved their main factory to the site in 2005.
Other areas of the site are used for agricultural use and as a site for a farmers market[4]. Ellough Park kart circuit also occupies part of the airfield site.
[edit] References
- Bowyer, MJF. (2000) Action Stations Revisited, Crecy
- Smith, G. (1995) Suffolk Airfields in the Second World, Countryside Books
[edit] External links
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