Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground is a privately owned airport
in Leicestershire
near the village of Bruntingthorpe. It was opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe
in 1942.
used Bruntingthorpe from 1957 until 1962 as a heavy bomber
base
.
The facility was transferred from RAF control to the Strategic Air Command
and a new longer runway was built in 1959 when the 100th Bomb Wing
moved in operating the Boeing B-47 Stratojet
. Beginning in August 1959 the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
's 19th TRS from RAF Alconbury
operated the Douglas RB-66B
.
RAF Bruntingthorpe was closed when the USAF left in 1962.
There is a Cold War
aircraft museum that holds over a dozen jets used in various roles during that era. It is open on Sundays, and the aircraft (including the Lightning Preservation Group's pair of Lightning F6
s) are brought out to demonstrate fast taxi and takeoff runs on open days. The most notable aircraft at the aerodrome was the Avro Vulcan
XH558
having been restored to airworthy condition. The first flight of the restored aircraft took place from Bruntingthorpe on 18 October 2007. The Vulcan left Bruntingthorpe at the beginning of the 2009 flying display season and is currently based at Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster (formerly RAF Finningley). It is planned to fly the Vulcan at airshows in the UK for the next 5 years before being retired.
As well as car testing, Bruntingthorpe offers storage of cars and aircraft, film production facilities, and military/civilian defence testing. Within the airport is a repair facility for Ferrari
s and Maserati
s. The site benefits from planning consent
for Proving and Testing of Vehicles.
of the USA and the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a test to study the effects of an explosion on board a wide-body aircraft
. The test used an ex-Air France Boeing 747-100, and the explosion was set off from the back of the aircraft.
Photographs of the test were later involved in a hoax photography, which supposedly showed an Air Canada Boeing 747 with its back half exploding on landing. The photo was however an edit of an Air Canada Boeing 747 landing normally with the photo of the explosion test stitched onto the back of the aircraft.
On 3 May 2009 during a "fast taxi" run, Handley Page Victor
XM715 made an unplanned brief flight, reaching a height of between 20–30 ft before being landed. The aircraft does not have a permit to fly. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stated that they will not be conducting an investigation. The causes have been identified as the co-pilot failing to reply to the command 'throttles back', thus resulting in the pilot having to control the throttles himself, resulting in a brief loss of control of the aircraft, causing it to rise. No legal action is to be taken by the CAA against either of the crew aboard XM715 or the operators of Bruntingthorpe Airfield.
Non-aviation
Bruntingthorpe has been used several times (and still is) to showcase cars for Five's Fifth Gear
television series, and in October 2007 racing driver Jason Plato
was rushed from the circuit following a serious fire in a Caparo T1
that occurred at an estimated 150 mph (241.4 km/h) during filming.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
near the village of Bruntingthorpe. It was opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe
RAF Bruntingthorpe
RAF Bruntingthorpe was a Royal Air Force station in Leicestershire between 1942 and 1962.-History:The station was opened in 1942 as home of 29 Operational Training Unit operating the Vickers Wellington. Bruntingthorpe was not used between 1946 and 1957 when it transferred to the United States Air...
in 1942.
United States Air Force use
The United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
used Bruntingthorpe from 1957 until 1962 as a heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
base
Air Force Base
An Air Force Base is a military airbase of any of a number of air forces, such as the United States Air Force or South African Air Force ....
.
The facility was transferred from RAF control to the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
and a new longer runway was built in 1959 when the 100th Bomb Wing
100th Air Refueling Wing
The 100th Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, England. It is also the host wing at RAF Mildenhall....
moved in operating the Boeing B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
. Beginning in August 1959 the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
10th Air Base Wing
The 10th Air Base Wing is a non-flying United States Air Force unit that is the host wing for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Components:...
's 19th TRS from RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
operated the Douglas RB-66B
B-66 Destroyer
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
.
RAF Bruntingthorpe was closed when the USAF left in 1962.
Current uses
The facility became privately owned in 1972, developing into grounds suitable for high-performance car testing. Various circuits are available, from 4.2 miles (6.8 km) to 0.9 miles (1.4 km) loop; or the former runway, just under 2 miles (3 km) long. Bruntingthorpe also includes storage, security, and a covered hangar.There is a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
aircraft museum that holds over a dozen jets used in various roles during that era. It is open on Sundays, and the aircraft (including the Lightning Preservation Group's pair of Lightning F6
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
s) are brought out to demonstrate fast taxi and takeoff runs on open days. The most notable aircraft at the aerodrome was the Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
XH558
Avro Vulcan XH558
Avro Vulcan XH558 The Spirit Of Great Britain is the only airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan V-bombers that were operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. Vulcan XH558 served with the RAF between 1960 and 1985 in the bomber, maritime reconnaissance and air-to-air refuelling roles...
having been restored to airworthy condition. The first flight of the restored aircraft took place from Bruntingthorpe on 18 October 2007. The Vulcan left Bruntingthorpe at the beginning of the 2009 flying display season and is currently based at Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster (formerly RAF Finningley). It is planned to fly the Vulcan at airshows in the UK for the next 5 years before being retired.
As well as car testing, Bruntingthorpe offers storage of cars and aircraft, film production facilities, and military/civilian defence testing. Within the airport is a repair facility for Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
s and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
s. The site benefits from planning consent
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
for Proving and Testing of Vehicles.
1996 Boeing 747 Explosion Test
In 1996, the airfield was used by the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
of the USA and the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a test to study the effects of an explosion on board a wide-body aircraft
Wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
. The test used an ex-Air France Boeing 747-100, and the explosion was set off from the back of the aircraft.
Photographs of the test were later involved in a hoax photography, which supposedly showed an Air Canada Boeing 747 with its back half exploding on landing. The photo was however an edit of an Air Canada Boeing 747 landing normally with the photo of the explosion test stitched onto the back of the aircraft.
Accidents and incidents
AviationOn 3 May 2009 during a "fast taxi" run, Handley Page Victor
Handley Page Victor
The Handley Page Victor was a British jet bomber aircraft produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company during the Cold War. It was the third and final of the V-bombers that provided Britain's nuclear deterrent. The other two V-bombers were the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. Some aircraft...
XM715 made an unplanned brief flight, reaching a height of between 20–30 ft before being landed. The aircraft does not have a permit to fly. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stated that they will not be conducting an investigation. The causes have been identified as the co-pilot failing to reply to the command 'throttles back', thus resulting in the pilot having to control the throttles himself, resulting in a brief loss of control of the aircraft, causing it to rise. No legal action is to be taken by the CAA against either of the crew aboard XM715 or the operators of Bruntingthorpe Airfield.
Non-aviation
Bruntingthorpe has been used several times (and still is) to showcase cars for Five's Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
television series, and in October 2007 racing driver Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
was rushed from the circuit following a serious fire in a Caparo T1
Caparo T1
The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat automobile built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, engineers formerly involved in the development of the McLaren F1. The T1 was inspired by Formula...
that occurred at an estimated 150 mph (241.4 km/h) during filming.
See also
- Strategic Air Command in the United KingdomStrategic Air Command in the United KingdomDuring the mid- to late 1940s the United States Air Forces in Europe was occupied with supporting the movement of men and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command to bases in England.-Early Cold War Tensions:...
- United States Air Forces in Europe