RAF Sydenham RAF Belfast RNAS Belfast RNAY Belfast HMS Gadwell HMS Gannet III
Belfast, County Antrim in Northern Ireland
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Air Ministry Admiralty
Operator	Royal Air Force Royal Navy
Controlled by	RAF Flying Training Command Fleet Air Arm
Condition	Active for civil aviation
Location
RAF Sydenham Shown within Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland RAF Sydenham RAF Sydenham (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	54°36′51″N 005°52′37″W / 54.61417°N 5.87694°W / 54.61417; -5.87694
Site history
Built	1939 (1939)
In use	1939-1973 (1973)
Fate	Civil aviation airport
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II Cold War
Airfield information
Elevation	18 feet (5 m) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23 1,100 yards (1,006 m) x 67 yards (61 m) Asphalt 13/31 1,100 yards (1,006 m) x 67 yards (61 m) (re-aligned in 1945 from 14/32 Asphalt

Royal Air Force Sydenham or more simply RAF Sydenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s it was the main servicing base for Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft, employing 650 civilian workers.^[1]

History

The following units were posted there at some point:^[2]

Royal Air Force

• No. 88 Squadron RAF
• No. 226 Squadron RAF

Units

• No. 3 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit RAF (March 1957 – June 1958)^[3]
• Detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF (1943)^[4]
• No. 8 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA (March 1941 – May 1942) became No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA (May 1942 – August 1945)^[5]
• No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF between 8 September 1958 and 1973 then again between 31 March 1978 and 31 July 1976.^[6]
• No. 23 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (September 1939)^[7] became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)^[8]
• No. 24 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (January – September 1939)^[7] became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)^[8]
• No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF between 27 and 30 June 1940 became SHQ Belfast^[9]
• SHQ Belfast between 30 June 1940 and 10 February 1941 became No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF (February – April 1941)^[9] became No. 31 Wing RAF (April – June 1941)^[10]
  • Station Defence Flight operated a Hawker Demon^[9]
• No. 79 Wing Calibration Flight RAF
• No. 203 Gliding School RAF (September 1949 – November 1952)^[11]
• Detachment of No. 1480 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (September 1942)^[12]
• No. 1494 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April 1942 – April 1943)^[13]
• Belfast University Air Squadron (8 January – 18 May 1941) became Queens University Air Squadron (18 May 1941 – 21 June 1943 & 31 March 1947 – January 1992)^[14]
• RAF Northern Ireland Communication Flight RAF (October 1940 – October 1942 & December 1945 – December 1946)^[15]

Current use

The site is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

References

External links

• Northern Ireland base closes, Flight International, 15 April 1978, v. 113, no. 3604, p. 1035.