History of School of Air Operations Control (SAOC) The School of Air Operations Control started out as the
Regional Control School during September 1940 at
RAF Mildenhall, moving to Brasenose College, Oxford on 10 May 1941. It was redesignated on 15 December 1941 to the
School of Flying Control at
RAF Watchfield provide training for air traffic controllers, moved to
RAF Bridgnorth on 15 November 1942 with the aircraft using
RAF Bobbington. A detachment was left a Watchfield to the create the
Airfield Controllers School, the school returned to Watchfield on 14 November 1943 and the controllers school was integrated into the Flying Control School. On 1 November 1946 the school was renamed to the
School of Air Traffic Control and joined
No. 50 Group RAF, it was transferred to
No. 25 Group RAF on 21 April 1947. The School was disbanded into the
Central Navigation and Control School on 10 February 1950. of the School of Air Operations
No. 2 School of Air Navigation was formed on 21 October 1940 at
RAF Cranage within
No. 21 Group RAF training navigators, on 20 May 1942 the school moved to
No. 25 Group RAF. Shortly afterwards on 14 August 1942 the school was renamed to the
Central Navigation School still at Cranage, on 11 February 1944 the school moved to
RAF Shawbury and redesignated as the
Empire Air Navigation School on 28 October 1944. The school developed new navigation techniques and taught advanced navigation training with No. 21 Group RAF. It was renamed back on 31 July 1949 and on 10 February 1950 the school was renamed to the
Central Navigation and Control School by merging the
School of Air Traffic Control in. The new school used relief landing grounds at
RAF Sleap and
RAF High Ercall until being renamed to the
Central Air Traffic Control School on 11 January 1963. The school soon became under the control of
RAF Support Command, and on 8 October 1976 it came under the control of
No. 2 Flying Training School RAF. From 4 July 1989 the use of aircraft was discontinued with the training being completed using computers. In 1963, the first three women to become air traffic controllers qualified at the school:
Flying Officer G. Lord,
Flight Officer S. Grieve and
Pilot Officer A.P. Scougal. Chrystine Anne Lord, born 4 September 1939, of Hornby Road, Lytham St Annes, was the former head girl of
Queen Mary School at
Lytham St Annes, who had joined the WRAF in October 1958, and had been at Hack Green, near Nantwich, since June 1961. Shirley Grieve, 35, was from
Helions Bumpstead near Haverhill, in Suffolk. Shirley served in the WRAF for 22 years until 1975, becoming a Flight Lieutenant. Ann Patricia Scougal, 26, was from Yarm Road, in Darlington.
History of School of Aerospace Battle Management RAF (SABM) The School of Aerospace Battle Management began on 25 January 1945 at
RAF Drem as the
SCR.584 Training Unit RAF, this unit used
Supermarine Spitfires to train crews how to use the SCR.584 anti-aircraft gun-laying radar, the unit moved to
RAF Manston on 26 May 1945 joining
No. 11 Group RAF. It was disbanded into the
Fighter Command Control and Reporting School on 19 December 1945. The Control and Reporting School was based at
RAF Rudloe Manor and used
RAF Middle Wallop for an aircraft base. From 19 October 1946 it used Spitfires and an
Avro Anson from a unit based at
RAF Colerne with the school moving to Middle Wallop on 12 January 1948. The unit was renamed to just the
School of Control and Reporting on 16 March 1953 with the previously borrowed aircraft returned crewed by School personnel and new aircraft and pilots borrowed from
No. 288 Squadron RAF. On 9 September 1957 the
School of Fighter Control was formed at
RAF Hope Cove from an element of the Control and Reporting School, the school used as
RAF Hurn as a base for its
Hawker Hunters and
de Havilland Vampires until it was disbanded at
RAF Sopley during 1961. On 30 September 1957 the Control and Reporting School at Middle Wallop was disbanded and became the
School of Fighter Plotting within
No. 81 Group RAF still at Middle Wallop using
Boulton Paul Balliols. The new school was disbanded on 1 March 1958. On 1 October 1968 the School of Fighter Control was reformed as the
School of Control and Reporting at
RAF Bawdsey although the name would appear to have reverted to
School of Fighter Control while in residence there and prior to its move to
RAF West Drayton on 31 October 1974 and to
RAF Boulmer on 1 May 1990. At some point the school was renamed to the
School of Aerospace Battle Management, in 2019 the school was moved to RAF Shawbury and was joined with the School of Air Operations Control within the
Defence College of Air and Space Operations. ==Structure==