RAF Church Fenton The airfield was originally a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Church Fenton. It was declared open on 1 April 1937 and on 19 April the first station commander Wing Commander W.E. Swann assumed command. Within two months
No. 71 Squadron RAF had arrived with the
Gloster Gladiator. It saw the peak of its activity during the years of the
Second World War, when it served within the defence network of fighter bases of the
RAF providing protection for the
Leeds,
Bradford,
Sheffield and
Humber estuary industrial regions. After the war it at first retained its role as a fighter base, being among the first to receive modern jet aircraft, namely the
Gloster Meteor and the
Hawker Hunter. For some years it was home to the Royal Navy Elementary Flying Training School (RNEFTS) using the
Scottish Aviation Bulldog, and again 1979–1992, triggered by the introduction of the
Panavia Tornado, being the first station to receive the new turboprop-powered
Short Tucano T.1 basic fast jet trainers. From 1998 to 2003 Church Fenton was the RAF's main Elementary Flying Training airfield.
Station closure The last Station Commander of a self-determining RAF Church Fenton was Squadron Leader David Morris, who had trained on Chipmunk aircraft at RAF Church Fenton in 1973. Sqn Ldr Morris returned to RAF Church Fenton in 1991 as the Officer Commanding Station Services Squadron, to prepare the as then autonomous station for yet another closure, and transfer into the control of RAF Linton on Ouse as a satellite airfield and Enhanced Relief Landing Ground. The gates of the fully independent RAF Church Fenton were closed at 12:00 on 31 December 1992, However, with its assets such as the Officers' Mess subsequently razed to the ground to save on maintenance and the married quarters and other buildings sold off piecemeal by the MoD, RAF Church Fenton's runways and aviation infrastructure were alienated from the remainder of the administrative site and remained operational until 2013. On 25 March 2013 it was announced that RAF Church Fenton would close by the end of 2013. The units would be relocated to RAF Linton on Ouse by 31 December 2013. By 19 December 2013, all units had relocated and the airfield was closed. Some equipment was to be relocated to RAF Topcliffe. MoD security continued to secure the site until disposal. A
NOTAM was issued suspending the air traffic zone (ATZ) at the end of 2013. ==Current use==